N.E.W.S.T H E U O I S A M A G A Z I N E

Winter 2015 Issue 2

Announcing: Super Coffee Hour!

Winter Holidays

New Years Resolutions Around U of O

Greek Life On Campus

1 | UOiSA 2014 - 2015

Office Marketing

Program

Fundraising

Daphne HoCaitlin Sherman

Executive Arrada Duangdao

Gary GaoBen LeamonAlex Hardin

Gwyn SniderTara Travisano

President: Sandra Benny Vice President: Ina Song

Executive Renee Arnett

Kelly ChenTJ Li

Maria PervovaIan Stoll

ExecutiveCourtney Theim

Srushti KamatEllie KeetonHillary FowlerIris TianSam Vitello

ExecutiveJoe Zhao

Taylor DavisEllen HovdeAmy LiAlana McKenzieFatoumata TraoreShuo XuRimi Yoneya

Outreach

UOiSA 2014-15 Team

Content Editors: Alana McKenzie, Ellen Hovde, Shuo Xu, Joe ZhaoLayout Designers: Shuo Xu, Iris Tian, Ina Song

Photographers: Iris Tian, Shuo Xu

Super Coffee Hour!

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Coffee Hour Interviews

Winter Holidays

Meet The New Members

Greek Life

iSA Insider

New Year Resolution

Winter Break

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NEW yearsRESOLUTIONS 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.

RISAMIYAZAWA

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.

JONATHANBIGSBY

To get fit.To do the splits.

5 | UOiSA 2014 - 2015

Risa MiyazawCoffee Hour Inter views

SophomoreEnvironmental 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?I love the beautiful campus and how big it is. All the people who I have met so far, are so helpful and welcoming.

What are your hobbies?I live in the dorms at GSH and I like playing the piano and talking to friends.

What is your favorite college memory so far?I have enjoyed meeting all types of people from all over the world. Everyone I have met is so nice.

What classes are you taking?Food Studies, Gospel Choir, Chinese, and a dance class that focuses on all areas of dance.

What is your hopes for the future?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.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?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 are three words to describe yourself?Cheerful, likes food, shy.

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.

Coffee Hour Inter views

“All the people who I have met so far, are so helpful and

welcoming.”

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Miles SiskJunior

Political ScienceSouthern Oregon

What do you like about the University of Oregon?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.

What are your hobbies?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.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?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.

What are three words to describe yourself?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.

“I enjoy meeting new people, who

eventually become my friends.”

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.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication” and it begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calender and usually falls in November or December. In 2014, Hanukkah began in the evening of December 16 and ended the evening of December 24.

On each of the eight days of Hanukkah a candle is lit on one of the nine branches of the menorah. The holiday lasts for eight nights, but there are nine branches because the extra branch - which is called a shamash - is used to light the candles. On the last night of Hanukkah all the candles are lit.

It is traditional to eat fried foods such as Latkes. Latkes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potatoes mixed with flour and egg. They are often seasoned with onion and garlic and the potato pancakes may be topped with

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 turn around.‘ The game is played with symbolic gold coins, often made of chocolate or simply small coins of any currency. Each player has some gold to begin with and there is a pot of gold in the middle. In turns the players spin the dreidel and do the action indicated by a symbol on the top. The best roll is “Gimmel“ which means that player takes everything in the pot. “Hey“ means that player takes half the pot and “Nun“ means the player does nothing. The fourth side is “Shin“ which means the player has to pay into the pot! The game is over when one player has won all the gold.

The exchange of gifts also happens at Hanukkah, often one on each day of the holiday for a total of eight. Like most holidays of the season, Hanukkah at its heart is about family, food, light, and sharing.

Hanukkah

Winter Holidays

7 | UOiSA 2014 - 2015

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!

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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

Winter Solstice

Christmas

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!

9 | UOiSA 2014 - 2015

MEET OUR NEW INTERNS

Maria PervovaMajor: International Studies & EconomicsLanguages: English, Russian and FrenchFun Fact: 1st generation American, parents from Siberia, RussiaDream Destination: Lyon, FranceVanilla or Chocolate Cake: ChocolateBeverage of Choice: TeaSpirit Animal: Sphinx - I’m lazy like a catFavorite ISA event: I-Week&Night

Ian StollMajor: General Social Science, Applied Business and EconomicsLanguages: 3 years SpanishFun Fact: Furthest place traveled is Disney World, FloridaDream Destination: ColombiaVanilla or Chocolate Cake: Only ice cream cakeBeverage of Choice: WaterSpirit Animal: …I already am a mythical creatureFavorite ISA Event: Coffee Hour

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

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

Fraternities and sororities are

organizations on campuses around

the United States and Canada

that provide undergraduate students with

the opportunity to meet other students,

participate in fun events, and give back to

the community. On the University of Oregon

campus, we currently have 19 fraternities

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

GreekLife

opportunity to make friendships that

will last a lifetime. When you pledge

a greek organization, the men become

your brothers and the women become

your sisters. At the University of Oregon,

joining a sorority is a week- long process

that takes a lot of time and effort. Here

are some tips on how to join Greek life.

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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

Mssaru Kiyota • Snowshoeing in the Willamette

Adriana Roberts • San Diego, California

Emma Carscallen • Hamburg, Germany

Mssaru Kiyota • Snowshoeing in the Willamette

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Sam Bates • San Diego, California and then road tripped up to Brookings, Oregon

Hayato Goto • Disney World, Florida; Washington DC; Philadelphia and Pittaburgh Pennaylvania

Lili • Washington DC; NYC; Virginia; Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas

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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!

Thank You For Reading

Please E-mail us if you have any suggestion or fun story you want to share with our readers!

Also check out our E-mag website:issuu.com/uoisanews

and iSA’s Facebook page:facebook.com/InternationalDuck

for future N.E.W.S.!

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isa.uoregon.edu

E-mag: issuu.com/uoisanewsE-mail: uoisanews@gmail.com

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