These Unsung Heroes Welcome Penn State’s International Students

It may be true that “you can’t beat city hall.” But that doesn’t mean that a city or township will present the scariest governmental force that anyone could face. How would you like to try explaining yourself to a skeptical department in Harrisburg… over the phone… with sub-standard English skills?

That situation was recently faced by a visiting scholar from South Korea. He had previously studied at Penn State and during that time, he was cited for speeding. Although he had paid his ticket, when the man returned here — seven years later — he received a summons to appear in court.  Harrisburg said he had never paid his fine, and now he was in big trouble.   

Try as he might, the Korean scholar could not make his case, in broken English, over the phone. And that’s when our hero, Chris Cunningham, stepped in.

“I got on the phone,” Chris says, “and it took me about 45 minutes of going from department to department to department.” Even though Chris told officials that “I’ve got both the ticket and the cancelled check,” the folks in Harrisburg were not as sweet as might be expected, given their proximity to Hershey.

“No,” they said, “you must be mistaken; we have no record of this.”  But, Chris insisted, “I’m holding it in my hand.”  

Eventually, the truth came out.  The proof of payment had been lost because someone filed it under the category of a parking offense rather than a moving violation. There really were no “bad guys” in this drama, and in fact, the government people were extremely apologetic when the mystery was solved.

A GOOD GUY FOR INTERNATIONALS

But there was a good guy. A guy named Chris Cunningham took 45 minutes to speak on behalf of an international who could not navigate our complex system. And that’s the kind of thing that Chris and his colleagues in an organization called International Christian Fellowship (ICF) do all the time.     

ICF was born in 1983, about a year after Bill Saxton and his wife, Barb, came to State College.  Bill arrived with two master’s degrees (counseling from Edinboro University; cross-cultural ministry from Gordon-Conwell Seminary), and Barb was a registered nurse. Married in 1981, they had been sent here by Coalition for Christian Outreach, an interdenominational group that is based in Pittsburgh. They wanted to offer help to Penn State’s international students.

Right away, Bill sensed a fit between his background and the needs of foreign-born students. “I love geography, I love history, I love learning about other cultures, and I love meeting people from other cultures,” Bill says. “I found myself saying, ‘Lord, if this is where you need me to be for the rest of my working life, that’s okay.’”     

COMPASSION SHOWN FOR 35 YEARS

More than 35 years later, the Saxtons still offer a host of opportunities to internationals for social interaction, English language enhancement and spiritual development.  

“Bill has a great compassion for internationals,” says one long-time friend. “He has unfailing energy and makes himself available to serve them in any way he can.”

As for Barb, she home-schooled the couple’s four sons in their early years (all four graduated from State College High School), but now that all are adults, she plans large dinners for students and meets personally with international women.

Starting in the early ‘80s, Bill and Barb enlisted volunteers from local churches to help internationals overcome their cultural and language struggles. Even with these volunteers and the excellent work of other organizations like International Hospitality Council (now known as Global Connections) and Mid-State Literacy Council, the Saxtons felt the burden of many unmet needs.

No wonder, then, that Bill felt very thankful when Chris Cunningham and his wife, Karen, moved to State College in 2000 along with their four sons and two daughters, all of whom have since graduated from State High. By 2000, Penn State boasted a population of approximately 3,000 international students. Although that number pales against today’s 8,000-plus internationals (from approximately 130 countries), it certainly represented oodles of questions and concerns.

Bill Saxton provides direction at the Garage Giveaway, an event held each August that provides free furniture and household items to international students. Photo by Laura Sullivan.

VISION FROM A ROOT CANAL

The Cunninghams had worked with the collegiate ministry known as “Cru” at West Chester University, and that’s where Chris first realized he could make a big difference in an international’s life. “I had met a student from Columbia named Andres, and he didn’t know many Americans,” Chris says. “After a while, I noticed he was having pain in his jaw. And when I asked him about it, he said he didn’t have any dental insurance. I took him to the dentist, and he needed a root canal. The dentist agreed to do it for a minimal cost, and I talked to some people in our church (to contribute funds). It made all the difference in this guy’s life. That was my first experience to realize how much I could help these people who have real needs and who are here for an education. They’re here, maybe away from their families for the first time, with limited resources.”  

With a perspective like that, it’s no wonder that Chris was quickly embraced by Bill as a co-leader when he arrived at Penn State under the auspices of an organization called Bridges International. But how long would that really work? Anyone who has shared leadership with a colleague knows that such an arrangement is challenged by differences in personality and priorities.

Denise Conklin, an ICF volunteer since the late ‘90s, remembers wondering if it would work for very long.

“When Chris first arrived,” she recalls, “I wondered how things would go since their two personalities are pretty different. I’d say that everything did work out quickly and very well between them and for ICF.”

Adds Coalition for Christian Outreach staff member Walt Johnston, “I am thankful for the teamwork of Bill and Chris in a long, patient love for the ‘strangers’ here at PSU. In the end, these international students are no longer strangers but friends.”

Though not immune to occasional differences of opinion, Bill, now 69 years old, and Chris, 58, have forged a strong bond during 17 years of leading together. Says Bill, “I’m comfortable to be the co-captain and let him be the captain.”

Chris Cunningham and his teammates seek to meet the practical, social and spiritual needs of Penn State’s international students. Photo by Bill Horlacher.

DEALING WITH KERFUFFLES

But even if the men at the top are seamlessly united, it’s inevitable that their staff members—who come from the ranks of six parachurch agencies—will occasionally differ.  

“Chris and Bill are very complementary in their gifts,” notes veteran staff member Bob Ford, “and they do a great job of holding our coalition together. Sometimes at one of our Tuesday morning staff meetings there is some little kerfuffle, and I see Chris and Bill exchanging smiles. I can see that they already had figured out who would carry the ball in this situation.”  

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As someone who has sought to help international students for more than 30 years, I must say that Saxton, Cunningham and ICF’s other unsung heroes are doing amazing things. I am often stunned by the sheer amount and variety of their offerings:

• FOOD & HOSPITALITY. ICF hosts large dinners almost every week and occasional large picnics. Smaller dinners in homes are especially valued by the students for the friendship they experience and the view of American culture that they gain. Says Bill, “There’s a statistic from a few years ago that said 80 percent of international students never get inside an American home. We’d like to help change that statistic here at Penn State.”

• LOCAL OUTINGS & REGIONAL TRIPS. Wouldn’t it be a shame if students from nations like China and India never visited Whipple Dam or Bald Eagle State Park; never experienced Grange Fair or Penns Cave; never hiked up Mount Nittany? In addition to these local opportunities, ICF people enjoy taking internationals to New York City, Washington D.C., Gettysburg and Niagara Falls.

• LANGUAGE PARTNER PROGRAM. International students are paired with American students or community residents for a weekly opportunity to practice English.

• SPECIAL EVENTS. Whether they hail from Asia, Africa or the Middle East, most internationals are curious to see an American wedding. So ICF offers an annual “demonstration wedding” — an authentic reenactment of a local couple’s marriage ceremony. Special speakers are also brought to Penn State such as General Charles Duke, a moon-walking astronaut from Apollo 16. Duke spoke at an ICF meeting in March of 2015; he is scheduled to speak here again this October.

• “GARAGE GIVEAWAY.” Last but not least is the annual “Garage Giveaway.” International students queue up at a University Drive church (previously Calvary Baptist; now State College Chinese Alliance) on a Saturday in August to receive free furniture and household items that were donated by local church members. Not only do students get free beds, desks or dressers, but those items are transported to their apartments by ICF staff and volunteers.  

Cunningham makes it clear that there are “no strings attached” to the offerings of ICF. “We offer students the opportunity to study the Bible and learn about Christianity if they like. If they want to, that’s great. If not, no problem.”

So tell us, Chris, what is the most fulfilling part of your job? “It’s being able to serve both the spiritual and physical needs. We are a Christian ministry and we love talking to people about Jesus and the Bible. It’s also a lot of fun getting someone a bed who’s been sleeping on the floor. Or helping a student change the oil in his or her car.

“Do we just speak about love, or do we actually do anything loving? If you spend any time around our ministry you’re going to see that we’re trying to serve students in practical ways. The way we serve students helps to validate our faith claims.”