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Show Aton recounts year in China ·c1ub focuses on diversity at SUU An SUU English professor w ho spe l)t the past year as a Fulbright Lecturer in China shared bis encounters Tuesday w ith such aspects of Chinese life as government surveillance, rampant pollution and the commonly-accepted habit of s pitting indoors. Jim Aton spent the year at Sichuan Union University in Chengdu, a 50,000-student university located in south central China. The Fulbright Scholar Program provides funding for qualifying professors to spend up to one year abroad in a teaching assignment at an institution in need of their exp ertise. Aton taught class¢5 in American environmental history, survey of American literature and American nature writing. He also received a first-hand education about life in China. Despite having Guanxi-the Chinese phrase for being well connected-as a result of his association with the Fulbright program and the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, Aton's telephone was tapped and his mail routinely, blatantly open ed by Chinese officials. "That was an education and it was unnerving... it made me ang.ry," Aton said, adding, "We take our first amendment right for granted." An environmentalist, Aton said he was particularly disturbed by the pollution in Chengdu, which results from the large quantities of coal that are burned for heating and cooking. This coal burning leaves skies hazy and surfaces covered with soot, he said. Perhaps the hardest cultural adjustment for Aton was the Chinese practice of spitting as a way to expectorate germs. He said it was common for students to s pit on the floor of the classroom an d not give it a second thought. Yet, these same students considered it impolite w hen he blew his nose in a handkerchief and put it back in his pocket. Aton said in addition.to b eing a teacher, he looked fo r ways to interact with the students outside of the classroom and often spent his leisure time sharing his books or playing ping p ong, soccer and basketball. Aton said many of the students in his classes wanted to learn English so that they could e\'entually come to America. While few actually get that opportunity, he said several of his students are able to utilize their English· speaking abilities to earn extra income by translating documents and correspondenc;e for companies and individuals. One student, for example, was currently under contract to translate the Kenneth Starr report regarding President Bill CHnton's rela!ionship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. This was Aton's second Fulbright Lectureship. In 1989, he had planned to go to China, but ended up going to Indonesia instead after the Chinese government limited visits hy westerners following the Tianamen Square inciden\. By-KAMI BISHOP JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Students fo r Campus Diversity, an organization which, according co its mission statement, is designed "co promote an increased consciousness of diversity issues," w ill reunite again this year led by RogeHo Machuca, a junior zoology major from Las Vegas, Nev. The organization is for students "interested in campus, cult ural diversity an d in interacting with other cultures," said Daphne Dalley, assistant director of the Multi-Cultural Center. According to the group's mission statement, their objective is co create a network of individuals from diverse cultures, instilUng a philosophy of tolerance and acceptance for all people. "Students for Campus Diversity has new goals we would like to accomplish this year," said Machuca. One goal of the group is to establish a general education requirement in gender and multicultural studies. It is also trying to create new scholarships for ethnic students. "We want to make the club more balanced this year between social and business issues," said Machuca. According to Machuca, the club was too socially based last yea.:. There are no requirements to be a pan of this organization. The club is for everyone, not just multicultural students. "The club is for aU who are willing to increase diversity at SUU ," said Machuca. In past years, the club has contained a wide range of ethnic backgrounds such as Polynesian, Native American , African American, Asian, Jewish and Caucasians. The club w ill hold the annual International Food Fair during International Weck this month. The fair allows students an opportunity co taste foods from many countries and participate in cultural activities. U.S. Senate votes to extend Higher Education Act By CHRJSTlNE TATUM COLLEGE PRESS EXCHANGE The United States Senate on Tuesday approved an extension of the Higher Education Ace that would lower the interest rate on student loans and raise the maximum Pell Grant. The 96-0 vote fo llowed Monday's House approval of the compromise legislation, cobbled together by a joint committee from both chambers. President Clinton is expected to sign the hill by the end of this week. · · The prop osed bill would: • Raise the maximum Pell Gram co $4,500 for the 1999-2000 school year, followed by a $300 increase for each of the next three years and a $400 increase in 2003-04. The maximum grant for the 1998-99 year is $3,000. • In.crease the amounl of money a student can cam and still qualify fo r a Pell Grant co $5,000, and increase co $2,200 the amount dependent, working students can exclude from assessments of their family's need. • Lower the student-loan interest rate to 7.46 percent until January 1999 for a limited to group of borrowers looking to consolidate-those w ho gradtr.tted before Oct. 1. Current studen ts, on the other hand, may borrow-but not consolidate previous loans-at the low rate. • For example, a senior could borrow at the low interest rate to fund his or her final year in school hue could not use the rate to consolidate loans used to pay for the first three years. • Forgive student-loan debt accrued during a student's Leg. aide stipends debated Like a shady tax return, SUUSA legislative aides arc both unsure of how much money they will be receiving and if that money will come at aJI. The controversy is the topic of two b ills proposed Tuesday night for consideration by SUUSA senators. BiJI 007-98, sponsored by Business, Technology and Communication Sen. Garrett Gunderson would provide the BTC legislative aide $100 at the end of each semester while b ill 008-98, sponsored by Social Science and Humanities Sen. Justin R. McEwen , would grant all five aides (one fo r each college) less than half of that amount p er semester, some $45. Following rather tame debate on Gunderson 's bill, McEwen said only that h e "had a . ph ilosophical difference" with Gunderson on the amount that should be paid to each aide adding that his bill "is a more feasible solution ." Both bills were circled and posted for student input and are expected to he voted on next week, following a senate investigation of both bills. In other senate action , Bill 004-98, thought co have been headed for heated debate, breezed through the senate with a unanimous vote. The bill, sponsored by Gunderson, was amended last week to provide the senate with $750 for the creation of a senate "administrative account" to be used for miscellaneous senate exp enses. The senate w ill meet again for its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday in the Student Conference Room with an op en forum designed for student input beginning at 6:30 p.m. last two years of undergraduate study if he or she teaches at a school w ith a high p ercentage of lowincome pupils. • Deny financial aid to students with state or feder'JI drug convictions and require those students to undergo repeated drug tests before the aid is reinstated. . • Deny Pell Grants and federal loans to colleges and universities where student-loan default rates are 25 percent or h igher for three consecutive years. • Establish a program that wo uld double the maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. • Require colleges and universities to disclose more detailed campus crime statistics. §hots! Your Daily Dose ... Right Here in Black & White I I' Prefer green M&M's to red ones? Over 1S miltion colorbtind people in North America can't teU the difference. Defective color vision afflicts S.1 o/o of the male and O.So/o of the female population of around the world. Didn't notice her new nail polish? Blame it 01 the eyes. 11 the US, men are 16 times more likely to be colorblind thon women. clistriivted by Colege Press Excbqe • broughltoyouby-.an111111n-.-.ann |