CHAMPS*: A Call for Volunteers to Host Foreign Students

• Who can be a CHAMP host?
  Current Penn students, faculty, and staff who are interested in welcoming new international students.

  How does the program work?

  The campus host is matched with an incoming international student over the spring and summer. We match people with similar background or interests. If you are interested in a specific culture or area of the world, we will try our best to match you with your preference.

  What does a CHAMP host do?

  A CHAMP host is a volunteer who can be a campus contact for the new student as well as give the student practical tips on how to get around the University and local communities.

  You are expected to:

  -- write to the student over the summer and arrange for a meeting upon his/her arrival on campus;

  -- come to the CHAMP Welcome Reception during the fall orientation.

  You are not required to:

  -- provide housing for the student;

  -- pick the student up at the airport;

  -- drive the student around;

  -- invite the student home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holidays.

  However, we encourage students and hosts to stay in informal contact during the academic year. OIP offers numerous opportunities for hosts and students to get together at receptions, parties, and various other social events.

  How do I sign up?

  CHAMP is now recruiting campus hosts for fall 1997. You can contact Li-Chen Chin, advisor to International Students and Scholars, at OIP, 898 -4661 or send an e-mail message to lcchin@pobox.upenn.edu. A modest commitment of your time to CHAMP can make a big difference for a new international student.

-- Joyce M. Randolph, Director, Office of International Programs

* Ed. Note: Not to be confused with the Physical Plant computerized workflow program of the same acronym; it stands for Computerized History and Maintenance Planning System.

Almanac

Volume 43 Number 24
March 4, 1997

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