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an
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENT
CENTER
for
FLOYD HALL
M INTRODUCTION
What is an International Student Center ?
The idea for an International Student Center was drawn from the Interna-
national House in New York City, founded in 1924 by Harry Edmonds. Its motto,
as stated by Mr. Edmonds, is "That Brotherhood May Prevail." The Internation-
al House has been described as "the first attempt in history to gather all na-
tions for the purpose of furthering peace and understanding through the fellow-
ship of living - peace through contact." The House provides a home to some 500
people who are either working or going to school in New York City. Over sixty
International Houses and Centers have been founded across the country and around
the world based on the New York model. Although each is an independent organi-
zation they share the responsibility for carrying on Mr. Edmonds' hope for the
future: "Generations of students from many nations have come to understand that
despite many differences the human race is one."
The main difference in the International Student Center proposed for the
University of Florida is that it would not be a residential house. The Center
would serve primarily as an information and referral service for international
students at the University. The intention would not be to isolate those students
from the rest of the University; therefore, services provided elsewhere by the
University would not be duplicated. For example, dining and recreation facili-
ties for student use are already provided in the heitz Union and would not be in-
cluded in the proposed Center.
While the main goal of the Center would be to help orient the internation-
al students to living and studying at the University, it should also attract the
interest and support of the American students who want to learn about other cul-
tures. If the correct balance of participation and outreach were achieved, the
Center could share in the responsibility carried by the other International Houses
and Centers, to bring the idea of worldwide brotherhood to another community.
quotes from Excerpts from the Memoirs of Harry Edmonds (New Yorks International
House, 1983).
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M EXISTING PROGRAMS
Existing Programs
The services offered to international students at the University of
Florida are numerous. Programs are spread across the campus sponsored by va-
rious divisions of Academic Affairs and other departments. Although it is re-
cognized that not all of these programs would benefit from being relocated,
the opportunities presented by the creation of an umbrella organization for
a number of the services directed to international students should not be over-
looked.
Four of the existing programs have been researched to determine where
common goals and needs overlap. Sources for the information have been cited
following each section. Using the basic information a preliminary program has
been developed for an International Student Center to be housed in Floyd Hall.
The determination of the program is based on the summary of information at the
end of this section and is followed by the outline of spatial requirements for
the program.
International Student Services Office (ISS)
The ISS office is part of the Dean of Student Services Office in the Divi-
sion of Student Affairs. In general the ISS office acts as a counseling and pro-
gram center for international students. Its primary goals areas
1) To assist students and scholars in attaining their educational and
professional goals.
2) To enable students to experience American life through community vi-
sits, outings, and participation in community activities.
3) To promote friendship and mutual respect among students and scholars
from all countries and cultures thereby broadening the horizons of
students from Florida.
Around 1977 the ISS office moved to its present location in a two-story gray house
at 1504 West University Avenue. Previously the ISS office had been located in
a small one-story bungalow on Stadium Drive between the Music and Architecture
Buildings. It had first been housed in Tigert Hall with the other offices that
are contained within the Student Services Office. The ISS office works with the
Admissions Office in Tigert Hall handling approximately 1600 students presently.
(from an interview with Jennifer Lund, Assistant Director of ISS)
Center for International Studies and Programs (CISP)
The CISP is presently located in 168 Grinter Hall. Its main function is
the coordination of programs to send American students abroad for study. These
programs involve approximately 300 to 400 students per year. In addition the
CISP handles exchange students from Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, and the
Eastern Block countries, as well as the Fullbright scholars. The international
people that the CISP deals with are usually at the University on special agree-
ments and are not registered students. At times the CISP is called upon to work
with international visitors from the IFAS program (see following paragraph).
(from an interview with Sarah Bewley, Staff Assistant at CISP)
Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS)
IFAS is part of the Agriculture Department, and its International Program
has offices in McCarty Hall. The Department has overseas contracts with coun-
tries with whom they are working, and the majority of the students they receive
as part of the contracts come to the United States for training. Some of those
stay at the University while others are sent to different universities for their
training. Many are here by Agency for International Dvelopment (AID) funding.
Because the International Program at IFAS deals primarily with faculty and as a
resource for IFAS, and because theirs is a specialized service within the Agri-
culture Department, this International Program should remain near IcCarty Hall.
English Language Institute
The English Language Institute is part of the Program in Linguistics in
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It offers courses to provide English
language training to students whose first language is not English. The courses
include preparation in reading and writing as well as orientation to university
life in the United States. In general the Institute provides services to stu-
dents prior to their admission to the University. The faculty and graduate as-
sistants are all from the Linguistics Department; the Institute is presently lo-
cated in Norman Hall, across the campus from the Linguistics Department.
(from an interview with Dr. Roger Thompson, Coordinator for the Institute)
Summary
After collecting the information it became clear that the ISS office and
the CISP share more characteristics than the other programs. Their dealings
with international and American students are complementary. Both would benefit
from having more room to hold workshops, orientation meetings, receptions, coun-
seling and cultural activities.
Due to the nature of the students' arrangements through IFAS, their Inter-
national Program offices are best left in McCarty Hall. Similarly, the English
Language Institute offers a specialized service to a smaller group of people. If
the Institute were to be moved from its present location, space within the Lin-
guistics Department would be the most desirable. The Institute requires a great
deal of space for the faculty (five positions), graduate assistants (ten to fif-
teen positions), classrooms, reading and writing labs, conference and counseling
rooms, and curriculum development area. It is doubtful that these special func-
tions could be compatible with a student center whose goals were more broad.
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2 PROPOSAL
Proposal
The following program assigns spaces to house the specific functions of
the International Student Services office and the Center for International Stu-
dies and Programs. In addition there are facilities of the International Stu-
dent Center which would be used by both offices as well as the Programs Office
of the Center. After the descriptions of the programmed spaces, there is a
summary of the square footage allocations and a discussion of some design deci-
sions which affected those numbers.
International Student Services office:
1) Director's office (425 sf) - desk and work area for administrative
functions; seating area for small con-
ferences; book and file storage.
2) Asst. Director's office (240 sf) - desk and work area for administra-
tive functions; seating area for inter-
views; book and file storage.
3) Secretary (120 sf) - desk and work area for general secretarial func-
tions; storage for files and records
used daily.
4) Waiting area (100 sf) - seating area for administrative appointments.
5) Work/Study interns (160 sf) - work space for the three interns who
assist the secretary.
6) Immigration Clerk's office (350 sf) - desk and work space to accommo-
date the handling of admission notices
and financial papers of all incoming in-
ternational students; seating space for
four people; desk and work area for intern;
file and record storage.
7) Counselor and Graduate Asst. office (150 sf) - open area to allow flex-
ible arrangement of desk and work areas
for part-time staff.
8) Counseling office (100 sf) - private room for use either by Counselor
or Graduate Asst. when advising students.
9) Receptionist (120 sf) - desk and work area for tasks of receiving vi-
sitors, providing information, and moni-
toring waiting area.
10) Waiting/Information area (100 sf) - casual seating space with informa-
International Student Services office
Proposed program (continued)
10) daiting/Information - cont. - pertaining to ISb function, University
functions, and community activities pro-
vided on tables and shelves.
11) Newsletter/dork area (225 sf) - desk and work tables to provide space
for layout and assembly of Global Gator;
general work space for ISS office,
12) Record and File storage (135 sf) - area for filing cabinets to hold
past or inactive files and records.
13) machine room (100 sf) - space for small computer system, xerox ma-
chines, and work tables.
Center for International Studies and Programs'
1) Director's office
2) Staff Asst. office
3) Computer work area
(225 sf) - desk and work area for administrative
functions; seating area for small con-
ferences; book and file storage.
(150 sf) - desk and work space for coordinating
student programs within CISP, working
with Admissions and Registrar's Offices,
and handling of student financial re-
cords; seating area.
(120 sf) - space for computer system which is
used for past or inactive file storage.
4) Student Assts. (150 sf) - desk and work space for three part-time
students who work with the Staff Asst.
5) Waiting/Information area (100 sf) - casual seating area with informa-
tion about CISP programs provided on ta-
bles and shelves.
6) File storage (100 sf) - space for filing cabinets to hold present and
active files.
International Student Centers
1) Auditorium (1100 sf) - multi-use auditorium space which could hold
approximately 100 seats for lectures,
films or presentations; could be closed
off by lowering back section of wall for
smaller events or opened to encompass
the lounge for larger events.
2) Student Lounge (1500 sf) -
large open area to accommodate movable
casual seating for various activities.
International Student Center
Proposed Program (continued)
3) Catering Kitchen (360 sf) - basic equipment and work space to allow
the setting up of food for receptions
and parties (food would be brought to
the Center, not prepared on premises).
4) Program Office/Manager's Office (600 sf) - desk and work space for
three permanent staff and three to four
part-time assts.; responsible for sche-
duling and overseeing activities in Cen-
ter and for promotional literature.
5) ISC Store
(600 sf) -
shop which sells ISC promotional items, special-
ty items for its ethnic patrons, and in-
ternational magazines and newspapers.
6) Conference rooms (225 sf
7) Reading room (425 sf) -
ea.) - large space which may be divided into
two or three rooms depending on the size
of the group; movable tables and seating.
casual seating, tables, and study carrels for
staff and students participating in a tu-
toring program.
8) Study/Tutor area (250 sf) - desk and work area for larger study groups.
9) Restrooms (570 sf) - two men's and women's toilets provided on the
first and third floors.
10) Vending area (100 sf) - area for vending machines near student lounge.
11) Staff Lounge (225 sf) - area for casual seating, dining and kitchen-
ette.
12) Staff restrooms
(100 sf) -
13) Outdoor Terrace (300 sf) -
one each, men's and women's toilets, adja-
cent to staff lounge.
area outside of auditorium on west side of
building, for use as an extension of audi-
torium and as emergency exit.
SQUARE FOOTAGE
Square Footage Allocations
The following is a summary of the square footage allocations. After the
totals there is a discussion of the design decisions which affected some of the
numbers.
International Student Services office
Director's office
Asst, Director's office
Secretary
Waiting area
Work/Study interns
Immigration Clerk's office
Counselor, Grad. Asst.
Counseling office
Receptionist
Waiting/ Information
Newsletter/Work area
Record and File storage
Machine room
ISS Total
Center for International Studies and Programs
Director's office
Staff Asst.
Computer work area
Student Assts.
Waiting/Information
File storage
CISP Total
425 sf
240 sf
120 sf
100 sf
160 sf
350 sf
150 sf
100 sf
120 sf
100 sf
225 sf
135 sf
100 sf
2325 sf
225 sf
150 sf
120 sf
150 sf
100 sf
100 sf
845 sf
International Student Center (and shared facilities)
Auditorium
Student Lounge
Catering Kitchen
Program office/Manager's office
ISC Store
Conference rooms
Reading room
Study/Tutor area
Restrooms
Vending area
Staff Lounge
Staff restrooms
Outdoor terrace
IbC Total
1100 sf
1500 sf
360 sf
600 sf
600 sf
675 sf
425 sf
250 sf
570 sf
100 sf
225 sf
100 sf
6505 sf
6505 sf
-8-
Square Footage Allocations (continued)
Circulation (stairs, elevators, etc.) 4475 sf
Service (storage, janitorial, etc.) 560 sf
Totals:
ISS ISS 2325 sf
CISP CISP 845 sf
ISC 6505 sf
support 5035 sf
14710 sf
Design Decisions
The symmetry of Floyd Hall was emphasized by establishing cross axes
through the building. The north-south axis was set up by the circulation path
between entries and between the offices along the bridges on the second and
third floors. The east-west axis was established by the placing of the round-
ed auditorium as a freestanding object directly opposite the main entry on the
east. In order to make visitors aware at all times both of the strong symmetry
of the building and of their orientation, the building was opened through three
floors. The flexibility offered by such an open plan to accommodate a variety
of activities seemed appropriate.
Although the numbers would seem to indicate a large, disproportionate
amount of circulation, only the vertical systems are restricted to circulation
uses. Circulation on the first floor would be absorbed either into the audito-
rium or the lounge, depending on the activity. Likewise, the bridges are com-
fortable enough to allow the gathering of a few people who then may participate
in the activity below. It was thought that the flexibility of the spaces would
enable smaller, informal groups, such as foreign film series viewers, to be as
comfortable as larger, planned groups, such as an evening banquet for a visiting
dignitary. The flexibility offers a wider, more efficient use of space in the end.
0 DESIGN
FIRST FLOOR
0oP"4 * .
* TRANSVERSE SECTION
Ia SITE PLAN
1:20
.I NTERNTION L-qmI~I- STUEN C ENTER-
0 BASEMENT
CENTER
INTERNATIONAL
- - - m
M -__ ----
L STUDENT
A PROPOSAL FOR FLOYD HALL
~Ran 11=01 ig Lill ILI
lU l 1:.S E1l AIn
0I WEST ELEVATION
0 THIRD FLOOR
O SECOND FLOOR
LONGITUDINAL SECTION
m CONCLUSION
Is the Site Appropriate for this Function ?
The staff interviewed at the ISS office thought that their current loca-
tion off-campus made them easier to find and more easily accessible. The loca-
tion of Floyd Hall on the western edge of the Plaza of the Americas is not as
readily accessible to vehicular traffic. However, there is visitor parking to
the east of the Plaza, decal parking to the north.of Floyd Hall, and parallel
parking along iNewell Drive to the east of Floyd Hall. Arrangements could pos-
sibly be made to assign some of the spaces in the lot north of Floyd Hall and
along Newell Drive for use by the staff of the Center; visitors using the lot
east of the Plaza near Tigert Hall would be close enough to walk.
The pedestrian traffic flow past Floyd Hall is heavy because of its pro-
ximity to administrative and classroom buildings, Libraries East and West, and
General Purpose Building "A" (alternatively known as GPA and Turlington Hall).
This more central location might encourage people to stop in and check on up-
coming events. In addition, activities sponsored by the Center could easily
spill out onto the Plaza. The greater visibility of the Center and an active
campaign to draw attention could only help increase the interaction between the
international and American students, faculty, and visitors. With the physical
barrier of distance removed, the international community may begin to feel that
they are an integral, active part of the University.
Is an International Student Center heeded ?
The international student who comes to study at the University faces many
problems upon arrival. According to the ISS office roughly ninety-eight percent
of their students must live off-campus initially. The dorms are set up mainly
for first year students; the international students are generally third or fourth
year transfer students and graduate students. Because their initial living arrange-
ments are isolated, adjustment to life at the University is more difficult. iany
-10-
do live in married housing or receive housing assignments after a waiting
period. As an intermediate measure and as a continuing resource, the Center
would provide the international students a base on campus while generating in-
terest on the campus in the Center's activities. Students and faculty alike
would benefit from both the planned functions and the opportunities for casual
interaction that the Center could create. The ISS office and the CISP together
work with a broad cross-section of the University students. A shared facility
would enhance this working relationship and contribute positively to University
life.
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