USM, PENANG, 17 March 2016 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has introduced the International Student Buddies (BUDDIES) student volunteers group, to become intermediaries between local and international students studying at USM.

The Buddies are monitored and supervised by the International Mobility and Career Centre (IMCC), and currently comprising of 40 members. The Buddies in fact, have been around since 2001 and they have continuously assisted the students on campus.

Among the objective of IMCC through the Buddies is to allow better interaction among the local and international students in terms of mixing around and having interactions.

The Vice-President of Buddies, Adi Yusran Mohamad Radzi, 25, said that there is a cultural exchange programme known as the International Culture Fiesta (ICF) which provides avenues for international students to promote their cultures to the students at USM.

“ICF has been held twice, first at the Health Campus and the second at the Engineering Campus, and both have been met with enthusiasm,” he explained.

“The Buddies would hold laid-back meets such as the ‘coffee-hour class’ where the students from abroad would become the ‘teacher’ and ‘teach’ the local students foreign languages such as Finnish and German. This activity could promote better two-way interaction among the students, using both English and another foreign language in their interactions,” he said.

Involvement in the Buddies is offered to all students of USM who are interested, and it’s free. Those who are interested would need to undergo an interview, and any information or announcement concerning it would be made available on Buddies USM Facebook.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin

Text: Nur ‘Izzah ‘Atira bt Muhamad Nazmi (USM internship student)