Students go international

Students searching for opportunities to learn about a vari ety of countries and cultures may benefit by joining the International Student Association at Cal State Long Beach.

"Membership is free. All you have to do is show up at one of our meetings and introduce yourself," said ISA President Mike Djukic.

Activities such as camping trips, concerts and parties are offered by the ISA to attract students.

"We have about 60 members, with around 35 of them showing up for meetings regularly," Djukic said.

Djukic "credits" the ISA's low numbers of Am erican-student members to misinformation - many believe the ISA is only for international students.

"Many American students think that it is required to be a foreign student in order to became a member of ISA, which is not true," Djukic said. "All you have to do is show up."

At a recent ISA meeting, members focused on Germany and five new German exchange students, who attend CSULB through an exchange program with the University of Oldenburg in Germany.

"American students can attend the U niversity of Oldenburg, but have to pay their regular tuition at Long Beach," said Volker Zirkel, a computer science major from Hessia, Germany. "Since higher education is for free in Germany, we don't have to pay for it here."

Zirkel decided to pa rticipate in the program after attending a Chicago high school in 1987. "I'm fascinated by all the different cultures I have encountered here," Zirkel said. "I'm definitely going to attend ISA meetings on a regular basis and try to learn more about America and the cultures that call it home."

The ISA meets every Friday in LA5-149. The ISA office is located in SSA-201. For more information, call (310) 985-4106.