Students create Channel C to encourage cultural conversations

When Cecilia Miao came to Madison, it was the first time she had ever travelled abroad from China.

“I was very excited and I really thought that people would be very interested in where I came from,” Miao says. “But the reaction I got was that everyone would say ‘That’s cool.’ And that was the end of the conversation regarding where I come from.“

Miao, a senior studying journalism and political science, said that it disappointed her because she initially thought people would be interested in learning about the country she came from like she was interested in learning about the U.S.

She later realized, however, this lack of interest may be due to local students who were unsure of how to start a conversation. She says students from both cultures had a desire to learn more about one another and wanted to make friends between the two cultures, but an information gap prevented a dialogue that would establish strong friendships.

To bridge that gap, Miao along with UW graduates Muge Niu and Fangdi Pan created Channel C, a YouTube talk show designed to facilitate conversations between the community of international students at UW and the community of domestic students.

The videos focus on a variety of different topics, ranging from why Chinese students do not speak English to the financial troubles international students face coming to UW. Most of the videos use a talk show format, but others involve skits as well as in-person interviews with professors and other students on campus.

“We want to get the conversation started basically so that people will know this is an issue and we can start talking,” Pan, a recent graduate who majored in international studies and economics, says.

Pan says that differences exist between international and domestic students but that America is a “melting pot,” meaning that not only does the society have a diverse group of people but that they need to have more initiative to get to know other cultures and erase misunderstandings.

The idea of creating the videos came from when the three students met at a forum focused on UW–Madison’s involvement with China, hosted by the Wisconsin China Initiative at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery last spring. They soon realized that Chinese students could be involved in building a rapport for domestic students with China.

Professor Nicole Huang, director of the Wisconsin China Initiative, says the three students have taken cross-cultural communications into their own hands and created an interactive forum that prompts faculty, staff and students to make UW–Madison more inclusive.

“Chinese students need assistance to better integrate with the rest of the campus; but the rest of the campus ought to see this as a precious learning opportunity for all of our student population,” Huang says. “The three young woman are truly inspiring in my mind.”

Niu, a UW student who graduated this summer with a degree in economics and journalism and is now taking optional practical training, says the group has received feedback from other students studying abroad at different schools who said they face similar problems, too.

Niu added that the videos also have a role in bringing together people from different cultures and re-establishing old friendships. One video in which an international student shared his thoughts on cross-cultural friendship helped reconnect him with his Wisconsinite roommate from freshman year who had fallen out of contact with.

“I think that having so many international students here, especially Chinese students, is a great educational opportunity — they bring China here,” Niu says. “It’s such a waste to not take advantage of that.”

Channel C is always looking for volunteers from a variety of backgrounds to work with them on videos or contribute to their blog. Those interested can reach them through their Facebook or YouTube accounts, through email at  wisc.channelc@gmail.com, or visit their website.

—Sean Kirkby