Though choosing to go to university internationally can be an isolating experience, the International Book Club is here to help international students feel more at home.
The International Affairs office at UCCS helps connect international students across campus. Their new book club is meant to connect students both international and traditional with novels, nibbles and a network of students with similar interests.
“[The book club is not specifically] for help with English or particularly to read fun books, it’s kind of a combination to provide some community,” said Julianna Bigelow, an administrative assistant for the International Affairs office. She added that everyone is welcome at the International Book Club, whether they’ve read the book or not. Though the club was created for international students, all students are welcome, and each meeting will have snacks provided.
This semester, the book club is reading Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.” Bigelow was surprised that the students chose the book over newer classics like “The Hunger Games,” but she recognized its relevance.
“I do think it’s particularly fitting due to just the current … global climate around book banning and censorship and technology increases,” she said.
“Fahrenheit 451” is a book taught in most American middle schools. It follows Guy Montag who burns books under the direction of the government as he navigates a world of censorship.
The group at the meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25, consisted of two students and two staff members: An international student and a traditional student who had traveled internationally. The meeting didn’t follow a set schedule, and conversation was allowed to flow freely from one topic to the next.
The discussion mostly focused on the effects of AI in society and fears over what may become automated in the future and the rate of automation in current culture. “Technology can go too far, and suddenly we’re covered in hamburgers,” said Bigelow, referring to the movie “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”
“[It’s] a bit of a cultural exchange as well,” Bigelow said. She hopes that by reading books taught in American middle schools, international students can better understand the culture they study and live in.
International Affairs serves over 200 international students studying at UCCS while also sending UCCS students on study-abroad trips every semester. They host multiple events throughout the year to foster community among international students.
The meeting ended with plans to read the second section of the book and watch the first half of the movie when the book club meets again.
Bigelow started the club after looking at the bookshelf in the Office of International Affairs and seeing that she had an opportunity to build community with the international students on campus.
“It can be a struggle to do university in your second language,” Bigelow said. “We had noticed there was a need … [international students] needed help with language.”
International Affairs serves over 200 international students studying at UCCS while also sending UCCS students on study-abroad trips every semester. They host multiple events throughout the year to foster community among international students.
Office of International Affairs staff members, Juliana Bigelow and Karlye Enkler lead their book club. Photo by Logan Cole.