October 15, 2001

Contact: Liya Kruglyak, International Student and Scholar Services, (785) 864-3617.

KU seeks families, international students to spend Thanksgiving together

LAWRENCE -- As it has for the past 47 Thanksgivings, the University of Kansas is bringing together area families and international students for a holiday visit through the Betty Grimwood Thanksgiving Homestay Program.

"In light of the events of the past month, the need to promote international understanding is greater than it ever has been," said Diana Carlin, KU dean of graduate school and international programs.

"The holiday homestay program is one that enables our international students to gain a better understanding of Americans and how we live our daily lives. It is also an excellent opportunity for American families to learn about another culture. The end result is that we find there is considerable common ground among peoples of the world."

KU's Office of International Student Services is seeking area families as well as international students to participate in a Thanksgiving homestay. Options include housing a student from the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 20, to Sunday, Nov. 25, or inviting one or more international students to Thanksgiving dinner with the host's family.

Families and international students who would like to participate should call Liya Kruglyak, program coordinator in international student services, by Nov. 1 at (785) 864-3617 or odessit@ku.edu.

"I know from personal experience how rewarding this experience can be for both the host family and the student," Carlin said. "It is an opportunity for an international student to learn firsthand how Americans live and celebrate a uniquely American holiday. It is also an incredible learning experience for the host family. I would encourage anyone with a spare room and an extra chair at the dinner table to do it."

Last year 39 families and 39 international students participated in the homestay, Kruglyak said. In recent years host families from several cities in Kansas have participated, including Lawrence, Burns, Emporia, the Kansas City area, Lecompton, Marion, McLouth, Olathe, Peabody and Topeka.

In 1999, the program was named in honor of Betty Grimwood, who helped organize homestay visits in Burns, about 60 miles northeast of Wichita, from 1954 to 1998. Grimwood died in May 1999, and her friends and relatives have continued the Burns community tradition of inviting international students from KU for a Thanksgiving weekend visit.

The homestay program serves new students primarily to give those who want to visit a family during Thanksgiving a chance to do so. Sometimes students are invited to return each year.

KU has 1,677 international students on campus. This year KU's largest group of international students is from India, with 242 students. Other countries with large numbers of students enrolled at KU include China, 173; South Korea, 130; and Japan, 124.

KU keeps one residence hall open during Thanksgiving break. All other residence and scholarship halls close at 11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, and reopen at 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 25. McCollum Hall will remain open to provide guest rooms for students living in residence halls who register in advance for Thanksgiving break.