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WORLD & NATION WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM International students seek American schools MORE RELAXED CURRICULUM, CHANCE TO SHARE CULTURES OFTEN ENTICES INT’L STUDENTS BY KINSEY DANZIS StAPP WRiTIR How does it feel to go to school in a foreign country? Today, students from every continent but Antarctica travel to the U.S. in search of a college degree. They have found answers to this question. "There are a lot of differences," said junior Lesley Manuh. "There's a more rigorous curriculum back home, and you're required to do a lot more. It's more flexible here." It makes sense that there would be differences, given the wide spread of countries that international students travel from. According to the Institute of International Education, 13,770 international students came to study in North Carolina last year. That's a 7.4 percent increase from 2011. Many associate this trend with the increased efforts of American colleges and universities to attract international students. "The world we live in is shrinking," said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Andy Strickler. "For* an American college or university, one of the most successful ways to create a classroom of the world is to integrate international students into the student body." Guilford has experienced growth in international enrollment as well. Unlike what is the case with most other private colleges, there is no particular country that an overwhelming majority of Guilford's international students can be traced to. "Guilford is unique in that we span the globe in terms of where our international students come from," said Daniel Diaz, international student advisor and assistant director of study abroad. "We're not really heavy-handed in one country or another." Despite Guilford's even-handedness, the increase in foreign enrollment nonetheless contributes to the nationwide influx of international students and hence raises questions. Do international applicants pose unfair competition for domestic students? When seats are reserved for internationals at private institutions, are they stolen from other students? Director of Study Abroad and Professor of Theater Studies Jack Zerbe does not think so. "Most colleges right now are experiencing a decline, in enrollment, so this idea that there's competition for seats is a myth," said Zerbe. "Many colleges are looking to increase the international population to make up for declining nationwide domestic enrollments. There's no competition; there's no setting one population against the other. It's a win- win." That win-win attitude is reflected by students, both local and international. "It was fun for me to show off a little bit of my culture, and Guilford encouraged it," said Hien Morris '12, an international student from Vietnam. "They wanted to learn, they wanted to know about it, but they didn't put pressure on me to show." Domestic junior D'vorah Nadel agrees with Morris' view of Guilford's affinity for cultural diversity. "I think (Guilford) could be more diverse than it is because it's still predominantly white middle class," said Nadel. "Embracing different cultures is part of Guilford's core values, so thaf s a good thing to strive for." Uruguay poised to legalize pot n > o z n b BY RISHAB REVANKAR World & Nation Editor Green bud. Cannabis. Weed. Killer Weed. Marijuana. At the federal level, none of if s been legalized in any nation — as of today. But as for tomorrow, only Uruguay will tell. Home to a population of just over three million, the South American republic is poised to become the first cormtry to legalize the cultivation, sale and consumption of marijuana. Designed to take the sting out of rampant cartel violence in the region, legalization, if successful, "will be Uruguay's contribution to humanity," President Jose Mujica told the Agence France-Presse. After receiving the approval of the Chamber of Deputies, the proposed bill to legalize marijuana will be debated for a final time in the Senate. President Jose Mujica told CNN he would sign the bill into law if it passes through Senate, despite the recent CIFRA/ Gonzalez, Raga and Associates poll indicating that 63 percent of Uruguayans disapprove of the bill. If it passes, the bill would place Uruguay at the forefront of leftist drug policy, overshadowing even The Netherlands, where law enforcers tolerate recreational drug use. "In my opinion, people who are going to do it are going to do it anyway," said Teresa Rinaldi, visiting assistant professor of Spanish. "I like the policy of The Netherlands, which permits open marijuana consumption at coffee shops, for example." Although agreeing with legalization in principle, Rinaldi, bom and raised in Argentina, foresees unfavorable consequences in the case of Umguay. "Legalizing marijuana would be like legalizing drug trafficking," she said. "And guess where the lion's share of their illegal dmgs ends up? The U.S." Othem agree with Mujica that Umguay will reap much more than cannabis leaves by legalizing pot. "It will definitely have a positive impact on (Umguay's) overall economy and the standard of living for those who grow it," said Kirtan Desai, former human marijuana researcher at Harvard University, in an email interview. 'The government will tax and regulate production, which means more revenue and less cartel exploitation on cannabis farms." Medical professionals hold that the risk of widespread substance abuse saps the argument for potential economic gain. "Umguay's decision to legalize marijuana would be tragic," Norm Farrar, supervisor of Hawaii Island Recovery — a dmg addiction treatment center — told The Guilfordian in a phone interview. There has been a lot of research, and we think it's going to lead to a lot of other issues." Dn Sam Gray, a physician with Dmg Free NC, highlighted one imminent threat to adolescent well-being in Umguay. People don't realize that marijuana has an even more severe effect on the adolescent brain and behavior," Gray told The Guilfordian in a phone interview. "When adolescents see more adults (in possession of marijuana), they're going to think it's okay to use, too." WHle Umguay is currently the frontrunner on the path to legalization, some identify with Desai's view that "a similar trend will emerge in other governing agencies around the world." To discover how Guilford and the U.S. fit in with this trend, check in with The Guilfordian next Friday, Sept. 20. '
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