JAPAN
continued from page 1
in the Japanese yukata, a tra
ditional piece of Japanese
clothing.
The night also included an
interactive space, featuring
six mini-game booths. Stage
events were unveiled with a
fully collaborated opening
ceremony — the mikoshi
performance — as JSO
members carried a portable
shrine up and down and pa
raded around the audience
chanting "Washoi (Heave
ho)! Washoi!"
Performances included a
koto concert eisa dancing and
a folk dance that originated
from Japan's Okinawa culture
"Japan is not only about the
culture of anime samurai or
that sort of thing" sophomore
Robyn McLeod said.
A Japanese meal, called a
bento dinner, was also
served at the event. It includ
ed rice, curry chicken, yaki
tori — a type of barbecued
chicken — pork yaki udon
noodle and oshiruko desert
— a hot, sweet soup made
with red beans and rice cake.
Chun Yuan Yang an inter
national student from Tai
wan, said she enjoyed the
Japanese desert and the team
work of the Japanese group.
"For Japan, they seem to
have a lot more of group
work," Yang said. "Their cul
tural things seem to be really
Danielle Hickey Photo Editor
Graduate student Scott King (right) serves freshman Yen Tung (left)
bento at Japan Night Saturday night in the EMU Ballroom.
strong, and everyone is trying
to get involved. In Taiwan,
young people don't become
involved that much."
ISO Co-President Yasushi
Koda said it is important that
people who aren't familiar
with the Japanese culture
learn about it and get some
idea of who Japanese people
really are.
"We're glad that we can
demonstrate a true represen
tation of our everyday lives
here in the United States," he
said. "It'll be awesome that
people recognize differences
but still form mutual respect
and friendship."
Kawasaki said he has hopes
for friendship and diversity
through JSO.
"UO can become a real
happening place," Gori said.
"With diversity on campus,
say, people from more than
50 countries get together
here, UO lets us form that
sort of friendship and grow
us a whole lot."
Noriko Miyazaki is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
CAMPUS
BUZZ
Tuesday
Filemaker Pro Essentials Mentor Group, Room No. 116, Education,
10 a.m.-12 p.m. Education faculty member Mary Harrsch will facili
tate the design of databases using Filemaker Pro 5.5 and 6.0. No
reservations required.
FDA evaluating Plan B
for over-the-counter use
The controversial and
popular momingafter pill
could be available for use
without a prescription
By Lisa Catto
News Reporter
A brand of the morning-after
pill may soon be available over
the counter, and female students
could be able to go to the drug
store instead of the doctor to ob
tain emergency contraception.
The Women's Capital Corpo
ration submitted an application
in April 2003 to the Food and
Drug Administration to switch
Plan B (Levonorgestrel), a
brand of emergency contracep
tion, from prescription to over
the-counter use.
The FDA Nonprescription
Drugs Advisory Committee
and the Advisory Committee
for Reproductive Health Drugs
met on Dec. 16, 2003, to dis
cuss whether Plan B met regu
latory requirements for non
prescription marketing and
hear testimony regarding
WCC's application.
The joint committee delib
erated many questions when
considering the application,
such as whether Plan B has
low misuse and abuse poten
tial and whether the product is
safe during use, according to
the meeting agenda.
The committee recommend
ed 23-4 that Plan B be made
available over the counter, and
the FDA must now consider
the recommendation. The
FDA's decision is expected in
February, but no meeting date
has been set, according to the
FDA's Web site.
The morning-after pill is a
backup method to prevent
pregnancy after unprotected sex
or a contraceptive accident. It
should be taken within 72
hours of intercourse with a sec
ond dose taken 12 hours later.
According to Plan B's Web
site, it can reduce the risk of
pregnancy by 89 percent when
used correctly. If used within 24
hours of intercourse, it can re
duce the risk of pregnancy by
95 percent.
The Web site states that the
level of effectiveness decreases
as time passes, so it should be
taken as soon after unprotected
sex as possible.
Plan B works in two ways: It
can either delay ovulation or pre
vent fertilization, or it can prevent
an embryo from implanting in
the woman's womb.
Many women's health organ
izations, such as Planned
Parenthood of the Colum
bia/Willamette branch, are in
support of making Plan B avail
able over the counter.
"Emergency contraception is
safe and effective and is the best
way to prevent unintended preg
nancy in cases of contraceptive
failure," said Linda Bryant assis
tant medical director of the Co
lumbia/Willamette branch of
Planned Parenthood. "Wide
spread use of this medication
could prevent thousands of un
intended pregnancies in Ore
gon. "But Oregon Right to Life
Executive Director Gayle Atte
berry said the morning-after pill
is misnamed because it does not
always act as a contraceptive.
Atteberry said in some cases
emergency contraception can
delay ovulation or prevent the
egg from being fertilized, and
in those cases, ORTL supports
the pill.
In other cases, she said, emer
gency contraception prevents
implantation of a growing em
bryo in a woman's womb. Atte
berry said that once an egg is
fertilized, it grows into an em
bryo over about eight days, then
plants itself in the womb. ORTL
does not support the use of the
morning-after pill at this stage
because it acts as an abortion.
"Oregon Right to Life takes no
stand on legitimate contracep
tives," Atteberry said. "But we
don't support abortion."
As of now, the organization
has taken a neutral stance on
emergency contraception and
the possibility of Plan B being
offered over the counter be
cause it says there's no way to
tell exactly how the morning-af
ter pill will work on a woman.
Contact the crime/health/
safety reporter
at tisacatto@dailyemerald.com.
"Life's most urgent
question is: What are
you doing for others?"
-MLK Jr.
Wed. Jan. 21st - Thurs. Jan. 22nd
EMU Concourse, 10AM to 3PM