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Last weekend, the UO Chinese Flagship BanZhang (Student Leader Committee) led an annual fall retreat where we aimed to connect upper and lower classmen to promote language and cultural experiences. The successful retreat hosted over 30 students ranging from freshmen in Chinese 199 to seniors in the highest level content courses returning from their Capstone year in China. This retreat allowed the BanZhang Committee to refine their leadership skills given that every activity was student led. The mission of this retreat was to promote the Flagship Program through language and cultural activities, educate students about what their Flagship experience will be with upper classmen presentations, and kick-start the new mentoring program.

One goal of the retreat was to encourage bonding between students from various ages and levels of Chinese in a language-focused environment, which will create a stronger, more dynamic Flagship Program. The BanZhang Committee initiated these connections through a series of student events, including mahjong, Chinese cooking, Chinese songs and games, and Chinese Pictionary. These activities allowed the students to interact with one another while promoting language skills. The Chinese cooking was a particularly useful given that the students with lower levels of Chinese were immersed in the culture, “I enjoyed the student led activities and how relaxed it was. It allowed everyone to get to know each other at their own pace and within their own comfort levels,” said Flagship Perrie Gregg. Another activity supervised by the BanZhang team was presentations held by the students recently returned from their Capstone years. These presentations were academic, professional, and educational; “It was awesome to see what my next four years might look like and to see how steep the learning curve is from freshman to senior year, especially during the capstone year,” says new Flagship student Kyle Armstrong. The presenters brought pictures of their year abroad and shared their enjoyable, adventurous, and even bizarre experiences with the new students.

Another highlight of the retreat was the introduction of the new Mentorship Program, created by the BanZhang Committee itself. Last year, the committee saw a need to connect upper and lower classmen in the program so that we can form a stronger network within the Flagship Program. This new program allows the lower classmen to have a go-to student advisor for questions about courses, choosing a second major, study abroad programs, and more. This also allows the upper classmen to have a leadership role in advising their mentee. Both mentor and mentee can practice their Chinese together, “I believe that the Mentorship Program will be a great success. It will allow us to be more connected with one another and make for a better overall program. Plus, I will love having another person to speak Chinese with!” said student Stephanie Collins. The goal of the Mentorship Program is to facilitate language while being able to make a friend and trusted mentor.

The retreat accomplished its goals of promoting language and cultural experiences while forging connections between the students. “I had a great time at the retreat! It was fun getting to meet all the upper classmen while speaking Chinese!” says participant Shawna Sullivan. Given the success of this retreat, the BanZhang Committee is ready for the next year and even looking forward to next year’s retreat.

The Oregon Chinese Flagship Program is funded by The Language Flagship through the National Security Education Program.