ASHLAND -- For the eighth straight year, a group of Japanese students from the Morinomiya College of Medical Arts and Sciences has visited Southern Oregon University to attend a sports medicine seminar hosted by the SOU athletic department.

The students, studying Judo Therapy at Morinomiya, arrived on June 18 for a 10-day stay in the Rogue Valley, where they have the opportunity to learn about sports medicine and athletic training in the United States. They also take some time to tour the valley during their stay.

"It is always a pleasure to have the students come visit from Morinomiya," SOU athletic director Matt Sayre said. "We are very thankful for the opportunity to learn more about their culture while they are here, and they are alway very generous towards our athletic training department."

Since first coming to Ashland in 2004, the group has made donations each year to the athletic department to help purchase new equipment for the SOU training room. Founded in 1973, Morinomiya College of Medical Arts and Sciences is located in Osaka, Japan.