1993_11 The Daily Collegian November 1993

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ews
Wiyt Batlp Collegian
Thursday, Nov. 4,1993
Debaters argue
American dream
a nightmare
By Anna Marie 2an.nl
StaffWriter
The British defended the
"American dream" with charm,
wit, Oprah Winfrey and Bill
Clinton while the Arnericans
doomed United States society
with poverty statistics in an ex¬
hibition debate Tuesday night.
California State University,
Fresno debate duo Christine
Levin and Steve Sweigart up¬
held that "tbe American dream
in reality is a nightmare," with
statistics like the SO percent di¬
vorce rate, 3 million single moth¬
ers are below the poverty line,
black Americans art) dispropor¬
tionately poor, one third of all
children are below the poverty
line, credit debt has made say-.
ings obsolete for many and past
industrial success has success¬
fully polluted our waterways and
air.
British debaters Anthony
Potter and Richard Chambers,
graduates of the University Col¬
lege of Wales at Aberystwyth
and student barristers or law¬
yers graduated from Gray's Inn
law school, rebutted by saying
that In America, opportunity is
open to all society, and the fact
that people like President
Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and
Michael Jordan are super suc¬
cessful despite their humble
backgrounds proves that the
American dream is not a night¬
mare at all.    ■ ■*
Potter and Chambers are on a
; 75-daytoin oftheUnitedStates,
during which they will compete
in 32 exhibition debates at col¬
leges and universities across the
country and visit American land¬
marks, monuments and tourist
The tour, which is earned by
only two British debaters each
year, is a 50-year tradition.
Many high-ranking British
politicians such as former Prime
Minister Edward Heath, three
current members ofthe British
Cabinet, and the Labor Party
leader participated during then
respective university days..
From their first stop in De¬
troit, the team worked its way
south through Ohio-and Indi¬
ana to New Orleans, then south¬
west to Texas where they said
they really enjoyed going to the
Alamo.       . v
"We did our best Davy
Crockett impressions," Potter-
said. '
They flew from Santa Fe,
New "Mexico to Fresno, their
only stop in California, and will
end the tour in New York.
Chambers, was especially
impressed by the landscape
which ttfey flew over, saying
that on the flight from New
Mexico to Fresno he saw desert
for the first time and was awed
flying over the Rocky Moun¬
tains and landing in Salt Lake
City.
Chambers and Potter will
visit Yosemite National Park
before they leave California
Americans haven't lived up
to the negative stereotypes por¬
trayed in movies, Chambers -
said; but added that some ste¬
reotypes about American cul¬
ture are true such as serving
huge portions of food.
Chambers, who has met
many Americans in London,
says that "American people are
a damn good laugh and good
fun to be with. You can quote
me on that," he said.
Experience different cultures
through study abroad program
By Anna Marie Zanlnl
StaffWriter
Do you yearn for European cul¬
ture? Do you savor culture that is
Scandinavian? Axe you oriented
toward the Orient?
Whether the land of your long¬
ing is south of the border or over¬
seas to the east or west, there is
a good chance that you can live
and study there for ayearthrough {
California State University ln- S
temational Programs.
. International Programs (IP)
are, however, limited to certain
fields of study and many are
language oriented.
For example, if you want to
study French and live in France,
or muse over the Renaissance
masters while learning Italian
and live in Florence, Italy, IP 5
offers the opportunity.
If you want to study biochemis¬
try—and you have a 2.75 cumula¬
tive GPA—IP can set you up in
Sweden.
You can study Mid-Eastern cul¬
ture and learn Hebrew in Israel,
study business/economics and learn
Japanese in Japan, international
relations and Danish in Denmark
or Brazilian culture and Portuguese
ir. Brazil. '
In all, there are IP programs in
16 countries.
Students pay regular California
State University fees for IP and all
campus financial aid is applicable.
The total estimated cost, depend¬
ing on the HVranges from $ 10,000
to $20,000 and includes room and
meals, orientation and field trips,
round-trip transportation and per¬
sonal expenses such as food, cloth¬
ing, entertainment and books.
Students are responsible for va-
"You have to open
up and accept the
culture because 3 to
are going to be liv ■
ing there for a yeai"
—Rita Huitron
cation expenses during,their stay.
Deposits aredue May 15 forfall
1994 IPs.
"You become bilingual and bi-
cultural," said California State
University, Fresno Spanish rilajor
Rita Huitron, who went to the
Universidad Iberoartericana in
Mexico City through IP last year.
Huitron, who finished her Span¬
ish major courses in Mexico, wants
to return to Mexico to teach En¬
glish. ..
Many business peopleand Mexi-
Universities move toward
politically correct mascots
(CPSKToledo, Ohio- For years
he's been the butt of numerous
condom and sex toy jokes on cam¬
pus. '
He' sbeen hazed by visiting fans.
He's been beaten by other Mid¬
American Conference mascots.
Now, University of Toledo offi¬
cials want him to change. In fact,
they don't want him to be a "him"
anymore."-—-
The UT Athletic Logo Commit¬
tee is in the process of redesigning
UT's mascot. Rocky the Rocket,
and it wants the help of the student
body.
Rod Brandt, UT's sports infot>
mation director and spokesman for
the committee, said student-gener¬
ated ideas are being solicited to
Please see Mascot, page 5
Bosnian exchange student cut
off from family, misses home
• CPS—Unlike most college stu¬
dents, MilicaStojnicwon'tbe home
for the holidays this year.
Her home no longer exists.
Stojnic said the war in Bosnia
has destroyed her hometown of
Sarajevo and has made refugees of
her family. »
Speaking before an honors stu¬
dent forum recently at the Univer¬
sity of Florida, Stojnic said the war
has nearly destroyed her genera¬
tion of Slavs, separating them from
their f amiliesand tearing apart their
homeland.
"It has deprived our generation
of our old way of life," she said.
While living in San Diego as a
high school exchange student last
year, Stojnic said she couldn't be¬
lieve fighting had broken out.in
Sarajevo.
"It seemed like the war was hap¬
pening somewhere else," she said.
"When they told me, my eyes filled
up with tears* thought I was going
crazy."     ****•
Her mother reassured her their
family was safe, even though sol¬
diers fought just outside the house.
But troops des troy ed the phone
lines to Stojnic's neighborhood a
week later, cutting off news from
her family.
"It was the most horrifying ex¬
perience of my life " Stojnic said.
"I didn't know if that time I saw
them at thuirport on the day of my
departure would be the last time I'd
ever see them."
Stojnic later learned her mother
and grandfather escaped Sarajevo
and settled in the safer city of
Belgrade before shell ing destroyed
their old apartment. ■
But her father may not have
been as lucky.
"I haven't heard from him in a
year and a"half," she said. "I have
no idea where he is, or if he's dead
or alive."   \ ,
Henry Isleib, who has worked ■
as a United Nations volunteer in
Bosnia, told the University of
Florida forum that Stojnic's family
is one ofthe mil lions that have been
forced from their homes.
He sai d the United Nations does
its best to, supply food and she! ter to
the homeless, despite sniper attacks
and a supply shortage.;
"Winters are especially brutal,"
he said. "Once, we didn't have a
supply truck come in for a month.
There just wasn't enough for all the
people."
Isleib said his two tours in Viet¬
nam didn' t prepare him for the fight¬
ing in Bosnia.
"It just isn't an ordinary war,"
ne said. "A lot of people fighting
are suffering from mass hysteria"
Stojnic agreed.
"This is not good guys vs. bad
guys," she said. "Everyone is fight¬
ing each other."
Stojnic said she misses her home
city every day and would like to go
back to help the refugees, but con¬
cedes the war has destroyed hercouh-
tty.
'There is no future for young
people there anymore," she said.
But Stojnic said she still holds
some hope for her country.
"I hope when the war is over, our
Sarajevo generation can get together
like the good old times," she said.
can students asked IP students to
tutor them in English.
Huitron, who delayed coming
home to do volunteer English tu¬
toring, explained that everyone
wants to learn English from native
speakers.
To experience Mexican culture
and see different regions of Mexico,
Huitron said IP students would get
together and take trips to rural
areas and Mayan ruins.  ,    /
Sometimes, to save money,
they would travel second class;
packing sandwiches and carry¬
ing sleeping bags and pillows.
In one rural area, an African-
American IP shident drew a lot
of attention because they had
never seen a African-American
before.
"The kids asked why she was
so dark, and if she ever took a
bath," Huitron said.
Nightclub owners in the
wealthy shopping area of Mexico
City known as the Pink Zone, let
the IP students in free in hopes of
attracting business.
"The merchants would recog¬
nize us as international students
and try to get us into their clubs,"
saidHuitron. -
One of Huitron's friends had a
camera stolen and some students
had trouble accepting that running
"water and electricity are'not guar¬
anteed, especially in rural areas.
"You have to open up and ac¬
cept the culture because you are
going to be living there for a year,"
Huitron said.
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