While most UO students contribute to the EMU renovation in student fees, senior Xue Wei “Rita” Wang’s contribution dwarfs them all. She has agreed to donate $25,000 to the University for the student union’s renovation.
Wang met with Associate Vice President John Manotti and EMU Director Laurie Woodward on Wednesday to view the floor plans of the new building and pick out a room to be dedicated in her honor. Manotti guesses this is the first donation of its kind made by a Chinese student.
Student donations today are on another level entirely from previous decades. “When students first built the EMU, students were putting in 50 cents; that was in the ’30s and ’40s. They donated to the EMU instead of buying a coffee,” Woodward said.
The vice president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association came to UO for the AEI program in 2008, as an 18 year old. At the time, the program, she said, had only about 500 Chinese students. Next year, she guesses there will be 3,000 students attending the University for both AEI and general enrollment.
“I did AEI. The teacher always said go to EMU; [it will] make a difference,” Wang said. Now, she’s making a donation as a way to give back to the community and invest in the future. She wants a space where Chinese students can study together and incorporate American culture as well.
“International students come from so far away and the student union is one of the best ways to make connections,” Woodward said.
Wang mentioned the importance of having a presentable, impressive building.
“Many [international] parents want to come see how their kid is doing in school. The EMU is an important part. I took my parents here,” Wang said.
Chinese students like to stick together, Wang said, and prefer groups to study. That’s part of the reason for dedicating the room to students.
“We want to let American culture and school know that Chinese is more and more our international group and we can do something to help school and help students,” Wang said.
Wang hopes that by making this donation — which will be prominently displayed on a plaque in a glass room at the center of the new EMU — Chinese students will not only feel welcome and know they’re not alone, but be inspired to make donations of their own. She also wants the donation to attract the university’s attention and draw more focus to the Chinese student population.
On an even more personal level, Wang has decided to make this donation out of love for the school and community.
“I’ve lived here almost six years. It’s so amazing here,” Wang said. “… I will come back to Eugene every year. Here, [it’s] like my second home town. [If I] go anywhere, I will miss here.”
Wang plans to graduate in June of next year, and won’t be around to fully experience the new complex. But Woodward assured her that the room will most likely be completed by then — just in time to throw a party in the new space.