Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

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INTROD II SITTING STILL AND LISTENING TO THEORIES LEADS TO NEW DISCUSSIONS E ALL THOUGHT we had something better to do. Anything. It was enough to have to struggle through a 7:30 AM lecture and now we were expected to enjoy a 7:30 PM one too? We sat. At least LaSells sported cushy seating arrangements. I guess we sat up a little straighter knowing we were about to get “cultured.” and maybe we thought we might run into friends of our parents who would speak well of us. The introduction was made. The speaker approached the microphone. We slunk down into our seats, rested notebooks on our knees and readied our pencils to take notes that would send our professor into fits. Then the speaker spoke. The Ava Helen Pauling Lecture for World Peace hosted Nobel Peace Prize recipient Adolpho Perez Esquivel on October 28. A former professor of architecture, the Argentinian spoke on the defense of human rights. He blamed most of Latin America’s problems on both the United States and the Soviet Union. “The superpowers split the earth like an orange,” he stated. They decided (who would go where), but they didn’t ask us where we wanted to be.” Esquivel could not understand how such a rich America could send millions of dollars to the Contras in Nicaragua while people in their own country were without homes and starving. “Democracy means that in no worker’s home is the food lacking, there are adequate resources available for all people to cover their needs and health and education and housing, he believed. On October 29 Harriet Braiker, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist from Los Angeles, provided information on stress management. “Women believe that their failure is due to a lack of ability and their success due to good luck,” Braiker claimed. “Men attribute success to their own ability and failure to outside factors. The emphatic woman warned the Type “E” women not to let all problems rest on their shoulders. “A Type “E” women produces a self-perpetuating cycle leading to more activity and more demands upon herself while her resources are spread thinner.” she said. “The Type “E woman is a recipe for disaster. The solution lies in changing your relationship within yourself.” Patricia Bonomi, professor of history at New York University, addressed the topic of religion and education in the 18th century on November 10. A common tool of the revolutionary period was a book only 2 V2 by 3 inches in size called a primer. The New England primer, one of the most popular editions, was printed in 11-12 million copies during the years 1690-1830. The primer contained strong catechetical inferences and the alphabet, sounding lists, vocabulary lessons and reading passages through the words and ideas of Christianity. There was no difference in religions as to content, the differences were in the denominational lines,” Bonomi noted. “Books were 80-100 percent religious. Religious pictures, rhymes, verses, poems. and “The Lord’s Prayer” were almost always included.” The Central Intelligence Agency was represented on November 17 by Arthur Hulnick. “I would say that 90 percent of what we do is involved somehow with the collection and analysis of information,” he pointed out. When prodded about subjects such as Central America and “the business of catching spies” he either avoided a direct answer or claimed the FBI was responsible. “I’m talking about deception or misinformation, Hulnick said, putting all of his speech making techniques into practice. Helen Suzman, spokeswoman for the Progressive Federal Party of the South African Parliament spoke to the subject: “Will South Africa Survive?” “Yes,” she affirmed, “but there is no quick fix for South Africa and no one should assume it can’t get worse. The conflict in South Africa would take a long time to become resolved because the racial system was the foundation of its society. The whites feared that granting full legal rights to the black majority would destroy their authoritarian position. The majority of the blacks would not be likely to settle for anything less. And then it was over. People were getting up and putting on their coats. Conversation filtered over the subject and then drifted off into personal discussions. Vre all looked at our notebooks and then looked at each other. We all thought we had something better to do. We now Jcnew that anything else would have been the worst thing to do. □ by Lindy Humphreys SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS • 25

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Speaker Helen Suzman focused on racism in Africa in her speech Will South Africa Survive? at La-Sells Stewart Center on November 19. Listening intently to a lecture on 18th Century religion and education by speaker Pat Bonomi are. Tina Black, freshman in Education and Traci Tuley. freshman in Business. John Murrin concentrated on his speech in front of the podium on December 3. MICH AFX DOWLESS “A religious primer was the educational tool of the revolutionary period, said Patricia V. Bonomi, professor of History at New York University in a lecture on religion and education in the 18th century 24 • SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS

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VO LU N PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOREIGN U STUDENTS TO LEARN ENGLISH IN COMMUNICATING across vast distances, the last three feet are the hardest and most important. Magazines and media—however valuable in their own right—are not a substitute for a superb discussion among individuals.” —Edward Murrow Tucked away behind the Student Health Center stood a small institute whose activities focused on developing language skills, adjusting to different cultures and building friendships. The English Language Institute (ELI) was established in 1965 for the purpose of helping students from foreign countries pass the Test of English as a Foreign language (TOFEL). A major program within the ELI was the Conversant Program which focused on crossing the cultural barrier at close range. “The goal of the program is more than teaching foreign students how to speak English, said Lisa Ohlen, Conversant Program Coordinator at ELI. “Americans read books and watch movies but until you meet someone face to face and talk with them and find out what they’re really like, you can’t understand them or the culture they came from.” 26 Each week over 85 fluid English-speaking conversants and 80 foreign students met for one hour and spoke English on a casual basis. The personal one-on-one conversation hours between American and foreign students provided the opportunity to exchange a goldmine of information. Details about people, customs, traditions and religions were exchanged in a relaxing way. often over a cup of coffee in the Monroe street Beanery or during a bike ride through the countryside. Friendships formed quickly. During this hour, foreign students had the opportunity to practice English, and American students had the opportunity to learn what goes on during everyday routines in a foreign country. We get most of our conversants by word of mouth. said Ohlen. “The program is especially popular among International Business majors going overseas, into International Business, history or just learning about other countries.” said Ohlen. The ELI program could be used as a job reference. Many participants feel the program teaches valuable communication skills that makes a graduate more marketable. “It is easy to walk around with a tunnel in front of your face and stay only in your close group of friends. The Conversant Program is for people who are ready to open their eyes and see beyond America. she said. The Conversant Program worked closely with the ELI Cultural Program which provided movies, parties, and field trips to help share bits of our culture with the foreign students. Helpful hints for survival in a normal day’s routine are often on subjects Americans overlook or take for granted. “ ‘How do you order a cup of coffee?’ ” was a common question asked by foreign students. They wanted to make sure they did it the proper way, explained Ohlen. The opportunity to view the OSU campus through a foreign student’s eyes was an educational tool unavailable in the ordinary classroom. OSU conversant students could request a among international Business majors, said Ohlen. Foreign students spent hours in the communications media center in the basement of Kidder Hall listening and practicing English with earphones on. Lisa Bronson, assistant coordinator for the Conversant Program said. “The program is flexible and students meet together as often as they want.” Some foreign students conversed for just a few weeks while others continued for a term or through the year. Conversants could choose to switch students each term if they wanted to learn about different countries. The conversant program is a unique educational tool for partners on both sides, said Ohlen. Conversant pairs spent time going to stores on Monroe, meeting before or after classes and touring campus or just sitting down for a popular frozen-yogurt treat. Depending on the depth of the friendship formed, some conversants took their new found friends to church or home over Christmas and spring breaks. “It’s really open, said Ohlen. Foreign students came from all over the world, but the majority of ELI students came from Asia and Japan. “These students are really the cream of the crop. They are here to study because they are sponsored by their government or a company.” Helping other people, teaching them about our culture and learning about theirs has become a very important part of my education.” said Bronson. The ELI Conversant Program was run on a volunteer or work-study basis. □ by Ginny Rajnus 26 • ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE