“In my experience, I’ve had more luck with groups based on an issue of some sort rather than based on an international identity,” Renna says. Groups such as “Creative Relating” or “Speaking Up in Class” are more attractive because students “don’t want to identify being an international student as something they’re working on; they’re working on lots of things,” she says.

But Renna says the Bureau always welcomes suggestions for forming groups: “We’re very happy to do something on a grassroots basis, if people would like a counselor to mediate discussion.”

Zlatinova says that while roommates or friends might suggest seeing professional help, “the idea of turning to a professional when they have problems isn’t something international students are used to.”

In College of the Overwhelmed, Chief of Mental Health Services (MHS) Richard D. Kadison writes about how some students come from cultures where “it is unacceptable to talk to strangers about personal feelings,” while others “may feel that mental illness brings shame to their families.”

Kadison says that MHS, which is the other major on-campus counseling resource besides the Bureau, is working to make help more accessible to international students.

“We make efforts to connect with various groups on campus and have dialogue about ways we can simplify health care and reduce the stigma so students will access care,” he writes in an e-mail. This past week, MHS met with the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy group to work on reducing the stigma. In the fall, MHS explained to incoming international students how to access health care and discussed the possible differences with other countries. In addition, MHS holds workshops with community health initiative members in the houses and receives feedback from peer counseling groups, Kadison writes.

Anecdotally, international students seem to be more at risk for suicides. Out of the seven suicides that occurred at the College since 2002, two were committed by international students. Sinedu Tadesse ’96, who was from Ethiopia, killed herself and her roommate in May 1995, and Marian H. Smith ’04, from Luxembourg, committed suicide in December 2002.

In response to a question on the number of international student suicides at the College, Renna says she hopes all students would seek help, but even when services are provided they often don’t come.

While efforts are being made towards better outreach, students say Woodbridge provides them the closest contact of the support groups.

“There’s an international organization [Woodbridge] but no international student counseling to help you adjust to this place,” says Kanittha Tambunlertchai ’05, a native of Thailand.

WOODBRIDGE

After being admitted, most international students receive a welcome call from a current Harvard student, courtesy of Woodbridge’s mentor program.

“You have an older sibling who is generally from where you come from, tells you useful academic and other facts, and is the same person you get to know throughout that half year or so before you come here,” says Zlatinova, who oversees the program.

In addition to the mentor program, Woodbridge organizes FIP, which is financed by the international office and occurs just before freshman move-in. “It’s the first welcome you get after a long flight, jet leg, questioning from immigration officers about visas,” Zlatinova says.

During FIP, international students attend academic and nonacademic panels composed of Harvard staff and Woodbridge members. On the panels, staff from the international office explain information about immigration and visas, while Woodbridge members talk about life at Harvard.