Undergraduate Student Government working to improve website accessibility for international students

Sophie Malynn
Mon, 16 Oct 2023 23:51:02 +0000
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Undergraduate Student Government is working to expand Ohio State’s language accessibility options, which are currently very limited.
Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor

Moving to a new country is already daunting, but navigating online waivers and insurance forms for school in a second language is an entirely different feat.

With over 6,000 international students on campus from 100 different countries, language barriers are bound to get in the way. The Undergraduate Student Government has set forward to make the university’s online resources more accessible for all language speakers.

“For students coming to the United States and Ohio State for the first time, we want their first experience with intense levels of English to feel comfortable as they are reading important information like statements of account on Buckeye Link,” Madison Mason, vice president of USG and fourth-year in political science, said.

One of Ohio State’s missions is to prepare a diverse student body to be leaders and engaged citizens, according to the Office of Academic Affairs. Student government wants to bring the university closer to that mission by advocating for and helping all students in any way they can, USG President Bobby McAlpine, a fourth-year in city regional planning and political science, said.

The issue of language barriers on university websites was first brought up two years ago by Jacob Chang, Ohio State’s first international student president, Mason said.

“He was a really big advocate for international students and their needs since he was an international student himself,” Mason said. “Since he was our mentor, he put those barriers on the radar for us.”

Many university websites such as Buckeye Link and CarmenCanvas offer little to no language accessibility options, Mason said.

USG has been meeting with Fernando Unzueta, the associate vice provost of the Office of International Affairs, to come up with solutions such as integrating different language accessibility options onto platforms like Buckeye Link, McAlpine said.

“Obviously, our international student populations are super capable of translation services and all those things, but if we can take away that additional barrier, it would make their experience even better,” Mason said.

International students enrolled at the university are expected to be fluent in English speaking, reading and writing, but that does not mean everyone will understand every fee they receive or the jargon used in health insurance documents, McAlpine said.

“The least that Madison and I want to do is to be able to bridge that gap, to make it even just a little bit easier of a transition for college students who are eager to become Buckeyes,” McAlpine said.