Foreign programs give view of world
By Jolayne Houtz
Of the Emerald
Instead of enduring the rain
and mudpuddles of another
Oregon winter, how about spen
ding the rest of the year abroad?
The University’s foreign
studies program offers ex
changes to 12 countries and tui
tion is equivalent to what the
student pays per term at the
University, says Paul Primak,
foreign study adviser.
Eligibility requirements differ
for each exchange, Primak says.
Students traveling to Beijing,
China only need to have
sophomore standing with a 2.5
grade point average and no
foreign language prerequisites.
‘Moving from the
American culture to
any foreign culture
requires a person
who can bend a
little.9
— Paul Primak
Students exchanging to Seville,
Spain need a 3.0 GPA with two
years of college-level Spanish,
and Russia-bound students
.need junior standing and three
years of Russian.
There are subjective re
quirements as well, which are
determined from an interview
which Primak often conducts
“on a one-to-one basis, where
we talk about goals, academic
background, parental support,
things like that. It’s approached
• in low key.’’.
“We look for an ability to
adapt, a high motivation,” he
says. “Moving from the
American culture to any foreign
culture requires a person who is
willing to bend a little bit.”
The reason for screening is
not to eliminate students,
Primak says, but to make sure
that students’ needs and what
the program offers are
compatible.
The program started in 1976
when 30 students went abroad
to study. This year, the program
hopes to send from 275 to 300
students to the various coun
tries participating in the pro
gram, Primak says.
“There’s been a steady in
crease. In the space of eight
years, we've really seen the pro
grams come together,” he says.
The most popular places are
France and Germany, where
Primak hopes to send 75
students each during the up
coming year.
He credits these country’s
popularity to the strong
language departments the
University has in those
languages.
The University grants credit
for courses taken through the
exchange program. In most
cases. University course
numbers and titles are assigned
to the work completed overseas,
and this credit appears on the
transcript.
Students pay either in-state or
out-of-state tuition during their
stay, depending on their status
at the University as well as
transportation, living and per
sonal expenses.
All enrolled students are
eligible for a variety of financial
aid, however, ranging from Pell
grants and Guaranteed Student
Loans to built-in scholarship
programs, depending on the
country, Primak says.
“It’s important for students to
realize that it (the exchange pro
gram) involves both an
academic and a learning ex
perience. Learning comes as
much from outside the
classroom as inside — in my
mind, it’s as important as the
academic experience,” Primak
says.
While they are abroad,
students stay either with local
families or in dormitories pro
vided by the University they are
attending.
“The home stays are really
good because the families allow
a way to gently prod the student
into the culture,” he says.
For certain programs, namely
Avignon, France; London,
England; Cologne, Germany;
and Guadalajara, Mexico, pro
fessors from the Northwest ac
company the students and teach
most of their courses in English.
In other countries, classes are
taught in the language of the
host country.
' In general, students join the
program for language proficien
cy and culturally oriented
courses, Primak says.
“It’s very liberal-arts
oriented, and the prdgram lends
itself perfectly to that,” he says.
There also is a program for
faculty members interested in
positions as resident directors
or teachers for certain programs
next fall in Baden
Wurttemberg, West Germany;
Tokyo, Japan; Beijing, China;
Poitiers, France; Linkoping,
Sweden; and Bergen, Norway.
“We encourage the faculty to
take advantage of the program,”
Primak says, noting that faculty
members previously involved
in the exchange program are not
only from the language depart
ment but also from history,
literature and many other
disciplines.
Deadlines vary for different
countries, with some operating
each term and others only twice
a year, Primak says.
Interested students should
contact the Office of Interna
tional Services in Room 330
Oregon Hall, 686-3206.
“In some ways, you have to
be willing to become a child
again because you’re quite
helpless in a foreign country,”
Primak says. “But anybody
that’s willing to put their nose
to the grindstone will succeed
beyond anyone’s expectations
for them.”
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That’s good advice.
We’re learning that moderation is the key to a safe and healthy life. We are each becoming
more concerned with nutrition, exercise and overall physical fitness. That’s why we're watching
our salt intake, for example.
We know that there are certain safety lines and we don’t cross them. Because excess means
abuse and abuse means problems.
The majority of people who drink alcohol do so responsibly because they do so in moderation.
They know how to enjoy alcohol beverages and gain the social, personal and health benefits
that come with responsible drinking.
They know the responsibility they take on when they drink alcohol beverages or serve these
beverages to others...a responsibility for safety, health and proper conduct.
And they know the best way to practice that responsibility is through moderation.
By knowing their limits, and sticking to them.
By neither accepting, nor offering “one-for-the-road."
By neither condoning nor contributing to irresponsible behavior.
And by exhibiting at all times, a responsible attitude about alcohol.
They know the special responsibility that comes with the decision to drink alcohol...moderation.
That’s the only way to drink...responsibly.
“A Proud Participant of
National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week”
October 8-14,1984
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Take note of the music news in The Friday Edition
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