People to People

The expansion of the activities of the International Students Office this year is a welcome sign. Under the direction of David D. Henry '41 and his assistant Donald J. Eberly, the Office will move toward "greater personal contact" with foreign students at the University.

For too long, the American foreign aid and cultural exchange programs have suffered from an attitude that friendship can be bought, that a distribution of the material and cultural wealth of the United States is sufficient to guarantee the allegiance of those whom we choose to bless with our generosity.

This idea is of course not original with those who create and direct the aid and exchange programs; it is an aspect of our culture, just as prevalent at home as abroad.

But the mere exchange of boatloads of students is clearly insufficient to win friends for America. Personal contact, an atmosphere of interested congeniality, and a willingness to share our resources without demanding immediate and visible payment can be an important step toward much-needed rapport.

The International Students Office is to be commended for its approach, and the energies of the community at large should be enlisted in its support.