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Gloria Evans leaves a legacy that crosses borders

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Photo courtesy of www.swarthmore.edu

Gloria Evans, beloved advisor of international students.

In print | January 22, 2009

Gloria Evans, Swarthmore’s International Student Advisor, passed away on Dec. 25, 2008. She was 81. Evans initially came to the college as an associate professor of psychology, serving as leave replacement for acclaimed psychologist Solomon Asch. Evans was asked to stay on after Asch returned, and her role developed into advising international students on visa and immigration issues as well as other aspects of living and studying in a foreign country.

In addition to her position as International Student Advisor, Evans taught an English for Foreign Students course and served on the Foreign Study Committee.

Evans earned a B.S. at Western Washington University, a master’s of science at the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford.

While at Swarthmore, Evans met her husband, Philip Evans ’48, a noted physician for whom Swarthmore’s Philip Evans Scholarship was named. Gloria Evans was a member of the advising team to the Evans Scholars while they were at Swarthmore.

Under Evans’ stewardship, the college’s ability to make international students comfortable at Swarthmore improved dramatically. Notably, Evans saw the creation of a specific orientation event for international students. Originally, Swarthmore’s international students were welcomed with just a lunch held at some point during first-year orientation, but by the 2008-2009 school year the college was able to host a three-day international student orientation preceding first-year orientation, which includes programs on adjusting to life at an American college and a trip to Philadelphia.

“It was very helpful because most of us hadn’t lived in this country before, and international orientation was a nice transition,” said Eun Mi Lee ’12, an international student originally from South Korea.

Michael Xu ’11, one of the co-presidents of i20, the international student club on campus, emphasized how important Evans was to international orientation.

“We [the presidents of i20] set up the schedule, but once we gave it to her she communicated with everyone else. It was really her that made things happen,” he said.

Beyond adjusting to the culture of the United States, international orientation also served very practical purposes. “Most international students aren’t brought to college by their parents, so they come without sheets and things like that,” Clarissa Skinner ’12 said. During this period, international students are taken to Target and other local stores, and given advice about what they would need for a college dorm room.

Over the course of international orientation, Evans met every student, along with any relatives who brought them to Swarthmore. This introduction often proved invaluable for the students, who found Evans an important resource long after classes began.

“She helped me in the beginning of semester because I lost my I-20 form [A Department of Homeland Security form that universities use to provide information in support of a student visa]. I thought I would be in trouble, but she was very nice about it,” Lee said. In addition, Evans helped Lee and other international students find jobs on campus in order to get a Social Security number, necessary for many aspects of life in the United States, from getting a cell phone to opening a bank account.

“She would come to our [i20] meetings maybe once a month and hang out with students and ask how their lives were going,” Xu said. “I have friends who would go to her for advice and help a lot … she was a great adviser and mentor.”

Evans was an avid antiquer, and according to her profile on the Swarthmore web site, much of Evans’ time was taken up with a small antiques business she owned, along with traveling to many of the countries that the students she advised called home.

A memorial service for Evans will be held at the Swarthmore Friends Meeting House at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30.