The Global Student Council announced its goals and projects for the 2009-10 school year at the Project Launch Fair yesterday, emphasizing its desire to obtain increased financial aid for international students.\nGSC President Batkhuu Dashnyam said the council plans to focus strongly on obtaining need-based financial aid for students.\n"Financial aid and affordability are two of the biggest factors for students," Dashnyam said, adding that the absence of financial aid for international students can potentially prevent the University from gaining a number of high-caliber students, future alumni and donors.\nDashnyam, who has been spearheading the organization's financial aid initiative since fall 2007, said the GSC has made significant gains in recent years.\n"In the last few years, we've seen lots of engagement with administration," Dashnyam said. This year, Dashnyam plans to engage even more potential donors.\n"We're hoping to play the role of facilitators," Dashnyam said, adding that GSC is working with the University administrators and other student organizations on Grounds, including Student Council.\nOther internal projects aim to offer welfare and activities for current international students, including the newly initiated "Third-Culture Kid" project, said Karissa Nanetta, GSC's vice president of external affairs.\nA "third-culture kid" is a student who has grown up in a variety of different countries or cultures. Project director Kim Sine said a third-culture kid can be of any nationality, noting that her own experience as an American who grew up China, Brazil and the Philippines influenced her decision to start the project. The project aims to unite third-culture kids through weekly meetings, discussions and talks from professors. The project also is part of the GSC's efforts to unite the non-international community at the University.\n"This is not a one-way street," Dashnyam said.\nGSC members also emphasized plans to strengthen connections between international alumni. Alyssa Li, GSC's vice president of internal affairs said she believes many international alumni currently feel disconnected.\n"U.Va. hasn't reached out to [international alumni] once they graduate, so this is definitely something we need to work on," she said. "We have a lot of room for improvement."\nSimilarly, GSC will work to help support the University's international community and spread the University's name abroad. Currently, GSC is focusing on 10 projects that engage prospective students and alumni abroad and work to globalize the University.\n"We want to create an environment where students of all backgrounds feel at ease," Dashnyam said, explaining that he hopes GSC can help put the University at the forefront of the international community.
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