By LIN LIAN ONG
Address books usually hold the names of siblings far and near, bosom pals, ex-mission companions, ex-roommates and so on. Some may even include study buddies.
Relatively unknown to many, BYU’s English Language Center (ELC) supports a Study Buddy program. It was designed to give students studying a second language the opportunity to talk and become friends with a native speaker of that language.
This program is the brainchild of two full-time faculty at the ELC, Jeri Wyn Gillie and Dawnell Jones.
After signing up for the program, a student studying a language on campus is paired with an ELC student from that country. They are required to meet an hour each week, during which they spend equal portions of the time speaking both languages.
“We’ve been thinking of ways for our students to do more than just study in the classrooms. They can do that back home. We wanted a win-win situation,” Gillie said.
The brainstorming eventually gave birth to the Study Buddy pilot program in Winter Semester 1996, Gillie said. It was formalized in the fall after evaluation forms from participants recorded much success and positive remarks.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to make new friends in the target culture, and practice in a more informal and relaxed setting,” Jones said.
Echoing her sentiments was an ELC student from Japan, Sakura Kato, who has signed up for her second semester in the program.
“It was really good. We didn’t just study. We talked a lot and chatted. I really enjoy it,” Kato said.
Kato’s study buddy is Anne Johnson, a senior from Orderville majoring in geography. Johnson served an LDS mission in Sapporo, Japan.
“I was really excited when I found out about the program. Sakura helps me with my homework, and helps me to understand the stories we read in class. We sit and chat about life — she being away from her country, and I having been there and understanding a little bit about the culture,” Johnson said.
Johnson said because of her time in Japan she understood the frustrations of always having to speak a foreign language. Her experiences with English-speaking Japanese made her “feel good and completely understood.” She was then able to “speak with the heart.”
“It was always nice to speak with someone in your native language. So I know how it feels for Sakura to speak Japanese,” Johnson said.
Nonetheless, the challenge of speaking a foreign language has been a positive one for Johnson and Kato. Now they are fast friends who stay in constant contact.
All BYU and ELC students are welcomed to sign up to be study buddies.
Approximately half of the 180 ELC students are already involved in the program. This figure is small, however, compared to the large number of students on campus studying foreign languages, which creates limitations, Gillie said.
BYU foreign language students interested in this program should get the Study Buddy sign-up form from the specific language departments and return it before the deadline. Those who miss the deadline are put on a waiting list.
