Page Ten THE MICHIGAN DAILY SS6 [ '0 jaQWaAON 'Aopi nS Sunday,; November 6,1-955 THE MICHIGAN DAILY . The Problem of Integration International INDIAN DANCE Center By ARLENE LISS MRICAS have long pictured themselves as warm, friendly people interested in strangers. Yet in attempting to explain the lack of acceptance of foreign students on campus, one of them remarked, "but the Americans are cold, is it not?" How can one explain the fact ed that they were eager to really that the majority .of Michigan for- know the people of this country. eign students do not have many, Is the disparity between the wish if indeed any American friends-- and the fact the fault of the for- and tend to mix socially only with eign students, the Americans or their fellow foreigners. the institutions? A large group recently encount- All three are to blame, but the ered at International Center ad- last two bear more of the respon- mitted to knowing few American sibility. students but always earnestly add- International Center as an of- r CHECKED COTTON FLANNELETTE BEDTIME SHIRT CLASSICS - : $ fi r y iJ . '. 6 : 5 4' {{ v Y s .. :% j{ . ## . ,... tt'- OW ficial organ responsible for the well being of foreign students has all the materials for doing a good job but the coercive power of bringing American students to their premises to meet foreign guests., It is an organization which has achieved some results, but cannot hope to solve the prob- lem. IF ONE prepared; an approximate curve of the degree of integra- tion of the foreign student, it would probably show these ten- dencies-the student who can real- ly be considered as part of cam- pus life with American friends is the one whose English is most faultless, appearance least outland- ish and who lives with Americans. At the bottom would be the stu- dent with a decided accent, dark complexion or native costume who generally lives alone or with oth- er foreign students. Upon arrival on campus any student's first problem is hous- ing and here is where the foreign student lays the foundation for his integration or lack of it. The students who lodge in the Law- yers Club have little difficulty in establishing contact with the oth- er students, often they are room- ing with Americans. But to gain admittance to any other official University housing unit is difficult, usually impos- sible. This could be a result of+ the general policy that there is no room for graduate students in the over-crowded residence halls. Surely, however, exceptions could be made when a student has made+ a great deal of effort in order to attend the University. WITH the residence halls barred1 to them the student is aided in his housing problem by the In- ternational Center, but even this official body can do little to ob- tain the colored foreign student satisfactory housing. The Ann' Arbor landlady is free to reject whom she pleases and often does. One might assume that the for- eign student could meet Americans in his daily, class contacts. His' failure to do so is often ascribed to the fact that as a rule gradu- ate students do not mix much, or' that the foreign student himself is at fault. One observes, however, a super- ficial interest in the strangeness of the foreigner, but the average' student cannot be bothered to go' beyond this outward strangeness to discover a person. Dating, normally about the best way for a foreigner to get to know the country he is visiting, brings; up many difficulties because the foreigner is often expected to have, diffierent social customs and the+ American also does not wish to be criticized by his own social group. One of the attractions of at- tending a large university is the diverse character of the student population. By expecting the for- eign student to blend with his surroundings in order to integrate are we not sacrificing this attrac- tion? By ARLINE LEWIS ARRIVING in Ann Arbor for the first time, a foreign student finds the International Center a nucleus around which he can build his relationship to campus life. In addition to offering counsel- ing services, the Center staff will aid him in finding housing, friends, and a loan from their emergency fund if an expected check is late in coming. A student must contact the Cen- ter as soon as he reaches Ann Ar- bor to arrange matters of immi- gration. Often unfamiliarity with the campus delays this procedure. The staff has develped a second sight for discovering newcomers who have not yet found the Cen- ter or its facilities. Wandering on State Street dur- ing his first day here, an Ethopian student was stopped by Dr. James Davis, Director of the Internation- al Center, who asked intuitively if he were a new foreign student. Within 30 minutes the Ethopian was seated in an easy chair in Dr. Davis' office, with his rooming ar- rangements already made and many of his anxieties quelled. THE center, occupying a ground floor wing of the Union has achieved within its walls the inte- gration it hiopes to promote on a campus level. It has won the loyalty of many visiting students who realize the necessity of the function it performs. A'feeling of friendship and tol- erance exists between European, Asian and South American which often transcends the political hos- tilities of their homelands. It can be explained by the international student's willingness to become part of the campus activity. Unfortunately, in many cases this desire for integration is thwarted before it grows to a circle of American friends. A RELATIVELY simple scheme serves to introduce ISA mem- bers to each other, and to tackle committee work. All project com- mittees, of which there are hun- dreds throughout the year, must contain someone from every con- tinent of the world. Thursday afternoon teas, which have become a ritual to many cen- ter members, testifies to this suc- cess of the system. Starting with students sitting with others from their own country, talking in a native tongue, they evolve shortly into mixed groups, speaking in a common language, English. The International Students' As- sociation, working with the Inter- national Center and the Student Government Council, handles all center student activities. ISA works closely with the 13 national clubs, each made up of students from a single country or continent. The clubs provide a means for students from the same country to get to know each other, and strive to keep a segment of a culture alive, although it may be thou- sands of miles from the place of its practice. By ERNEST THEODOSSIN ONE night when Sumalini Rajam was a small child put to bed in her parents' great home in India, she heard the sound of bells and music rising from a party in! the huge family living room. She climbed down the stairs and for a moment stood awed at the sight of a dancer swirling to the intricate rhythms and subtle psychological movements of na- tive Indian dance. Then she ran shouting into the room: "I must dance, I must dance." Her parents promptly sent Sumalini Rajam back to bed, but they never stopped her from danc- ing. T ODAY, a dignified lady with an alive face, slightly greying hair and expressive dark eyes that light up when she speaks of her craft, Madam Rajam is internationally known as one of India's foremost artists. "I was born to dance," she says. 'To me the dance is everything. Whenever I have lost something or someone, I have found it in MADAM SUMALINI RAJAM ... world-famous artist. dancing. It is something spiritual -it is my whole life." Madam Rajam's life has in- cluded much more than dancing. She has been a stage star, motion picture actress, short story writer, teacher; singer-but she attributes all of these accomplishments to her childhood environment, the halls of one of India's greatest homes. "What I have done is nothing compared to what others in my -family have accomplished," she says. It was a family that in- cluded a mathematician father who spoke 27 languages and chil- dren who grew up to become some of India's foremost poets, scien- tists, philosophers, musicians, ac- tors and leaders. "It was that wonderful family, where education was something that went on all the time, that gave me everything. Without them I would never have been able to do anything." MADAM Rajam is living in Ann Arbor to be near her son, Prahlad Rajam, instructor in bac- teriology. She teaches a few dance stu- dents here and gives lectures all over the state. But, by the speci- fications of her visa, her profes- sional activities are limited. "Wherever I go I follow the laws of the country, no matter how hard they are," Madam Rajam said, sitting in the lounge of Mad- elon Pound House and awaiting the arrival of a pupil. "Regard- less of the difficulty, I have to be honest." What India owes most to Mad- am Rajam is her pioneer work in films and stage and her revival of almost extinct dance tech- niques. She-studied all forms of danc- ing, including western dances. But See DEVOTION, Page 15 "" Interna tional Artist Teaches Classic Art LOVE AMONG THE GOD-S-Krishn by Radha. (William Himelhoch) wi example of Northern Indian classica DAILY PHOTOS BY EST Three versions of the nightshirt slumber story, borrowed from great-great B, grandfather. Snug and warm as ever flannelette tailored short, medium or long . . . with button- down collars . . . in feminine pastels of blue, pink, and lavender. A. Traditional nightshirt, S-M-L, 3.95 B: Bloomer style, 32 to RIVER STANCE--William Him- elhoch portrays the sacred Ganges flowing from the matted locks of the God Shiva in the 'Hathaki' technique. RELIGIOUS STANCE - Marya Wester portrays a typical pose from the Manipuri dance, per- formed by the followers of Sri Krishna. 36, 3.95 le THVW RL ' FINEST SP( -0 0 uisa pagno t f '''l $tpi The /'iA LYN Sho r !_ ,;high _Theatr* Bldg. C. The pajama story, 32 to 36, 4.95 wYY i y,4 k - C' b :'"" M: 4" 'v: +r'Fj-!-e C{i 'vi} iS ".;{y. TOM I C. I J .; . ky . yl rt ti ?ti .v . ' if+ ' c> ; x ,:: '. ; ,,f_.,. We are going to have some fabulous toys for your Christmas ideas. Why not come in now and become acquainted with our shop. We are sure you'll like what you see. JOHN LEIDY :Y; S : '.;> Xi "Q v S> .;f ""F: .r l { , . "{ , . r} ' v . 537 East Liberty 0 NO 8-6779 PRAYER-The God Shiva (Lou Mekush) stands in meditation. Mekush, local professional dancer who has been studying with Madam Rajam, last season appeared in recital at the Dramatic Arts Centre dance show. . _. . i W .111, ......... e. TL :