Chinese organization welcomes 400 students at Reitz Union

Guangran Deng dreams of traveling all across the U.S.

He completed part of that goal Sunday when he was officially welcomed along with more than 400 new students from China.

“UF is like my hometown in the south of China,” the 23-year-old UF geography graduate student said.

The Chinese Student Association hosted the event at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom. Tables lining the room were packed with students seated based on their majors, with seven new students and one returning student at each table, said Yong Shen, who helped organize the event.

With tables full of new students lining the ballroom, organizations promoting services, clubs or information spilled into the hallway.

Deng, who sat with other students in the ballroom, said he plans on earning his Ph.D. at UF. He said he came to the U.S. in July, and since then, he said he’s visited Orlando and many of the natural springs around Gainesville.

Shen said it takes the new students time to adjust because the cultures are vastly different.

“We put them together so they can learn from each other,” he said.

During the event, students listened to representatives from Student Government, University Police, the UF International Center and UF Volunteers for International Student Affairs.

“Our role here is to help Chinese students to fit into the college culture,” Shen said.

Shuyan Ding, a member of the Chinese Student Association, sat at a table, introducing students to services offered by the organization.

“We want Chinese students to create community, and we do that by providing information about activities in Gainesville,” the 23-year-old UF electronic and computer engineering graduate student said.

Some of those services include language-building activities, scheduled events on campus or even trips to the mall, Ding said.

Because students are coming from China, a lot of them don’t have a way to get groceries or necessities, she said. The organization helps bridge that gap by having members carpool the new students to places.

Ding, who has just completed her first year at UF, said she got involved with the organization quickly, which gave her a feeling of belonging at the university.

She said the organization tries to get as many of the new students involved on campus, but it can be hard to reach them all.

“Of course we cannot get in touch with all of them, but if they are willing, then we try to connect with them,” Ding said.

Shuyan Ding, right, a 23-year-old electrical engineering graduate student, teaches an incoming freshman about an English translation application. Ding volunteers with the Chinese Student Association.