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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1966)
i;inm!iNHiwn:iiii!!iuini!iNti 'Unusual Opportunity ilium.limn. mnrt.....*.. uuiuuiuuHuiummmuiHiiiiiimim •• Students in 'Collegi' Observe Italian Life Editor’s Note: Ron Terpcning studied at the University and was a member of the Emerald staff last year. He is currently in Pavia, Italy, studying under the Italian Studies Center pro gram. Terpening's home is Gresham, Ore. By RON TERPENING Contributor Several students taking part in the Italian Studies Center program in Pavia have been provided an unusual oppor tunity to observe Italian student life by living in an Italian "collegio.” It is difficult to define the term "col legia” in English. Essentially, however, it is a mixture of a dormitory and a fraternity. In Pavia, there are four collegi for men and one collegio for women. Several American students, usually two in each collegio, are profiting from their Contacts with Italian student life. Two of the men’s collegi date back to the 16th century’. One. Collegio Bor romeo. built in 1561, is a palace sur rounded by gardens and overlooking the Ticino river. The interior of the building is adorned with frescoes dating back to 1604. While these Renaissance palaces abound in tradition, they sacrifice the comforts, such as hot water and ade quate heating, of the new collegi. As a contrast, Collegio Fraccaro is in its fourth year. It is here that I live and my experiences are quite different from those of students in the older collegi. For the first two months of the school year, which for the Italians begins in November, no studying is done. The initiation of the freshmen or “matricole” occupies everyone’s time. The main purpose of the initiation is to destroy." both mentally and physi cally. the new freshman. Any request of the upperclassmen must be obeyed. This usually means doing situps during the day and answering unanswerable ques tions all night. Black shoe polish is also much in use. Do the freshmen mind this torture? It's tradition, they say. Anyway, next year they too will be taking vengeance on some unfortunate Freshman. The climax of two month's initiation is the Testa delle Matricole,” a celebra tion including a parade and a sumptuous dinner. In the evening, wearing the tra ditional university hats and carrying torches, the students parade through the streets of the city, blowing whistles, singing, shooting off fireworks, and in general making as much noise as they can. We, from Collegia Kraccaro. had a cart carrying two replicas of medieval tow ers, our Collegio's symbol, and the effi gies of the other collegi. After walking through the streets, we stopped at each of the various collegi and launched fire works and bombs against their walls. Next, a feast took place topped by champagne, which, after the usual wine, put everyone in good spirits. The upper classmen lined up facing each other down the middle of the dining hall. The freshmen had to start at one end on their hands and knees and crawl, with surprising speed, an incentive being pro vided by the feet of the upperclassmen, to the front of the room where they then received the collegio's symbolic pin. When all the freshmen had been run through the gauntlet, we were greeted into the collegio with kisses on the cheeks, hugs, and familiar handshakes. Since then life has become more serious. The students, having a luxurious lounge and TV room, as well as an ex cellent library, maintain a quiet studious atmosphere near the individual rooms. The meals, however, are entirely dif ferent. Usually everything is in an up (BiiiHUiMtuninHiHUiiuiiniffiniui'iuiHfnim)':;h:mtiiiK*ma:tauiutinHifini8«ru««if•;ui51 roar. While some students are pounding on the table for service (we are served by waiters), others, in an effort to make themselves heard, shout in the ears of anyone willing to listen. Every now and then someone will stand up gesticulating widely in order to make a point or gain a little attention The Italians are experts at eating and talking at the same time and consequently finish before we Amer icans are half way through. In Collegio Kraccaro the friendliness of all the student* is remarkable. Often in the evenings the Italians will come by the room to talk—alwayx of course bring ing along a bottle of wine or champagne. The students demonstrate a lively inter est in the United States and frequently will ask about various aspects of our life. This gives us an excellent opportunity to practice the language and to learn not only new words and phrases but in turn something about Italian attitudes as well. The chance to communicate with others is thus one of the most important fea tures of the Collegio. Being above all a learning-experience, life in Kraccaro gives us a chance to sharpen our perception of the world while providing as well the opportunity to make friendships. - 4 nnfflMiEnurcm'Huua South Viet Students Dislike FLN, U.S. Policies in War WASHINGTON (CPS)—South Vietnamese students view the United States and the National Liberation Front with equal hos tility, according to a three-man team from the U.S. National Stu dent Association which has just returned from a two-week trip there. The delegation was led by Philip Sherburne, NS A president and former ASUO president, who said that four themes seemed to underlie all of the group’s con versations with South Vietnamese students: • “A general unwillingness to be part of any coalition govern ment or to participate in any negotiations with the National Liberation front; • “A high degree of dislike for the United States; • “A strong feeling that the U.S. has violated the national sovereignty of South Viet Nam; • ‘A great desire to have elec tions so that a national govern ment with some legitimacy can be formed." U.S. Resented Sherburne said the delegation felt the attitude toward the United States was based both on a gen eral resentment toward all whites and the “real feeling of uneasi ness and sadness as to what the American presence in Viet Nam has meant for their country.” He cited the effect of large numbers of American troops on the na Banana Split SALE 29c Thursday Only DAIRY QUEEN tion’s economy and the traditional social standards of the country as two examples. Continued support of the many South Vietnamese military gov ernments and a feeling among students that the Ky government was U.S.-installed has led to the I sentiment that the U.S. has vio I lated South Viet Nam’s national | sovereignty, Sherburne said. He said that South Vietnamese students feel that policy for the country is being made in Wash ington and not Saigon, and that they point to numerous state ments of President Johnson and other U.S. officials as their evi dence. Sherburne said that in addition to assessing the feeling of South Vietnamese students, the NSA delegation hoped to make ar rangements for a suitable ex Architect to Speak, Meet With Groups One of the country’s outstand ing landscape architects, Garrett Eckbo of Berkeley, Calif., will give a lecture on “Tomorrow’s Landscape” at 8 p.m. today in room 106 Lawrence. Eckbo, head of the department of landscape architecture at the University of California at Ber keley, will be a guest of the Uni versity School of Architecture and Allied Arts today and Thurs day. He will meet with students for a series of informal group meet ings today and will speak at an Honors College symposium Thursday evening. Eckbo is the author of three books in landscape—“Landscape for Living,” published in 1950; “The Art of Home Landscaping,” 1950; and “Urban Landscape De sign” 1964. He has also contrib uted articles to publications in the United States, England, Can ada, and France. Wheel Aligning - Brake Service - Frame Straightening COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS Phone 342-2601 165 5th Avenue W. W. H. (Dutch) HENKEL Res. Ph. 345-5510 Eugene, Oregon JACK HENKEL Res. Ph. 345-3070 change visit by South Vietnamese student leaders. This exchange trip will not be possible, Sherburne said, because the students "we would want to visit the U.S. won't be able to leave at this time.” He said that the students felt that their own activities at this point were so important that they couldn’t af ford to leave the country and that the government was gener ally unwilling to have any stu dent delegation leave now be cause of the unstable political conditions. Circulate Final Report Sherburne said the team’s find ings will be circulated in the form of a report to the campuses. The report will serve as the basis for several magazine articles and a report to government agencies, he added. He said the team expects to make a report to the government outlining where South Vietna mese students feel U.S. policy has fallen short and making ap propriate suggestions. Sherburne suggested that NSA and several government agencies may discuss possible projects in South Viet Nam, especially in community de velopment. 29th STREET SUPER MART Why not take advantage of our everyday low prices? Open 8-8 2890 Willamette 'Ramparts' Cites CIA Infiltration By CLARENCE FANTO The Collegiate Pres* Service EAST LANSING, Mich.—Michi gan State University last week admitted that five agents of the Central Intelligence Agency in filtrated an MSU aid mission in South Vidt Nam. but school offi cials said the five were fired as soon as their identity was learn ed. MSU dropped the program shortly thereafter. The story was revealed last week by Ramparts, a liberal monthly magazine. The magazine charged that the MSU project served as a front for the CIA mission and thereby violated the 1954 Geneva agree ments, which ended the war be tween France and nationalist Viet Minh forces. The program, which was fi nanced by the US. government, cost American taxpayers $25 million, the Ramparts article said. An MSU spokesman said a figure of $10 million was closer to the truth. The article charged that the MSU mission helped train a mi litia for the regime of Premier Ngo Dinh Diem and financed guns and ammunitions for Diem's civil guard. MSU said the school train ed Diem's police force only and set up a civil service program for his government. "CIA agents were hidden with in the ranks of the MSU profes sors in the Viet Nam project,’’ the Ramparts article charged. "The agents’ instructions were to engage in counter-espionage and counter intelligence.” The MSU project in South Viet Nam included the acquisition of research about the nation as well as recommendations on building construction and equip ment design. Use Emerald Classified Ads— CROSSTOWN RACEWAYS SLOT CAR RACING Everyday from 10 a.m.-12 p m. 171 Lawrence 345-9367 Notice to All Co-op Members ANNUAL MEETING University of Oregon Co-operative Store April 21, 1966 7:00 p.m. 138 Commonwealth ★ ★ ★ Annual report to members by the President of The Board of Directors Board of Directors Nominations: Sophomore( 1966-67)-1 year term. 2 Juniors (1966-67)-2 year terms. Amendments to Articles and By-Laws. Copies of the proposed amendments are available at the office of the Co-op Store. Co-op membership card required for admittance. Records Records Records THOUSANDS OF RECORDS CAMPUS BOOKSTORE THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY’S FINEST SELECTION 877 E. 13th Above Bill Baker’s 343-4082
