The Daily Bulletin Archive

By Tony Astran

One of China’s leading news and entertainment channels, Hunan Satellite TV, plans to air an hour-long documentary on Tuesday, May 12, on the experience of students in the SUNY China 150 Program. The 17 students at Buffalo State as well as a few faculty and staff members will be featured in the film, which is meant to be a message of hope on the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province.

A film crew from China taped campus footage and interviews for two and a half days last week. Buffalo State will be one of at least four campuses featured in the documentary, which will include Stony Brook University, SUNY Farmingdale, and SUNY Oswego. The airing will be broadcast throughout China and reach as many as 1 billion viewers.

Helping to coordinate student interviews and footage of classroom sessions and campus activity were Jean Gounard, director of international student affairs; Scott Johnson, interim dean of University College and associate vice president for undergraduate education; and Zhang Jie, professor of sociology and director of the Center for China Studies. All will be featured in the film. The crew also interviewed Joan McCool, director of the Counseling Center, and Stephen Gareau, assistant professor of computer information systems.

The Hunan Satellite crew includes Liu Qian, a Sichuan native and producer who received national awards in 2007 for her work on reality television programming, and Gong Wenbin, the channel’s chief cameraperson. Speaking through translator Lin Wei, director of China Programs for SUNY, Liu said she was particularly impressed by the initiatives Buffalo State created to make the 17 Chinese students feel welcome, such as faculty mentoring, peer mentoring in the residence halls, host families, and English conversation practice in the classroom with students.

“We really appreciate what Buffalo State College has done for these students and how the community has embraced them,” Liu said. “Viewers in China will be thrilled to see the transformation of these students.”

Johnson told the crew how successful the SUNY China 150 Program was here.

“I said that it was refreshing to see some things we often take for granted through eyes that are seeing it fresh,” he said. “The fun and enthusiasm that the students brought to many of their experiences was contagious.”

The television crew will return in May to escort the students back to China. Prior to the crew’s arrival, the Counseling Center and others will establish a reentry counseling program to help the students adjust to their return home.

“When these students head back to their hometowns—which are still recovering from the earthquake—they could experience a second culture shock,” Gounard said.

It is hoped that the experience of the SUNY China 150 Program and the upcoming documentary will provide the students with happy memories.

“This documentary is a gift for the students,” Liu said. “And it’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ to SUNY. It’s important for these students to know they’re loved and not alone.”

Zhang said the film could bolster relations between China and the United States.

“The documentary will influence people over there,” he said. “They will appreciate what Americans have done for their children.”

Liu said that Buffalo State faculty and staff should feel proud of a job well done.

“Each person’s actions touched the souls of these students,” Liu said. “Every smile counts. This experience will be part of these students’ memories for the rest of their lives. And because of this, hopefully the faculty at Buffalo State will feel that their jobs are even more meaningful.”