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| 25 Languages in 25 Rooms |
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Foreign Language and International Studies Day Celebrates 25 Years
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 A sea of excited high school students from around the Northwest poured into the EMU for Foreign Language and International Studies Day (FLIS) last spring. Consulting their schedules and zigzagging the halls of a bustling student union, they may have been on their way to any number of classes: Traditions and Customs of Italy; Chinese Folks Songs and Pop Music; or perhaps Cool Things About American Indian Languages.
Of the many language and cultural learning opportunities, high school senior Hakme Lee said, “You get what you give.” By ten a.m. Lee had already attended two sessions, including one that presented the role of African dance in Brazilian culture. “People dropped out as the steps got harder,” she said enthusiastically of the lesson. “I did a horrible job, but I did it.”
As a Korean-American studying Japanese in high school, Hakme is well aware of her Asian heritage, but she says activities like Japanese Woodblock Prints presented new cultural questions. “I realize I have an identity somewhere,” said Hakme. “It’s found by looking in other cultures.”
The collaboration between the schools and the university must be working: the FLIS program celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, attracting approximately 1,400 high school students. Generally, the program is attended by sophomores and juniors enrolled in a second-year foreign language class. As well as glimpsing the diversity of language study offered at the University of Oregon (twenty-five languages, compared to some high schools offering only one or two), students enjoy “the excitement of coming to a college campus for the day,” says Jeff Magoto, the Yamada Language Center and FLIS Day director.
The turnout for the Balkan Folk Dance with Live Music workshop affirms the popularity of this event. There, in a room full to capacity, nearly all the students participated in a group activity which involved a large circle, live music and a lot of lively dancing. Another session that drew a hefty crowd was one entitled Fairytales or Scarytales? The Real Cinderella. This look into the gruesome world of the Grimms Brothers’ fairytales was quickly filled with curious high schoolers. According to Magoto, Foreign Language Day brings more students on campus for academic purposes than nearly any other event, rivaled only by the Model UN program.
A possible change to future Foreign Language days is to increase the number of rooms and activities to accommodate the large crowds. There are already twenty-five rooms potentially in use per hour and FLIS Day activities extend beyond the EMU to other buildings on campus including McKenzie and Pacific Halls. However, says Magoto, students often prefer the “more intimate surroundings” of an origami demonstration or a mini-lesson in German.
For next year, the Yamada Language Center also hopes to increase enrollment and continue to get kids excited about the prospect of studying language. Recently, as schools around the state have been affected by budget cuts, it has become increasingly difficult to keep a diverse range of language options available in high schools. “In times when language becomes a non-core subject area,” says Magoto, “the FLIS program reminds kids—and ourselves— that what we do is important. It’s gratifying in many ways.”
There is strong evidence of the importance and impact of the FLIS program. One teacher from Klamath Falls has brought her students to the Foreign Language and International Studies Day for twenty-four of the last twenty- five years. Stories like these rate the program a success and act as motivation to maintain the tradition.
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1245 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR • 97403-1245
(541) 346.3950 • FAX (541) 346.3282 • alumnidev@cas.uoregon.edu
Copyright © 2003 University of Oregon
Updated October 3, 2003
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