Photo caption (left to right): Grace Fry, Rob Cassleman, Denise Keeton, Coach Mike Leach, Dena Neese.
PULLMAN, Wash. “What’s your field?” is a question many graduates are now hearing. This year, however, a handful of international students at Washington State University gained a somewhat different understanding of life on the field.
About a dozen WSU internationals stepped onto the field in Martin Stadium recently to experience a day in the life of Cougar Football and meet WSU’s new football coach, Mike Leach. Students from Nepal, India, Germany, UK/England, Algeria, China, Taiwan, Zambia and Australia including two post-doctoral scholars and two Fulbright Scholars participated in the experience.
“We were able to experience the American gridiron culture first hand (still can’t bring myself to call it football),” says Jen Spear, a WSU student from Australia. “We were able to get fabulous pictures with Coach Mike Leach and see a training session up close – definitely a highlight of the event. Numerous countries were represented on the day so it was enlightening to see all the differences and similarities between us all.”
The field trip was exciting, on the surface, and meaningful, too. Coach Leach drew parallels between the game of football and the game of life. “Football allows for people who would not ordinarily be associated with each other to join together and compete for a common cause,” said Leach. “The lessons learned on the football field are valuable in any workplace where individuals from different backgrounds exist and are trying to reach an organizational objective together.”
After observing football practice, the students and staff convened for round-table, facilitated discussions about college athletics and team building within a context of diversity and multiculturalism. This campus dialogue supports WSU’s participation as one of eight institutions participating in the American Council on Education’s “At Home in the World” initiative.
“The discussion was lively and we learned that the college athletic experience at WSU is different from the nine different countries represented,” said Rob Cassleman, with WSU International Programs. “A common sentiment expressed was that the college athletics offers a sense of unity to the university community. Being a Coug gave some of them a sense of belonging.”