The University is fundraising to create a space for international students on campus, said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron Wednesday at the final general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students this semester. Bergeron and CareerLAB Director Andrew Simmons attended the meeting and discussed international student life, internship opportunities and the January Career Laboratory.
The international house will help coordinate international student life and may concentrate resources for international students such as the visa office in one location, Bergeron said.
It will be the "heart and hearth of the international community," she said.
Simmons discussed offering more career mentoring options for international students and said the University may host a half-day career program for international students in November. He said he hopes to bring former international students who remained in the U.S. to pursue career options to share their experiences.
Bergeron also reviewed the University's work to improve summer abroad programs, noting that Brown recently hired a new director for summer programs. She said they hope to offer more options in conjunction with other universities in countries like Turkey, Cuba, China and Argentina.
They also discussed making the January Career Lab more accessible to athletes in training and restructuring the LINK internship grant application process to accommodate people who hear back from internships later in the semester.
The council approved a code change that would formalize the results of a joint UCS-Undergraduate Finance Board committee. The committee was created following a failed council referendum that would have allowed the council to allocate its own budget without UFB's approval.
Under the change, the council can receive funding for decorations and publicity and $1,200 for student initiatives. The change also allows UFB to make recommendations during the student group categorization process.
Earlier in the semester, UFB gave the council $500 to allocate to the student groups of their choice. UCS chose to split the funding between student groups Fashion at Brown and Carefree Clinic, said Afia Kwakwa '14, treasurer of the council.
The council also approved the UCS-UFB leadership election results. Anthony White '13 and Brandon Tomasso '13 were elected president and vice-president of the council last Thursday, respectively.
UCS is hosting the Teaching and Advising Awards at the Faculty Club and a New Leadership Orientation in Wilson Hall today.
