California's Presidential Primary: Q&A with Melissa Michelson

By Bill Bennett 

Menlo Oak Staff

Melissa Michelson is a political science professor at Menlo College. Naturally this makes her a great person to speak with about the upcoming presidential election in the United States. I emailed her with a short list of questions regarding the election to clear up any uncertainties people may have.

1) Why are the presidential primaries important?
They are important because they determine who the nominees will be in November. Specifically, this year, there is a heated battle on the Republican side to determine who will run against President Obama. Beyond that, the decision will impact the future direction of the Republican Party.


2) Is there still time to register to vote in California
Yes, there is plenty of time to register. In California you can do so until 15 days before the election.

3) Are the Republican primaries closed elections in California or can anyone vote?
Republican primaries in California are open to both Republicans and also to those registered as "Decline to State" (unaffiliated).

4) How how important is the California decision compared to the rest of the country?
The importance of the California vote varies by year. In 2008, it wasn't important because we held our presidential primary in February and it was still too early to swing the race to either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. In 2012, we're holding our primary in June, but Mitt Romney may have enough delegates by then to clinch the nomination. Or he may still be battling it out with Rick Santorum. It's too early to say.

5) You were recently featured on TV for an interview. Can you tell me about what you talked about?
I'm interviewed by the media from time to time. The last television interview concerned an announcement by the GOP about their new strategy for wooing Latino voters. I spoke about the opportunities and challenges they would face.


The links provided below will take you to the California voter registration web page. Any information regarding the election can be found here.
An FAQ with common questions and answers is available here
The voter registration form can be downloaded or filled out online here

Menlo Seniors Say They Are Ready for the Real World

By Jessica Cobb

Menlo Oak Staff

Just like the line from the famous Green Day song,  "I hope you had the time of your life," the Menlo community hopes its seniors believe that they have had the time of their lives when they think about their years at Menlo.

It doesn’t matter whether the senior has been here for four years, or for just one short semester, he or she is part of the Menlo family. Now, these seniors are getting ready to enter the "real world." We want to know are they ready.

Click here for a photo slideshow featuring Menlo seniors talking about the future and their plans. 

Studying Abroad Broadens Horizons

By Justin Padilla
Menlo Oak Staff


Leaving home for the first time for college was a big step. Leaving to attend college in a foreign country poses entirely new obstacles for one to overcome.

Every semester, Menlo College offers its students the chance to take a semester, or a year, to study abroad. Menlo College has contracts with other colleges in many countries that allow students to take classes in other institutions while getting educational credit as a Menlo student.

The students have an option to study in countries such as China, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, England, Japan and many more. Not only does this program provide classes that are not being offered in Menlo College, but also it allows students to have the opportunity to experience a different culture and meet new people. 

Two students, Cory Arashiro and Carlos Lopez, took advantage of this program for a semester. Arashiro traveled to Osaka, Japan and Lopez spent time in London, England.

Photo Courtesy: Cory Arashiro
Experiencing the Japanese culture by visiting a hot spring.

“The two programs I signed up for were the speaking partner and home stay,” said Arashiro, an international management major that went to Kansai University. “For the speaking partner program, the school partnered the students up with a Japanese student to give them an opportunity to practice their Japanese and make new friends. The home stay program paired the students up with a Japanese family to live with them for the entire semester. This allowed me to experience a bit of the Japanese lifestyle.”

When taking classes in a different country, there are different educational standards that needed to be met. In Japan, Arashiro took courses such as International Management, Speaking and Writing Japanese and Global Business Teams.  Meanwhile in London, Lopez studied Cross-Cultural Marketing, Marketing Research and more.  These classes focus on business aspects with an international perspective. Students use knowledge gained at Menlo and apply it to be successful in a new environment.

Lopez and Arashiro both said that academics were demanding overseas, but they still had time to travel and have fun during the weekends. Not only were they learning inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom as well.

“When you study language in the U.S., you utilize your skills in the classroom but you don’t have a chance to practice,” explained Lopez, marketing major that went to the University of Westminster. “When you are abroad you are forced to use those language skills in daily life: to buy food, ask for directions, to just get by.”

Menlo students had to assimilate into their new surroundings. Seemingly simple tasks such as buying groceries and asking for directions were difficult in a foreign country, especially where English is not the primary language. A lot of trial and error as well as first hand experiences occur when in a different country, but these are necessary to truly learn and appreciate a country and it’s culture. 

“The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it,” explained Arashiro.

Success abroad depends on how dedicated one is. An individual’s personal discipline will affect their experiences. Interactions with the local students opened doors to learn more about the culture. Locals know more about the country and open doors for changes to travel and learn more about the country by participating in national holidays, matsuri (which means “festival” in Japanese), or visiting historical monuments.

“You don’t really learn much culture in class, you can’t fully understand it until you have a chance to apply what you learned and experience it first hand,” said Ararshiro.

Any students interested in applying for the study abroad program can do so by visiting the Academic Center. Students are advised to apply in advance and make sure the program allows them to still complete their major requirements on time.