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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1981)
Foreign students face scholastic differences By OSCAR HALPERT Ot the Emarakt Editor’s note: The following story is the third in a series about foreign students Just in case anyone is still confused, the international study funds that University Pres Paul Olum proposes to cut affect only the Univer sity's contribution to the Oregon State System of Higher Education's International Education Pro gram. a study abroad program coordinated at. Oregon State University. The University 's international studies pro gram - a healthy degree program directed by Clarence Thurber - and the University's interna tional services office are not part of the $146,000 cut Imagine entering a classroom and listening to a professor talk in a foreign language about a complex subject Imagine attending a party and making small talk in an unfamiliar language while contending with an unusual culture At the University, hundreds of students do this on a daily basis, besides dealing with the problems of acedemia everyone else faces The number of foreign students attending the University hovers around 1,000, according to Diane Hunsaker, University statistical clerk Between fall term, 1980, and spring term, 1981, there was a very small drop in foreign student enrollment to just under 1 000, she says Students who come from abroad often are confused by casual conversation and are taken aback, says Norman Sundberg. a psychology and CSPA professor who spoke on culture shock to a group of foreign students last week during an orientation program Just how each student adapts differs from person to person 'Generally speaking, Americans are very friendly and open, but it is really difficult to develop a real friendship with them," says Alan Chow, a business major from Hong Kong Maybe it's because they realize that if they get too close they might have to break it and move on "Somebody will pass you and say How are you? and before you answer his question, he's about a mile away," Chow says with a laugh Unlike many of his Chinese friends, Chow says he has gone out of his way to meet Amer icans Chow says an American dorm mate is one of his best friends But being with Americans can create problems because many of his Chinese friends will avoid associating with his American friends, he says "A lot of Chinese just hang around with their own group I think students should benefit from a culture, get something new,” he says "I think American students see us as secre tive, studious, not very active When I first came over, I decided I'd tell Americans they were wrong ." Despite the adjustment problems many for eign students have, few return early to their home country, says Thomas Mills, the University's for eign student adviser "Part of it may be because they put a lot of time and effort into coming over," Mills says Some of the adjustments foreign students make involve only educational differences One Japanese student says he was surprised to find that "here, people can quit their profession and go back to school " In Japan, "people have to find a job right away after graduating and then don't quit for life," says Aki Yamamoto, a computer science student attending Lane Community College “In Japan, it’s difficult to enter the university High school students are the ones who really study hard " Part of the adaptation process by foreign students involves forming opinions on Americans and their educational system Not all the opinions are positive Hans Geiselmann, a German exchange student, says American students are "immature" even though they work a lot "I think they are this way because of the system,'' says the biochemistry graduate student "They are used to having to be told what to do " Last year, three of Geiselmann's roommates studied at the University of Tuebing, West Ger many, on a student exchange program All agreed that, academically, German and American educational systems have significant differences Students in Germany orient themselves toward long-term goals and are tested occasion ally for accumulated knowledge rather than per iodically for a small amount of material, as is done in the United States, he says Jan Mulder, a Dutch graduate student majoring m business, says he finds American students to be more serious, more honest " "When a professor leaves the room, a student here will stick to his own paper instead of copying,” Mulder says "I also find that they're playful They'll put on clothes that a person in Holland would only wear in certain situations ' It's hard to tell the college students apart from high school students, he says “There's a big difference in Holland The people who go to college don't throw Frisbees around ” IFC declines to finance trip to architects’ meeting The Incidental Fee Committee on Monday rejected a request by Peggy Meneice, a senior majoring in landscape architec ture, for about $540 to fund her attendance at a national meet ing of American Society of Landscape Architects this month Last year's committee refused tc fund the same request Meneice, president of the University's student chapter of the society, told the committee her attendance at the confer ence would help the architec ture and allied arts school maintain its accreditation and national ranking "The other comparable insi tutions (Harvard and Cornell) are privately funded It is impor tant that the value in operating a state university be expressed," Meneice said Oregon State University, which doesn't offer a bachelor's degree in landscape architec ture and has also suffered bud get cuts, will be represented by eight students at the confer ence, she argued But IFC chairer Karsten Ras mussen said that student funds should not be used to maintain or promote the ranking or quality of departments and schools “Funding should come from the school," added committee member Xavier Romano The campus society chapter has 300 members and the ar chitecture school's population is 10 percent of the University's, committee member David Gib son said in support of Meneice's proposal The ASUO has funded student trips before, but 'can't do it this year with all sorts of academic unions increasing budget requests to fill in gaps cut by schools and depart ments," said ASUO budget dir ector Alan Contreras “We need to stop this before it starts," Contreras said Approval of such requests and large budgets submitted by academic and other student or ganizations would force a raise in incidental fees, he said "Everybody wants to stick it to the students,” Contreras said THE NEW HP-12C. 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HEWLETT PACKARD 13tti & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8 15-5:30 Sat 10 00-5 30 Textbooks 8*8-3520 • General Books •M-3S10 • Supplies 8M-4331 FLU VACCINATION Vaccinations for influenza will be given at the University Student Health Center every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 to 9:00 am, beginning on October 21st and continuing until the end of fall term Students may receive the vaccine at a cost of $2 50 per injection Faculty and staff are charged $3 50 per injection Persons who have never received flu vaccine and who are under the age of 28 years need two injections of vaccine four week apart Persons over the age of 28 need only one injection If persons received one injection of the 1978-79, 1979-80 or 1980-81 vaccine, they would need only one injection this year Annual flu immunizations are especially advised for people with an increased risk of complications from lower respiratory tract infections, including (1) Persons 65 years old and older (2) Persons of any age over five months with any of the following: heart disease, compromised lung functions, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, chronic severe anemia, and conditions which compromise immune mechanisms For more information call the Student Health Center at 686-4441
