Foreign athletes face difficult road to assimilation at SMU

Foreign students, who are also athletes, have to learn English and assimilate while doing the normal classes and studying plus practicing and traveling. It takes a lot of will power and determination to succeed. DP

By Chris Dell, Sports Editor

The language isn't the same. The culture is completely different. The food is disgusting. The weather is strange. "Home" is thousands of miles away.

These are just a few of the stresses that foreign students encounter when they come to SMU from abroad. Add to the mix the pressure of competing in Division I sports, and you get an idea of how trying life can be for SMU's international athletes as they adjust to living in a new country.

SMU coaches, teachers and administrators hope to make the transition as smooth as possible by providing study halls, tutors and flexible homework deadlines when the athletes travel for competition. But, for many of SMU's international athletes, assimilating into American culture is simply a matter of willpower.

"[Being an athlete] does make it tougher," said Mouhammad Faye, a junior on the men's basketball team. "There's the language barrier, and you get less time than regular students because of practice, weight room and travel."

John Wheeler, director of the English as a Second Language Program, has worked with international students at SMU since 1998. While he realizes that athletes face different circumstances than normal students, he believes that both groups are likely to succeed in the classroom.

"These athletes are so motivated, and they appreciate the opportunity to do two things at once," said Wheeler. "They probably would get a scholarship at home, but not an undergraduate degree from a prestigious American university."
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