LSU had 2,052 international students attending in the fall of 2021, according to a report published by LSU International Services. These students come from all over the world, obviously, and while they do have access to the International Services office, it’s not enough.
If they crave the foods and flavors of their non-American homes, they have to rely on either the transportation required to get there, or to a store or restaurant that offers those culinary options. But I’d argue there’s something LSU can do for our international peers and, by association, the student body at large.
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I propose that LSU gets an on-campus international/foreign market for the people, open to both students and the public.
This space for international culture exchange wouldn’t have to be large, but it’d be nice if it was.
At the bare minimum, it could be a cookie-cutter foreign market, with shelves of cultural foods, supplies and the like.
But if given the chance, it could be so much more. The store could have a mini cafe, which would serve as a place for students to sit down and hang out, and to just exist outside of the hustle and bustle of the rest of campus, someplace not built on education, but rather on human connection.
The store could also have a sort of “student submission” bar, a place for students to make international dishes or products for money, kind of like a farmers market stall inside the store. This would be a place for students to share their culture, and for others to try to learn from and appreciate it.
I’m sure that there are those reading this and saying, “This is unnecessary. This is a luxury and naive and stupid.”
They’re correct, sort of. This is a luxury, and it’s not a necessary facet of LSU. But we’re in an era of immense divide. Look around you; look inside you. There’s a separation between people that must be mended. This store could help facilitate that on campus.
There are several other reasons a foreign market would be a lovely addition to LSU.
First, LSU doesn’t have one. It’d be rad if we did. A true boon. If we had a foreign market, it’d give us another thing to brag about to all the other Southeastern Conference schools.
Second, jobs will be created. Especially for international students who may not have an easy time adjusting to the American workflow.
It’d also allow those who are shyer to meet up and be forced to interact with more people in a way that doesn’t make them feel embarrassed, or like they’re forcing themselves onto others in the name of friendship.
Though this proposition for a foreign market may be viewed as silly, it’s my belief that it’d do nothing but enrich LSU’s student body for years to come. It’d produce a communal space that would allow for a stronger bond between students of various backgrounds.
Garrett McEntee is an 18-year-old English freshman from Benton.
