Thursday, July 11. 1999 Mkälkd Weather forecast Today Friday Partly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy High 81, Low 55 High 81, Low 56 Moviegoers in Cruise control The late Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut, ” featuring married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, opens to mixed reviews in Eugene /PAGE 5 An independent newspaper Volume 101, Issue 10 University of Oregon www.dailyemerald.com UO popular with international students The University attracts a steady flow of international students, particularly from Asian countries By Sara Jarrett Oregon Daily Emerald International students constitute 11.6 per cent of the University student body, the largest percentage of any public-research school in the nation. Last year, 1,435 undergraduate and grad uate students came to the University from 85 different countries. In addition, the Uni versity is ranked No. 1 in sending students abroad. Annually, 3.4 percent of the student body participates in an exchange program. Magid Shirzadegan, associate director of the Office of International Education and Exchange at the University, said the school’s recruiting office is only 6 1/2 years old, yet word-of-mouth recommendations for the University have always been strong. Yuki Matsuno, from Japan, was prompt ed to attend the University after learning her English teacher studied at the University for two years. Matsuno is now a junior studying linguis tics. Since 1990, the majority of international students have come from Japan. There were 368 Japanese students in 1998. Taiwan, Korea and Indonesia each also sent over 100 students last year. “We have a very long-standing relation ship with Japanese students,” Shirzadegan said. “The very first class at the UO had Japanese students in it.” He attributes the strong exchange ratio Memflml Students with Japan on the solid value of the yen. Be cause the prices of education in Japan are expensive, it’s a good economic investment to go to school in the United States. Geo graphically, Japan is also closer to Oregon than other states. There are other motives for choosing the University, though, and even more grounds for staying. Dona Widjojo, the International Student Association’s coordinator, said the University’s proven diversity and Oregon’s lack of a sales tax are attractive factors to for eign parents and their children. Even for students from English speaking countries like New Zealand, England and Australia, adjusting to the American way of life can be difficult. Sometimes these stu Turn to INTERNATIONAL, Page 4 international flavor The University is ranked No. 1 among public-re search schools in international stu dents enrolled and the number of stu dents sent abroad. A Jack of All Trades Catharine Kendall/Kmerald Main actor and University student Hans Hlawaty (second from right) relaxes among fellow cast members at the Wild Duck Brewery on the set of “Jacks,” an inde pendent movie with many University ties that is being filmed in Eugene. Interns search for solutions Fueled by the work of 10 student interns, the Summer Diversity Internships program seeks progress By Sara Lieberth Oregon Daily Emerald Ten University students are spending their summer hours addressing the diversity conundrum facing the campus in the after math of several contentious spring term events, including the May 18 sit-in at John son Hall that resulted in 75 student arrests. These students are pioneers, in a sense, as their commitment to and participation in the Summer Diversity Internships marks the first time such a nar rowly focussed agenda has been implemented to develop and expand campus diversity. The three-month, paid-internship slots were created this term by the administration in a perceived goodwill effort and in part as a first step toward assuaging the demands made in May. Among the self-appointed goals of the in tern group are the issues of diversity train ing, examining policies and procedures for affirming and sustaining diversity on cam pus, inculcating more diverse perspectives into the existing curriculum and hind rais ing to support the initiatives. By consulting with mentors from both the faculty and staff and with biweekly meet ings with administration officials, the in ternship program is attempting to ensure success where past efforts have failed. “It’s the first time all three have come to gether and where we are collectively mak ing and partaking in the steps toward a more diverse future,” intern Huy Ong said. Ong’s primary focus in his intern role is to incorporate diversity issues into new-stu dent orientations such as IntroDUCKtion. Turn to INTERNS, Page 3