As lecturers at an intensive English program, the authors coordinate events to connect ELLs to native speakers to foster cross-cultural communication. The following article is a description of their work and may be used as a guide for planning successful events.

Collaboration and Funding

Our first step is to collaborate with other department leaders, including the Office of Student Activities, Foreign Language Department, and the Athletic and Recreation Center. Through collaboration, we know exactly what each department already has planned for the semester or year and can provide a wider variety of activities. We reach out to prospective collaborators with our ideas via email, phone calls, or in-person introductions.

This collaboration promotes a balanced attendance of both ELLs and native speakers. It also allows us to share resources, avoid overlapping schedules, and expand our budget. We also apply for grants that we find through campus email alerts or online research, and sometimes have students pay a nominal fee to participate in the event.

Further, to facilitate cross-cultural relationships with the surrounding community, we reach out to the local public library and community organizations, such as Kiwanis Club, to find volunteer participants. Community volunteers are invited to join our students on off-campus trips to local historic sites.

Scheduling Events

Once we connect with another department, we brainstorm a variety of interactive on-campus events. These have included game club, conversation table, conversation partners, language sharing, and athletic tournaments. For cultural exchange, we have offered events that celebrate traditional holidays such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Workshops designed by ELLs focused on specific cultural arts, foods, or games, are also a great way to share individual cultures.

Sports competitions are among our most popular events. For example, the Mini World Cup was developed through collaboration with the Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department. Because of the collaboration, there is a balanced attendance of native speakers and ESL students, and a balance of staff support from participating departments.

Advertising

Advertising is a necessary partof promoting events. One main event flyer is created each semester and distributed at student orientation. It is posted in highly trafficked areas throughout campus, and promoted by email, social media, department newsletters, and faculty announcements. Individualevent advertising is begun at least 1 week before an on-campus event. The names of the cosponsors are always included on all advertising materials. These materials are also sent to directors of campus programming to reach the wider campus community.

Surveys

Finally, surveys are distributed at every event to solicit feedback from the students. This usually happens during the last 10 minutes of an on-campus event. There are questions about the choice of venue, food quality, activities at the event, scheduling, how they heard about it, and ideas for future events, as well as an open comments section. Surveys are collected and a summary report is created and discussed among the cosponsors or planning committee. These survey results are used to apply for future grants and to create a more positive experience for future events.

Conclusion

As educators of ELLs, it is important to facilitate the cross-cultural connections between ELLs and native speakers. Collaboration is key to successful event planning, and using survey data helps to make alterations to each event, allowing them to become stronger and more valuable to students in the future.

ESL students in the Haggerty English Language Program decorate eggs with their American peers at SUNY New Paltz.

Sarah Elia is a lecturer at the Haggerty English Language Program at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz, and president of NYS TESOL. She has a BA in music from Bard College and an MS in TESOL from SUNY New Paltz.

Melissa Feldmann is a lecturer and event coordinator at the Haggerty English Language Program at SUNY New Paltz. Melissa has a BS in elementary education and special education from SUNY Geneseo and an MS in TESOL from SUNY New Paltz.