| | Fall 2019 #1 | August 26, 2019
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Welcome Fall 2019 Students to MUDEC! Welcome MUDEC Community to the MUDEC Méinden!
It has now been a few days that the MUDEC community has been enriched with a new group of students. They have all made it safely to Luxembourg though, for some, with some adventures due to turbulent weather delaying flights.
The presence of a new group of students has been properly cheered, in particular by record participation in the #MoveInMiami fundraiser, which surpassed all expectations for MUDEC. We are thankful to all our donors for their kindness and support, which allow us to build meaningful activities for each class of MUDECers.
With a new semester come new initiatives. You will notice this week that the newsletter has a new look as well as a new name, MUDEC Méinden. Why the changes? As Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a changin’.
If the year of the 50th Anniversary was a year-long celebration of everything that MUDEC has accomplished in its first half-century, Year 51 will begin the evolution of the program to meet the needs of students for the next half-century. While the change in the look of the newsletter is a product of the migration to a new standard Miami platform, the name change reflects how the audience of the newsletter has evolved over the years.
MUDEC Méinden is very simply news from the MUDEC community published on Mondays for the MUDEC community, a community that we call #lifelongMUDEC. That community is of course the current students, faculty, and staff, but also the wider MUDEC community of housing families, alumni, former faculty and staff, the MUDEC-linked community in Oxford, and other MUDEC stakeholders. Even if students only spend a semester actually at MUDEC, they are part of the larger MUDEC community for life. MUDEC is kind of like the Hotel California (without ghosts), you can finish your semester but you can never actually leave #lifelongMUDEC.
Life is a participation sport and since you are part of the #lifelongMUDEC community, there is a risk that we will be reaching out to you for contributions, as this is your newsletter. If you have any ideas for content, would like to contribute, or just have any feedback, please contact us at eur-MUDEC-newsletter@miamioh.edu. Like lots of Google products, we reserve the right to consider the new newsletter as a “beta” so some touch-ups and changes may still be coming.
In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy your read.
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| Thierry Leterre is Dean of MUDEC
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Meet Kerry Strader
If you're studying at MUDEC, or have studied there in recent semesters, you probably know Kerry Strader. She is now the MUDEC Coordinator in Global Initiatives and has been in Luxembourg for Integration. We caught up with Kerry somewhere between Vianden Castle and the Grand Roue at the Schueberfouer for a short interview.
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1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you go to college and what did you study? Did you study abroad and if so where?I was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio and went to Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school. Its location is similar to Oxford, very rural but beautiful. I have loved French since I started taking it in high school and got to visit my oldest brother, who was teaching English in a small town in France at the time. At Kenyon, I majored in French but we had to co-major in another language so I picked up intensive Spanish sophomore year! I spent spring of my junior year in Paris, living with a host family and taking half of my classes at a local university. It was extremely challenging but deeply rewarding - I knew I wanted to work in study abroad in the future to help more students have a transformative experience.
2. How did you end up working for Miami and how did that lead to you becoming the new Luxembourg Coordinator in Global Initiatives this year?
After completing my masters in French and International Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was looking for positions were I could combine these two interests. When I saw the advertisement for a Study Abroad Advisor position at Miami, I was immediately interested due to Miami's reputation as well as the center in Luxembourg. The past two years, I advised for the program, helping to inform and prepare students for MUDEC. I had the opportunity this past spring to become the Coordinator, and began in April; it's been a whirlwind in the best way.
3. You have been in Luxembourg for Fall 2019 Integration. What has that been like after spending last semester preparing those same students back in Oxford?
Despite having made other visits to MUDEC in the past, this was the first time I was present for the students' arrival and our Integration program. One downside of being based in the US is preparing students for their experience, then sending them off and not necessarily seeing the results and transformation in person. However, being able to witness the sheer excitement of students walking up to the château for the first time - after many months of orientations, forms, and preparation - was the absolute highlight of my visit.
4. What do you like to do when you are not recruiting or sending students to Luxembourg?
From middle school through college I ran cross country and track competitively and I still love to run. Right now, I'm about halfway through my training for the Columbus Marathon this fall! This will be my second marathon; my first was the Paris Marathon in 2015, so I'm eager to get back out there. I also enjoy yoga, hiking, and anything active.
5. What is a fun fact about you that most people, and especially MUDEC Méinden readers, don’t know?
My first international experience actually happened as a kid at summer camp in Maine - my first year, I lived with girls from Venezuela and our counselor was from Australia. Even when our cultural exchange had to do with funny differences in vocabulary - calling a flashlight a torch, for example - it certainly planted a seed. In college, I became a counselor at the same camp and learned how to live and work alongside people from countless other countries. My summer camp experience also made me quite good at icebreakers, crafts, and making s'mores!
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| Fall 2019 Student Faculty Council
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Meet the new SFC!The new SFC went on a retreat this weekend to discuss roles and responsibilities and their ideas for the semester. Meet each of the new student members below. They are joined on the SFC by Dean Leterre, Andy Adams and Faculty Co-Chair Gerardo Brown-Manrique.
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Jack White - Legacy Communications ChairMy name is Jack White and I am a junior Marketing major from Canton, Ohio. I am a part of Sigma Phi Epsilon and love to travel. I am looking forward to using my travel experience to make this semester as fun and easy as possible for everyone. MUDEC and SFC are important to me because I am able to combine my passion for leadership and marketing with traveling the world.
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Mallory Sanchez - Diversity and Inclusion Chair and Co-Ombudsman and Environments ChairHi! I'm Mallory Sanchez and I am a senior political science major from Houston, Texas. I am in Alpha Chi Omega, the Honors Program, Scholars Program, Bridges program, and Student United Way. I'm looking forward to making the most of every experience here at MUDEC, and a big part of that is being apart of the SFC. I think the SFC is a great way to engage with my fellow peers, as well as the community. Being able to bridge the gap between students and faculty, encourage a tight-knit community, and making this semester one to remember are just a few goals that I plan to achieve here at MUDEC.
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Diego Sanchez-Vazquez - Student Co-ChairHi, I’m Diego Sanchez-Vazquez and I’m a senior Biology major from Cincinnati, OH. I’m excited to be in SFC because of the great experience I had being an RA, the friendships I made, and the opportunity to work with and for the student body.
I look forward to creating events based on feedback from our community, and together we can make an already great experience even better.
A fun fact about me is that I speak Spanish fluently, and I’m a member of Phi Sigma Pi. Please feel free to approach me, or any other member of the SFC, with questions, concerns and feedback. I look forward to a great semester with you all!
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Madison Rose - Service Chair and Co-Ombudsman and Environments ChairHello! I’m Madison Rose, and I’m a junior statistics major. I’m super excited to be a member of SFC, and am especially excited to use this role to really foster a close community for all of us at campus. This is going to be an amazing semester, and I’m looking forward to making the most of this opportunity.
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Callihan Clayton - Secretary/TreasurerMoien! I'm Callihan Clayton. I'm a junior Biology major and Philosophy minor from Columbus. Back in Oxford, I'm involved in Best Buddies, MEDLife, the Pre-Dental Club, and Alpha Phi. This is my first time in Europe and I'm super excited to be here and to have the whole semester to explore. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the rest of the SFC and helping to make this semester the best it can be!
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Elizabeth Bode - Legacy Project CooridinatorHi there! My name is Elizabeth Bode and I am a junior Theatre and Broadcast Journalism double major at Miami. I am a part of an all female A Cappella group called the Miami Misfitz, as well as a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. I am from Cincinnati, my favorite candy is Twix, and I am so excited to start this traveling journey with MUDEC this semester.
What drew me to the Student Faculty Council was the desire to get more involved with the people and environment I will be living in for the next few months. I also wanted to help make this semester one I can look back on and be proud of the hard work and fun we were able to enjoy. I look forward to being a part of this council and hope we can make this Fall one to always remember :)
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Student Engage Travel Human Sculptures
As part of their integration activities, Fall 2019 students got creative and constructed human sculptures to express their ideas of what Study Engage Travel means to them. A selection of the team photos are below.
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Luxembourg American Cemetery
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Luxembourg City Scavenger Hunt
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Monday: Classes Start! (only time this semester with a ! 😀)Tuesday: ClassesStudent Engagement and Service Learning Talk with Professor Briot and Andy in the Grand Hall at 17:30 (5:30 pm)-MANDATORY integration activity for all students!
Wednesday: Classes
Thursday: Classes Visit to and guided tour of Aquasud. Meet at the front door at 16:00 (4:00 pm) to walk over together
Friday: SOC 337 Trip to Caritas
Discovery Tour "Get Your Travel Feet Wet in Trier" preceded by bonus Grand-Ducal Palace Tour for 24 lucky non-SOC 337 students
Tuesday, Sep. 3: SAVE THE DATE! MUDEC Guac off at 17:30
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Château Hours
Monday-Thursday: 8:00-22:00 Friday: 8:00-17:00 Saturday- Sunday: Closed
Administrative Hours
Monday-Friday: 8:00-12:00 and 13:00-17:00
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Quiz Me! (For Students Only)
The newsletter may have a new name and a new look but The Newsletter Ends the Same. Guess what's back, back again. Yes, the one and only newsletter quiz. Two questions for this week to give each of the groups of students on Saturday's buses a chance (only answer one please):
Question 1: What is a doughboy and where does the term come from?
Question 2: What colors are on the flag of the House of Vianden?
BONUS! Before you click on the button below to send your answer, what three songs and artists are paraphrased in this last section of the newsletter????
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