University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 32 text:

The cosmopolitan atmosphere oj Michigan is a result of the multitude oj different peoples from all parts of the globe. About two thousand foreign students are a part of the campus, coming from over forty countries of the world. They have a great effect upon the University and the individual, lor knowledge gained from contact with different people is perhaps the greatest part of education. The influx of customs and traditions have immense impact upon the values and beliefs of the student. This contact brings a more personal understanding of each other s problems and long-lasting friendships can develop. Friendships which can have great effect upon the peace of the world. 28

Page 31 text:

he drama can escape the limits of the conventional stage. Often a novel approach to the method of presentation brings renewed vitality to an old production. The Speech Department gave a new look to one of the oldest plays, Aristophanes classic comedy, The Frogs by putting it on in the Varsity Pool. Employing the talents of Michigan s fine array of swimmers and divers, the production utilized the new dimension of the water as well as more solid footing for the players. By the same token, dramatic expression is not bound to the spoken word. The acknowledged master of mime, Marcel Marceau, cast a spell over his audience without uttering a sound. Thus the yarns of the arts, in many shades and textures, are woven together, leaving a memorable impression as part of that nebulous but nonetheless real phenomenon, the process of learning.

Page 33 text:

From far-distant countries, leaving friends and families, leaving a whole way of life, thousands of students come to the University. Here they find many problems, some expected; others a surprise. Although knowledge of English is a pre-requisite for admittance, they find, as Americans do, that language learned in the classroom can be entirely different from the common spoken form. The English Languge Institute tries to fill this gap but the student learns mainly by contact with other students. For some the fast-moving culture, the different customs and people make the adjustment a difficult one. Often, the tip anJ casual attitude of Americans toward education amazes and mystifies the evidently serious foreign student. So much that we take for granted is strange to those from other lands.