N.E.W.S. THE UOISA MAGAZINE
Announcing: Super Coffee Hour! Winter Holidays New Years Resolutions Around U of O Greek Life On Campus
Winter 2015 Issue 2
UOiSA 2014-15 Team President: Sandra Benny Vice President: Ina Song
Office
Marketing
Daphne Ho Caitlin Sherman
Program Executive Arrada Duangdao Gary Gao Ben Leamon Alex Hardin Gwyn Snider Tara Travisano
Fundraising Executive Renee Arnett Kelly Chen TJ Li Maria Pervova Ian Stoll
Executive Courtney Theim Srushti Kamat Ellie Keeton Hillary Fowler Iris Tian Sam Vitello
Outreach Executive Joe Zhao Taylor Davis Ellen Hovde Amy Li Alana McKenzie Fatoumata Traore Shuo Xu Rimi Yoneya
Content Editors: Alana McKenzie, Ellen Hovde, Shuo Xu, Joe Zhao Layout Designers: Shuo Xu, Iris Tian, Ina Song Photographers: Iris Tian, Shuo Xu 1 | UOiSA 2014 - 2015
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Super Coffee Hour!
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New Year Resolution
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Coffee Hour Interviews
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Winter Holidays
09
Meet The New Members
10
Greek Life
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Winter Break
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iSA Insider Winter Issue 2 | 2
NEW years RES O LU T IO N S
A prominent tradition in America is the making of New Years Resolutions (setting goals you hope to accomplish in the new year). Here are a few from the guests at our first Super Coffee Hour!
JULIANA ALVAREZ
To run 30 minutes a day. To do the splits (she can now!)
ANDREA
To feel Free.
RISA MIYAZAWA
To make many friends here and improve my English. To try new things like playing piano and sports.
JACOB
To learn the proper order of the months of the year.
NIKOLAI YAP
To be accepted to a Japanese university.
SHINJIRO TAKEMURA
To have an American girlfriend. To get a good TOEFL score.
JONATHAN BIGSBY
To get fit. To do the splits. Winter Issue 2 | 4
Risa Miyazaw
Coffee Hour Sophomore Environmental Studies Japan
“All the people who I have met so far, are so helpful and welcoming.” What do you like about the University of Oregon?
What classes are you taking?
What are your hobbies?
What is your hopes for the future?
What is your favorite college memory so far?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I love the beautiful campus and how big it is. All the people who I have met so far, are so helpful and welcoming.
I live in the dorms at GSH and I like playing the piano and talking to friends.
I have enjoyed meeting all types of people from all over the world. Everyone I have met is so nice.
What are three words to describe yourself? Cheerful, likes food, shy.
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Food Studies, Gospel Choir, Chinese, and a dance class that focuses on all areas of dance.
I want to help save the environment in Japan. I hope to clean the rivers and plant trees and make the country more environmentally friendly.
I was actually born in France and so I would want to go back there. I would love to go to Paris and go exploring.
What’s your favorite type of food?
I love Mexican food! My favorite is fish tacos.
Why did you choose to attended the University of Oregon?
The University of Oregon is a great place to focus on the environment and I love the campus.
Inter views
Miles Sisk
Junior Political Science Southern Oregon
“I enjoy meeting new people, who eventually become my friends.” What do you like about the University of Oregon?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
What are your hobbies?
What are three words to describe yourself?
I think the campus is absolutely beautiful and I like the diversity of people here. Everyone is so nice and open. I love getting involved with clubs on campus. I like eating, biking around Eugene, and being involved with the student government.
What is your favorite college memory so far?
I enjoy meeting new people, who eventually become my friends. I am very involved on campus and so I get to meet people through the different activities that I go to. I also like meeting people in my classes.
What classes are you taking?
I’m taking a math class, religious studies, and Terrorism & Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation class.
What is your hope for the future?
I hope that engineers create a high speed railway connecting the whole west coast. That would be awesome and so efficient.
I would love to go to Europe and spend about 3-4 months there, traveling around different cities. I would love to go to London, Rome, Paris, and Berlin. I would love to travel to every major city in Europe.
Enthusiastic, nice, and funny.
What’s your favorite type of food?
My favorite type of food is definitely pasta. I love Italian food.
Why did you choose to attended the University of Oregon?
I’m from Southern Oregon and so I wanted to stay in-state. It was between OSU and here, and when I toured OSU, the vibe was just not lively. At UO, the students were more social and the campus was much prettier and nicer.
Winter Issue 2 | 6
Winter Holidays Hanukkah Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday that is often call the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication. Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd century BCE. It is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah (pictured), traditional foods, games and gifts.
a variety of condiments. Some people serve them with sauces like sour cream and ketchup, and others put apple sauce and whipped cream on them. Other common dishes include matzo ball soup and jelly-filled donuts.
A typical game played at Hanukkah is the game of dreidel, which is played with a four-sided top of the same name. The hebrew name for dreidel is “sevivon“ which means ‘to In Hebrew, Hanukkah means turn around.‘ The game is played with symbolic “dedication” and it begins on the 25th of Kislev gold coins, often made of chocolate or simply on the Hebrew calender and usually falls in small coins of any currency. Each player has November or December. In 2014, Hanukkah some gold to begin with and there is a pot of began in the evening of December 16 and gold in the middle. In turns the players spin ended the evening of December 24. the dreidel and do the action indicated by a symbol on the top. The best roll is “Gimmel“ On each of the eight days of which means that player takes everything in Hanukkah a candle is lit on one of the nine the pot. “Hey“ means that player takes half the branches of the menorah. The holiday lasts pot and “Nun“ means the player does nothing. for eight nights, but there are nine branches The fourth side is “Shin“ which means the because the extra branch - which is called a player has to pay into the pot! The game is over shamash - is used to light the candles. On the when one player has won all the gold. last night of Hanukkah all the candles are lit. The exchange of gifts also happens It is traditional to eat fried foods such at Hanukkah, often one on each day of the as Latkes. Latkes are shallow-fried pancakes holiday for a total of eight. Like most holidays of grated potatoes mixed with flour and egg. of the season, Hanukkah at its heart is about They are often seasoned with onion and garlic family, food, light, and sharing. and the potato pancakes may be topped with 7 | UOiSA 2014 - 2015
The Solstice is the oldest known winter holiday in the western world and it is the precursor to Christmas. Whereas Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, the solstice celebrates the figurative rebirth of the sun on the shortest day of the year (December 21). The holiday is pagan but has much of the same symbology as
Christmas. Traditions have varied through the ages but typical ways of marking the Solstice are burning candles or gathering together to light bonfires, sing, dance, and stay up all night to make sure the sun comes back!
Winter Solstice
Christmas
Christmas is America’s largest holiday. In earlier times, Christmas was very much a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the events that transpired around that event. The story goes that Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem surrounded by animals and angels. The stable was marked by a huge star overhead which guided humble shepherds to the spot and then three wise men who came bearing gifts. Now we have many traditions that have come from different winter celebrations around the world but we still give presents like the wise men. Christmas has become a holiday about family, food, and giving. Families reunite to share big meals and exchange gifts, and typical customs include decorating an evergreen tree with lights and ornaments to create a Christmas tree, singing Christmas carols, and attending church services. The holiday begins on the 24th with Christmas Eve but most American families have their big holiday party the next day. American children are most excited about Santa Claus, a friendly, fat man in red suit who originated from European folklore. On Christmas Eve he rides a magical sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and delivers presents to all the good children of the world, traditionally by sliding down the chimney and placing the presents under the tree or in stockings hung over the fireplace. On christmas morning, children wake up to many presents under the tree, unless they have been bad during the year, in which case Santa leaves them a stocking full of coal! Winter Issue 2 | 8
MEET OUR NEW INTERNS Maria Pervova
Major: International Studies & Economics Languages: English, Russian and French Fun Fact: 1st generation American, parents from Siberia, Russia Dream Destination: Lyon, France Vanilla or Chocolate Cake: Chocolate Beverage of Choice: Tea Spirit Animal: Sphinx - I’m lazy like a cat Favorite ISA event: I-Week&Night
Ian Stoll
Major: General Social Science, Applied Business and Economics Languages: 3 years Spanish Fun Fact: Furthest place traveled is Disney World, Florida Dream Destination: Colombia Vanilla or Chocolate Cake: Only ice cream cake Beverage of Choice: Water Spirit Animal: ‌I already am a mythical creature Favorite ISA Event: Coffee Hour
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F
raternities and sororities are
opportunity to make friendships that
organizations on campuses around
will last a lifetime. When you pledge
the United States and Canada
a greek organization, the men become
that provide undergraduate students with
your brothers and the women become
the opportunity to meet other students,
your sisters. At the University of Oregon,
participate in fun events, and give back to
joining a sorority is a week- long process
the community. On the University of Oregon
that takes a lot of time and effort. Here
campus, we currently have 19 fraternities
are some tips on how to join Greek life.
and 11 sororities. Fraternities and sororities are values-based organizations that focus on promoting leadership, friendship and service among their members. Currently, there are over 9 million Greek affiliated members nationally and 85% of Fortune 500 executives were part of Greek life. Joining a fraternity or sorority provides you the
How to join a sorority 1. Sign up for fall recruitment through the fraternity and sorority life (UOregon FSL) 2. Fill out the form and include as much information about yourself as possible. List all your previous and current
Greek Life
activities, extracurriculars, leadership roles, and service activites. 3. Go through recruitment and dress appropriately each day. 4. Receive a bid to one sorority. 5. Become an initiated member of a sorority
Winter Issue 2 | 10
Winter Break As an international community most of us know about traveling, and some of us have already traveled far from home to be at U of O! Here are some fun trips UO students who were at Super Coffee Hour took this Winter Break.
Julian Steve • Disney World in Florida Kento Baba • Newport, Oregon Coast Emma Carscallen • Hamburg, Germany Adriana Roberts • San Diego, California Mssaru Kiyota • Snowshoeing in the Willamette
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Lili • Washington DC; NYC; Virginia; Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas Sam Bates • San Diego, California and then road tripped up to Brookings, Oregon Hayato Goto • Disney World, Florida; Washington DC; Philadelphia and Pittaburgh Pennaylvania
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ISA INSIDER
LET‘S GO SOMEWHERE
During our annual ISA retreat we decided on the 2015 I-Week and Night theme! Let‘s Go Somwhere: Explore Experience and Embrace. We can‘t wait to see where this year will take us!
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Thank You For Reading
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