Ecuador SAP Foundation - Abroad News around the world

- Ecuador SAP has launched a new website -

2012-09-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Our New Website Has Launched, Finally!

We are pleased to announce that our new website has officially launched. We have completely redesigned our layout with simplicity, ease of use, and a strong focus on content delivery in mind.

Taking a spoonful of or own medicine; we believe that a great website is never truly finished. Our new website will become the launching point for many exciting new features we will be rolling out in both the near and distant future. Some of our planned improvements include, a forum for our abroad students, universities, language schools and members to access all abroad programs around the world.

A photo gallery for students, universities, language schools and members to share pictures with students, friends, family and followers.

A free classified for students, universities, language schools and members to post advertising in our new website.

We've dreamed up to help universities, foundations and organizations to establish, maintain and grow in the global abroad programs. Be part of this dream and add your organization in The Ecuador SAP Global Portal.

http://global.ecuadorsap.org/

We truly hope you enjoy exploring our new website, and please feel free to send us comments or feedback you may have.

- The Ecuador SAP Team -

Ecuador SAP Foundation

USA- Student Loan Debt Rises as Most Other Debt Falls

2012-08-30T16:08:00.003-07:00

US NEWS

Student Loan Debt Rises as Most Other Debt Falls

Take steps now if you're worried about slipping into delinquency.

By KATY HOPKINS

August 30, 2012

A rising percentage of borrowers are late with payments.

It's not just the heat that rose this summer: Both the total student loan debt and the percentage of borrowers who aren't making timely payments increased, too, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In its "Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit," the New York Fed found that education debt totaled $914 billion as of June 30—up $10 billion from March 31. Unlike student loan debt, the amount owed on some other forms of debt, such as mortgages and home equity lines of credit, has decreased.

"Since the peak in household debt in [the third quarter of 2008], student loan has increased by $303 billion, while other forms of debt fell a combined $1.6 trillion," the report notes.

[Read an opinion of why outstanding student loan debt needs a long-term solution.]

In another increase as of June 30, 8.92 percent of student loan borrowers were at least 90 days late on their payments—in what's known as delinquency—up from 8.69 percent in March and 8.45 percent the quarter before. That's higher than the delinquency rate for other categories of debt, including home equity lines of credit and automotive, which each posted rates below 5 percent this quarter.

The percentage of delinquent student loan borrowers is slightly less than that of credit card debt holders and those owe debt in the New York Fed's "other" category who are in delinquency (10.9 and 10.24 percent, respectively).

[Consider federal repayment plans that relieve student debt.]

But the actual delinquency rate for student loan borrowers may be about twice as high, according to the New York Fed, "because almost half of these loans are currently in deferment, in grace period, or in forbearance and therefore temporarily not in the repayment cycle."

Students experiencing financial hardship can take steps toavoid delinquency. Contact your student loan servicer to ask about opportunities to lower or postpone your payments, and don't be afraid to reach back to your college's financial aid office with questions, too.

[Get online counseling for federal student loans.]

If you're considering borrowing to help pay for college, be sure to research your options and determine a smart amount to borrow, based on your financial situation, academic major, and career plans.

Rail-biking – Riding the Rails in Leykaul, Belgium

2012-08-30T04:29:00.001-07:00

EXPLORE BELGIUM by cheeseweb

Rail-biking – Riding the Rails in Leykaul, Belgium

by ANDREW on Aug 30, 2012 • 08:23

Rail-biking through the Belgian countryside

The railroad used to travel to many corners of the world, carrying people and freight. But what happens with the tracks when they are no longer used? We went to visit Railbike.be in Leykaul, Belgium to find out one alternative.

Canadians aren’t strangers to abandoned railroad tracks. Railroads used to be the main link to some pretty remote locations, but cars and trucks replaced trains in the 20^th century. The unused tracks were abandoned until the price of steel was high enough to justify removing them.

Today, some of the railbeds have been turned into trails for walking or cycling. For others, all that remains are the scars created when the tracks were cut through the forest and hills. But in Eastern Belgium, one group preserved a section of rails, through the countryside, and opened them up for people to enjoy via a special cart – a railbike or ‘draisine.’

When I heard about Railbike.be, I couldn’t wait to check it out. It sparked a memory of a childhood desire to ride the rails, the way they did in old TV Westerns. Of course, in those shows, the cart had a pump in the middle rather than two bicycles and I wasn’t running from the law, but you get the general idea.

Railbike.be supplied the rail-bikes – You supply the pedal power

I booked a cart via the Railbike.be website for an upcoming Saturday. Unfortunately Alison was away on her tour of Europe, but I enlisted the support of our friend and cycling powerhouse, Gilbert.

Driving to Leykaul, Belgium can be a bit tricky, depending on your navigation system, because Leykaul is right on the German border. My navigation system took us through a small section of Germany and definitely had me wondering if we had entered the right place. [The Railbike.be website suggests you use 4750 Elsenborn for your GPS] If you are driving from Brussels, I suggest you give yourself at least 2 hours to get there comfortably.

The Railbike headquarters is located in the former Kalterherberg station. Here you will sign in, board your railbike and proceed +/- 7km to Sourbrodt Station. This first section is slightly uphill so you’ll feel the workout. Not to worry though because when you come back it’s all downhill!

The journey takes you through forests and fields. There are few houses along the route, allowing you to just enjoy the environment around you.

Enjoying the Belgian landscape

The carts themselves make a fair amount of noise, so don’t expect to sneak up on any wildlife. However, if you are in the lead railbike you may just catch a glimpse of something before you rattle through.

Once you arrive at Sourbrodt, you have a 30-minute break to stretch, get something to eat and drink, and catch your breath. You can buy snacks and drinks there, but we noticed most people brought their own.

Soon enough, it’s time to hop back on the railbike and head back to Kalterherberg. While we were relaxing, the staff had turned the carts around with a nifty little device (see video). For me, the return journey was the most fun because it was all downhill. I could sit back and just enjoy the ride.

2012 Railbiking from Alison Cornford-Matheson on Vimeo.

Whooshing along on our rail-bike

At the end of the trip, we rewarded ourselves with some waffles from the cafe conveniently located in a converted dining car just next to the station. A great finish to a very fun and active day!

A well earned waffle reward from an old train carriage

The duration of the trip depends on the speed of the slowest railbike team, but should take no more than 2 hours. Although it does require some physical exercise, I think just about anyone can do it. Since two people power the cart, you share the load. With a couple more friends (and a bottle of Belgian bubbles?) the physical part is reduced even further.

I really enjoyed the trip and found it a great way to spend a Saturday morning. We had a great time, got some exercise, and enjoyed a corner of Belgium few have really discovered.

The Rail-bike rental costs €30 and holds up to 4 people: 2 cycling and 2 enjoying the ride.

Harkin Report: Loans to Pay Off and Nothing to Show For It

2012-08-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

US NEWS ARTICLE

Harkin Report: Loans to Pay Off and Nothing to Show For It

By EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS

August 29, 2012

Released by Sen. Tom Harkin and his staff, the Harkin Report investigates for-profit colleges and quotes student loan borrowers.

For-profit colleges can help meet the demand for higher education and the needs of non-traditional students, such as those who can only attend part time or are returning to school as older students.

When they fulfill those roles well, they can provide degrees and opportunities for people who otherwise might have not have had them.

Unfortunately, however, for-profit colleges are failing far too many students. The reasons for and consequences of this failure are documented in "For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success" (or the "Harkin Report"), produced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and his Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee staff over the last two years and released in July.

The most poignant parts of the Harkin Report are the voices of the student loan borrowers that pepper it. "'I went to school to better my life, and when my loans become due, I will actually be in worse financial shape then I was before I attend[ed] school,'' one wrote.

Another borrower "took out student loans 'in the hopes of improving my knowledge so that I could improve my worth in society, for a higher paying job. Instead now I have a loan to pay off and absolutely nothing to show for it.'"

[Consider two new ways to pay off student loans.]

But the report's real value is that it draws attention to the deferred dreams and lost opportunities of hundreds of thousands of borrowers, like these, caught in a systemic breakdown, and it provides specific recommendations on how to start improving outcomes for students at for-profit colleges.

According to the Harkin Report, Congress has "failed to counterbalance" the demands of investors in for-profit colleges with "requirements that hold companies accountable to taxpayers for providing quality education, support, and outcomes" and "align the incentives of for-profit colleges so that the colleges succeed financially when students succeed." The result of this failure can be devastating for students.

For example, most for-profit colleges cost more than equivalentcommunity college and public university programs. As a result, 96 percent of for-profit students take out loans (compared to 13 percent at community colleges, 48 percent at 4-year public colleges, and 57 percent at 4-year private nonprofit colleges).

[Find out how to determine what to borrow for college.]

The for-profit colleges examined in the report also rarely set tuition under the federal aid limits, leading to students needing additional aid. Because many of these students cannot obtain loans from private lenders, they turn to loan programs offered by the for-profit colleges themselves. These loans have interest rates that can be double or triple those of Stafford loans, don't offer the protections of federal loans, and have default rates as high as 80 percent.

Students also drop out of for-profit colleges at high rates (54 percent of the more than 1 million students enrolled in for-profit colleges in 2008-09 had withdrawn by 2010), leaving them with the student debt but without improved job prospects.

According to the Harkin Report, students at for-profit colleges drop out at these high rates not only because they face competing demands like work, family, and financial limitations but also because many for-profit colleges fail to invest in student support services shown to help students succeed.

The Harkin Report also found that for-profit colleges aggressively (and sometimes deceptively) market their colleges to students, and devote less to funding to faculty and curricula than they do to advertising, recruiting, or pre-tax profit.

In addition, some schools have substandard curricula; fail to adequately support enrolled students (a particular necessity for the low-income first generation students that for-profit colleges often serve); don't sufficiently staff career placement services; and do not adequately disclose that their programs lack programmatic accreditation for particular professions.

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-MD), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Harkin have introduced legislation to address that last point. If passed, Senate Bill 3474 (the Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act) would not allow programs to receive federal financial aid if they do not provide the state licensure requirements and programmatic accreditations necessary to enter an occupation.

The Student Loan Ranger urges you to contact your Senatorsand ask them to co-sponsor Senate Bill 3474 and to read and take action on the Harkin Report. You can help prevent more students from having loans to pay and nothing to show for it.

Do You Need a Spoon?

2012-08-30T04:16:00.004-07:00

VAGABUNDO MAGAZINE

Do You Need a Spoon?

Posted on 28 August 2012. Tags:

“Do you need a spoon?” A metal spoon is shoved in my face. I shake my head, blushing, motioning that no, I’m fine feeding myself with my hand, hoping my hosts don’t notice that most of my rice is in my lap. Unfortunately, I’m left handed, so eating saucy rice with my right hand looks something like watching a monkey use a tool for the first time, but I’m going for it. I can’t make the cultural faux pas (again) of eating with my left hand – the poop hand.

It’s Eid in Zanzibar. That means two things: a four-day celebration of Muslims whooping it up after spending the last 29 days fasting during daylight hours, and biryani. Biryani is the tastiest frickin’ thing I’ve eaten in days and the cosmic unfairness of most of it ending up on my lap instead of in my mouth is making me want to cry. Also making me want to cry is the stifled snorts of laughter from my Zanzibari friend across the room, sitting with the men and successfully managing his own motor skills well enough to feed himself like an adult.

My social awkwardness was at threat level 9 the entire meal, but as we were leaving I was profoundly thankful. In my butchered Swahili I tried to express my thanks to the women of the house, putting my hand over my heart. There was rice there, so I brushed it off subtly, hoping the sweeping motion would emphasize the gesture. No matter how cripplingly awkward you can be (and by you I mean I), there’s something pretty cool about being welcomed into a special family event by strangers.

How did I end up here? Last November, I was offered a one-year job placement in Zanzibar completely out of the blue. As they made the job offer, I had to ramble on to disguise my ignorance while frantically Googling to determine that yes, Zanzibar is a real place and not just a fun word to say. At the beginning of winter in the Canadian subarctic, a sudden job offer on an island paradise seemed like someone’s cruel joke. Somehow, less than four months later, I found myself walking off a ferry into the blinding tropical sun of Stone Town, Zanzibar.

Zanzibar is an archipelago of two main islands: resort-dotted Unguja, and its relatively undeveloped sister island, Pemba. Semi-autonomous from Tanzania, Zanzibar is over 90% Islamic and has a fascinating history of centuries of

Arabic, Indian and African cultural confluence. My new home would be in the heart of Stone Town, a maze of crumbling centuries-old buildings and narrow streets that is Zanzibar’s cosmopolitan political and sociocultural capital.

By contrast, my hometown is basically Mars. With midnight sun in the summers and near-complete darkness in the winters, Yellowknife only became a city in 1970 and attracts the outliers of social normalcy. Only a certain breed survives the frontier mentality, isolation, deep cold and the lack of entertainment (you’ve never been to an ugly truck and dog contest? Well let me tell you, my friend, you are missing out.) I managed to entertain myself fairly well with the typical folly of youth, but the larger world beckoned. My travel experiences had thus far been limited to a few months of backpacking here and there, primarily in Central and North America and Eastern Europe. I wanted something new.

The last six months have been a crash course in Africa, Islam, and my own occasionally entertaining incompetence. It’s been a rollercoaster of intense highs, frustrating lows and learning that there’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye. Just like Optimus Prime.

I have six more months left in Zanzibar. In that time, I’ll be traveling to Ethiopia to hike the Simien Mountains, see the churches carved out of rock atLalibela, and eat my weight in local food. I’ll be hosting my parents on their second tour out of North America. I’ll be continuing to explore the island of Zanzibar by bike and go deeper down the rabbit hole of local culture and custom.

Next spring, when my contract is up, I’ll be heading south as far as my funds will allow. The goal? To travel overland to the southern tip of Africa, hitting Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa along the way. See you on the other side.

A Broad Living Abroad

2012-08-30T04:13:00.000-07:00

VAGABUNDO MAGAZINE

A Broad Living Abroad

Posted on 29 August 2012. Tags:

For someone who hates having a home, I seem to keep getting them.

Unsure if it is deliberately or by accident, I find myself with the associated routine of sleeping in the same bed night after night. This pillow, this duvet, this awkward-sized twin bed. It’s comforting and infuriating all at the same time.

This dichotomy, of opposing yet co-dependent feelings, is all too familiar for most people living abroad. And like a serious case of bed bugs, or that incredibly catchy “Call Me Maybe” song, the experience of living in a foreign country, is a difficult one to shake.

I want nothing more than to be in a strange city with the exhilaration and uncertainty of questioning my next night’s stay. Yet I also experience this weird sense of elation because I know exactly how to direct a cab driver to this apartment, to this bed, and to this home.

Living abroad fits some of the criteria of travel. The foreignism and consequent confusion lead to frustrating experiences paralleled by those who are travelling in a more traditional sense of the word. But again, there’s this silly bed- a loaned piece of furniture which makes everything seem that much more habitual.

I finished a year of ESL teaching on a small rural island in South Korea. This fact is usually met with a look of commiserated shock from Koreans when I mention the island’s location. They don’t know why I would choose to teach there. I’m not sure either.

Being on this island afforded me the opportunity to travel internationally. To travel in a way I could not have anticipated when I first read the job advertisement which included an unsettling combination of asterisks and tilde signs and claimed that I could “Live island life and make great money!”

I was able to visit Beijing on weekends, Tokyo on holidays, and take advantage of laughable seat sales to places like Boracay and Taipei. At the end of the 12-month contract, I left the island and all identifying features of the expat life behind.

But here I am again, some eight months after travelling through Asia, in the heavy-hitter capital of Seoul, South Korea. I came back for another year of ESL teaching. Not because I couldn’t find a job at home (I didn’t bother looking), or because I hadn’t mastered the complete Korean numerical system (I didn’t bother trying), or because I’m convinced I can positively impact the language acquisition of a Korean toddler (I just didn’t bother). Instead, I came back because I felt like I left this place with a lot unanswered questions.

For few, travel is an ongoing and fluid affair. Arrival gates mean nothing more than the dilemma of finding the night’s accommodation by the cheapest means possible. But for most, those gates signify the end of a trip. The entrance stamp doubles as a deadbolt on travel, at least for the time being.

But for the expats, the lines of travel are blurred.

I have a local bank card and a bakery attendant who recognizes me based on my purchases of cheap filtered coffee and a walnut-raisin loaf. But my bank statements are in a currency I’m still trying to accurately convert and I ordered that coffee based on a mime of pointing and smiling.

I’m in a foreign country. And I really have no idea if this is travel.

All it takes is a 30-minute episode of Jeopardy! to confirm how little I know about the world. This point is written not to emphasize my own ignorance about Latin prefixes or the sequential events of the First World War. It’s mentioned moreso to highlight the fact that almost all questions I encounter- be it posed by Alex Trebek or the barista at the bakery- are answered with a look of confusion and the reminder that I need to read more encyclopedias.

Truthfully, the shape of this column will likely take the form of posing a bunch of unanswered questions and hoping my references to current Top 40 successes earns me the smallest fleeting ounce of credibility. But beyond these pop culture nods, the exploration of the in-betweens of travel will exist. As one trip ends, and the next is yet to start, an expat sits patiently waiting in the home they love to hate.

I still can’t definitively resolve uncertainties about my current state of travel.

Am I travelling?

Am I expating?

Am I using nouns as verbs and passing it off as “travel writing”?

Like I said, all these lines eventually become blurred.

Deportation fears after university visa licence revoked

2012-08-30T04:05:00.001-07:00

BBC NEWS
30 August 2012 Last updated at 09:38 GMT

Deportation fears after university visa licence revoked

Emmanuel Egwu, student: "People are panicking. What is going to happen now?"

More than 2,000 students potentially face deportation after a London university had its licence to teach and recruit overseas students revoked.

London Metropolitan University has had its right to sponsor students from outside the EU revoked, and will no longer be allowed to authorise visas.

Ministers say the university is not tracking course attendance and that many students have no right to be here.

A task force has been set up to help students affected by the decision.

It means that some 2,000 overseas, non-EU, students have 60 days to find an alternative institution to sponsor them or face deportation.

Announcing the move on Wednesday night, the UK Border Agency said London Metropolitan University had "failed to address serious and systemic failings" identified six months ago.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England said it was an "unprecedented situation which relates only to London Metropolitan University" - which has a total of 30,000 students.

It added: "It will not affect existing or future international students at other universities. No other UK university has had its licence to sponsor international students revoked, and UKBA's decision does not in any way reflect concern about licensing arrangements at other universities in the UK."

The university's Highly Trusted Status (HTS) was suspended last month while the UKBA examined alleged failing, preventing it from being allowed to recruit overseas students.'Panic and heartbreak'

Immigration Minister Damian Green said London Metropolitan University had failed in three particular areas:

More than a quarter of the 101 students sampled were studying at the university when they had no leave to remain in this country
A "significant proportion" of checked files found "no proper evidence" that the mandatory English levels had been reached
Universities must know that students are turning up for their course and are not using a student visa to enter the country for work, but more than half of the records sampled suggested the university "just didn't know" whether students were turning up for classes or not.

Case study

London Met student Lorynn Conklin, from Fresno, California, says: "I have no idea what I'm going to do now, I'm freaking out.

"I'm a single mum and I had lost my job - which is one reason why I decided to go back into education. I've sold my car and I'm living on a couch in my mother's place. I don't have health insurance because I was planning on starting the course in the UK.

"I will be out of thousands of dollars because of this. I have already shipped my furniture and now have to pay to ship it back.

"I only have weeks to find a place to live for me and my son, find a new school and basically start all over again."

A statement posted on the university's website on Wednesday read the implications of the revocation are "hugely significant and far-reaching".

"Our absolute priority is to our students, both current and prospective, and the university will meet all its obligations to them."

It added it had already started to work with the UKBA, Hefce, the NUS and its own students' union to tackle the issues.

Although there have been other suspensions, no other UK university has been fully stripped of its ability to recruit overseas students.

The NUS has contacted Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May to "express anger at the way that decisions have been made in recent weeks and to reiterate the potentially catastrophic effects on higher education as a £12.5bn per year export industry for the UK".

NUS president Liam Burns said: "This decision will create panic and potential heartbreak for students not just at London Met but also all around the country.

"This heavy-handed decision makes no sense for students, no sense for institutions and no sense for the country. This situation and the botched process by which the decision was arrived at could be avoided if international students were not included in statistics of permanent migrants."

Mr Burns added the decision could have been limited to future students rather than covering existing ones.

'Last resort'

But the UKBA said allowing London Metropolitan University to continue to sponsor and teach international students "was not an option".

It said it had been working with the university since it identified failings six months ago.

It added: "These are problems with one university, not the whole sector. British universities are among the best in the world - and Britain remains a top-class destination for top-class international students.

"We are doing everything possible, working with Universities UK, to assist genuine students that have been affected."

Universities Minister David Willetts has announced a task force to help overseas students affected by the decision, which will include UKBA and the NUS.

He said: "It is important that genuine students who are affected through no fault of their own are offered prompt advice and help, including, if necessary, with finding other institutions at which to finish their studies."

But Universities UK President Professor Eric Thomas said there were alternative ways of addressing UKBA's concerns and that the "revocation of a university's licence should only be a decision of last resort".

It added that the move would cause anxiety and distress to many legitimate international students.

University and College Union warned that the move would have an impact on future recruitment of foreign students.

Its general secretary Sally Hunt said: "No matter how this is dressed up, the damaging message that the UK deports foreign students studying at UK universities will reach all corners of the globe."

Are you an overseas student who will be affected by this decision? You can send us details of your experiences using the form below.

Gellert Spa and Baths in Budapest, Hungary

2012-08-28T16:13:00.004-07:00

ESCAPE BELGIUM - published by cheese web

Gellert Spa and Baths in Budapest, Hungary

by ALISON on Aug 28, 2012 • 08:15No Comments

Gellert Spa’s beautiful effervescent pool

It’s no secret, I love relaxing at a great spa. So, when I visited Budapest, Hungary, home to dozens of modern and traditional spas and Turkish baths, I knew I had to visit one. My pick – Gellért Spa and Baths.

I was curious to see how the Hungarian bath experience differed from spas in Belgium. So, early one morning, my friend Jenn and I, set out to spend a day soaking our cares away.

To reach the Gellért Baths, we decided to walk across one of Budapest’s seven bridges, the Liberty Bridge, taking us to Buda from Pest. The Gellért Hotel and Spa complex sits at the base of the bridge beneath Gellért Hill.

Walking across the Liberty Bridge, you see the Gellert Hotel off to the left.

Despite sharing the building with the Hotel Gellért, the Gellért Baths run independently run and are reached through a side entrance, beside Gellért Hill.

Walking into the vast Art Nouveau entrance hall, we were momentarily silenced. The beautiful arched ceiling is crowned with stained glass and the room is decorated with palm trees and statuary. If this hallway was any indication, we were in for quite an experience.

Gellert Spa’s Art Nouveau Entryway

Our second moment of awestruck silence came when we looked at the spa’s price-list. It wasn’t the prices causing our muteness, but the sheer number of options: hours of entry, cabins, lockers, treatments… it was all a bit overwhelming. Luckily the woman behind the glass ticket window was friendly and helpful and even advised us that the changing cabin was plenty big enough for two, saving us a few thousand HUF.

We then made our way underground to the vast changing rooms, where we rented towels and found our cabin. The front desk clerk was correct. There was plenty of room to safely store all of our belongings inside. After a quick change into our swimsuits, it was time to hit the pools.

Our first stop, was Gellért Spa’s most famous pool – the effervescent bath. This indoor pool is 26⁰C and, as the name would suggest, is slightly mineral-y and bubbly. Bathers are required to wear caps in this pool, which we purchased for about a euro. (Top tip, take a shower cap from your hotel for free.)

The bubbly and beautiful effervescent pool

If 26⁰ isn’t hot enough for you, there is a smaller ‘sitting pool’ heated to 36⁰C.

The water for the Gellért baths comes from a variety of springs bubbling out of Gellért Hill. These natural hot springs are rich in magnesium, calcium, sulphate-chloride, hydrogen-carbonate, fluoride ions, and sodium. Rumour has it, the water here helps cure arthritis and circulatory problems, as well as spine, muscle and joint deterioration. All we know is our skin felt nice and we were incredibly relaxed after a day in the healing waters.

Because it was a hot and sunny day in Budapest, we didn’t want to spend all of our time soaking indoors. We headed outside to enjoy the sun and check out the three outdoor pools.

The largest and most dramatic of Gellért’s pools is the 500m² wave pool. This pool makes waves every half hour signaled, inexplicably, by blaring the opening bars to ‘America’ from West Side Story, over the PA system.

The 500m wave pool (un-wavy at the moment)

Above the wave pool is a smaller 36⁰ pool and a shallow children’s pool. There is also a small sauna with a plunge pool for cooling off.

Enjoying the hot tub with the sauna and cold plunge pool in the background

Surrounding all of these pools are terraces with lounge chairs for sunbathing. There is also a restaurant and take-away counter, which were seriously over-worked and under-staffed when we visited. Our ‘quick bite to eat’ took over two hours.

Scenes from Gellert – The building at night, roomy terraces with space for sunbathing and the wave pool.

We happened to visit on Sunday, not realising this was ‘family day.’ Through the rest of the week, in addition to the pools mentioned above, there are separate areas for men and women. These separate sections contain small pools, saunas and treatment areas.

So how did it compare to Belgian spas? All in all, I didn’t find it very different. The Art Nouveau architecture was lovely, the facilities were up to date and everything seemed fairly well organised. However, the Gellért Spa is geared towards tourists and not as traditionally Hungarian as some of the other bath complexes in the city.

I guess I’ll just have to return to Budapest to conduct more research…

Do you have a favourite spa in Europe? Tell us about it in the comments below.

How to Save on Personal Expenses in College

2012-08-28T15:48:00.004-07:00

US NEWS

How to Save on Personal Expenses in College

By JULIE MAYFIELD, LINDSEY MAYFIELD

August 28, 2012

Track your spending online so college costs don't get out of control.

College students and their parents have probably spent the last several months researching college funding options, such asconsidering in-state public schools, applying for private scholarships, and filling out the FAFSA.

Now that you know your choices when it comes to academic expenses, it's time to examine how to cut costs on food, clothing, and other personal expenses.

After successes—and some failures—of our own, our family has tips to help shape your financial strategies.

JULIE:

Parents of first-time college students like to chuckle about how their kids have discovered frugality now that they're on their own. Grocery and gas prices are now on their radar. And they become experts at sniffing out "buy one, get one free" restaurant meals.

Like many families, we learned by trial and error about budgeting for the non-education expenses of college. Here are some of the things that worked for us.

1. Put kids in charge of spending money early: The first year of college isn't the ideal time for kids to manage a budget for the first time. Make sure your child has the opportunity to earn money and decide how to spend it before they leave for school—and the earlier the better.

That way, managing some spending money won't be on the list of things they're experiencing for the first time freshman year.

[Follow these four steps to financially prepare your student for college.]

2. Set expectations: Your student may be used to you buying his or her clothing, financing restaurant meals, and purchasing school supplies. If that's going to be the student's responsibility in college, make sure to communicate that clearly, and early on.

Make sure that whatever arrangement you agree on is understood by both parties.

3. Give practical gifts: When it's time to mail a care package or buy a birthday or holiday gift, think practically. College kids will probably appreciate laundry detergent, restaurant gift cards, and plain old cash better than anything else.

And those kinds of gifts can help the parents' budget too, since you student is less likely to come calling for more money down the road.

LINDSEY:

Coming off of high school graduation, I felt confident about my finances thanks to a summer job, graduation money, and relatively low expenses during high school. It didn't take me long, however, to discover how quickly the college lifestyle can drain funds, if left unexamined.

Here's how I learned to keep track of my spending and save for those few splurge items.

1. Use an online financial tool: This is something I just discovered this summer, when my school's Student Money Management Services talked to one of my student groups. They stressed the importance of knowing where your money goes, not just how much of it you spend.

You can do this through whatever website or method works best for you, but I personally love Mint.com. I use my allowed monthly budgets for groceries, gas, and clothing as a personal challenge to see how little I can spend.

[See other ways to save on college costs.]

2. Make it part of your routine: When I open my laptop each morning, my process typically includes checking E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and news headlines. What I learned to add to that morning ritual was checking my financial progress online. That allows me to look at each purchase I make within a few days, and examine whether it was necessary and where it puts me on my monthly budgets.

Keeping daily track of my spending was especially important because I was using my debit card much more than cash. When you don't actually see the money leaving your hands, it can be difficult to register just how much you're spending on those Jimmy John's sandwiches or Target runs.

3. Allot time to mull over purchases: One of my major pitfalls when shopping is being rushed. Whether it's a trip to a grocery store or clothing boutique, I like to have time to consider each item and think about whether I really need it and if it's the cheapest option available.

Simply walking through a store and tossing everything I like into my cart is how $100 shopping sprees have happened without my even noticing. A good strategy is to do your best to never be surprised when the cashier announces your total. This can take some of the guilt out of any purchase.

6 Challenges for International Students in College

2012-08-28T15:47:00.002-07:00

PUBLISHED BY US NEWS

6 Challenges for International Students in College

Starting college in America can be hard—but there are ways to overcome each obstacle.

By KATY HOPKINS

August 28, 2012

Even the cafeteria can pose an initial challenge for new students at U.S. colleges.

The first semester ofcollege in the United States is an exciting time for international students, but there are some obstacles that naturally arise in a new country and academic environment.

Here are challenges international students may face, and tips to deal with each:

1. New assignments: In your college courses, you'll likely be graded in many ways: on tests, papers, and class participation. For students like Vuk Bojovic, who's studying at Augustana College in Illinois, doing research and citing sources in written assignments can be an especially tough challenge.

"When I first came here, I had a problem with research papers, as I have never wrote them in high school in Serbia," Bojovic wrote in an E-mail to U.S. News. "I was not familiar with the structure of a paper as well as academic resources and citations. It took me a whole term to work both on my own and with people in the Reading-Writing Center to get a good grade on a paper."

If you're struggling with writing papers, follow Bojovic's lead by stopping by your school's writing center. There, you may be able to find free tutoring and help with writing, research, and editing.

[Take advantage of these college resources.]

2. New professors: Many college professors in the United States want learning to be a collaborative experience, and encourage participation from students both in class and during their office hours.

For international students who come from academic environments with hands-off instructors, being able to approach faculty members is a cultural change, notes Karen Edwards, assistant dean and director of international student affairs at Grinnell College in Iowa.

"Consider faculty as your partners in the learning process, as opposed to your superiors," Edwards advises.

3. New subjects: Many colleges and universities require students to take a set of general education classes, regardless of their majors, to expose them to a wide variety of subjects. This can come as a surprise for international students who expect only to take, for example, business or engineeringcourses in college.

"When I saw my schedule, I was like, 'Wait, why do I have to do history? Why do I have to do religion? I [had] question marks all over the place—I was just so shocked," says Ashima Laad, a student at Iowa's Drake University who's originally from India.

Though she initially struggled with electives, Laad says she came to realize that her extra classes, like meteorology, were exposing her to topics she wouldn't have otherwise pursued. Keep an open mind when it comes to courses—you may even discover academic passions you didn't know you had.

[Find out how to pick the right college major for you.]

4. New friends: College life is not restricted to the classroom. A huge part of the college experience happens after class—and for international students, integrating socially can be a hurdle.

"A lot of [international students] say, 'Man, I want to integrate and connect and just experience more of the culture firsthand and have more American friends,' but they are still ... waiting for the American students to approach them," says Matthew Murrie, an English instructor at Westminster College in Missouri who teaches many international students. "In most cultures, they're not as forward, and they think, 'Why aren't they approaching me?' I recommend the international students just go ahead and make that first move."

Even the cafeteria can pose an initial challenge for new students at U.S. colleges.

Getting involved on campus is one way to meet new people—whether that's in academic clubs, social organizations, or even at part-time jobs. ForProvidence Collegestudent Iryna Bocharova, working in her school's information technology department helped her find a diverse group of friends and start to feel at home on the Rhode Island campus.

"I had trouble accepting people and building relationships the first two weeks," the Ukranian native says. "By the second month, I had a lot of friends, and everything was perfect."

5. New food: In America, it's a trend known as the freshman 15: Weight gain is relatively common among new college students who aren't accustomed to daily meals at buffets. For international students, adapting to new food in unlimited quantities can be especially challenging.

"The first week, I enjoyed having pizza and pasta and American stuff," says Drake University student Laad. "I gained a lot of weight when I came here, and then I decided that, no—I'm not going to eat all this junk stuff anymore."

The good news is that colleges usually offer wellness services and nutrition counseling to help you identify smart food choices. For Laad, meeting with Drake's nutritionist, coupled with her own diet research, helped her to get back on a healthy eating plan.

[Get tips for staying in shape in college.]

6. New culture: The United States is often called a melting pot, mixing people from cultures all around the world. Still, American culture is distinctive, and might be different from your own.

"I think I was too hardened to the culture difference—I just rejected it, telling myself, 'No, there's no culture difference,'" says Providence College student Bocharova. Instead, "Accept that there is a culture difference, and accept that it is OK," the Ukranian student recommends.

No matter what obstacles you're facing at college, remember that you're not alone—and you don't have to deal with them on your own. College campuses provide a vast array of resources to students, because the transition can be tricky for anyone.

"Even though I came halfway across the globe ..., I don't think it was just me," says Augustana College student Bojovic of his transition challenges. "Just like any other freshman, it takes a while to adapt—but I felt like I pretty much grew up at Augustana."

International Students in New Jersey, USA

2012-08-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

International Students in New Jersey, USA

Posted on August 28th, 2012 by Bryanna Lindblom - PUBLISHED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENT

International students in New Jersey have a few key state features working in their favor. In fact, the particular confluence of factors surrounding this state makes New Jersey a Mecca for international students coming to the United States. To begin, the state is the third smallest state in the nation, yet boasts the highest population density, third highest median income, and second-highest per capita income. The results of such a mixture are a boon to international students deciding if they want to study in New Jersey.

Throughout its history, the Garden State has been a major immigration hub and the site of the “melting pot” type of cultural exchange on which the United States of America thrives. The existence of already established immigrant and international student communities are extremely relevant facts when considering whether to study in New Jersey or any other state in the Union. In fact, 1.6 million people (just under 20 percent of the entire state’s population) are foreign-born residents. The existence of such communities helps provide those students who study in New Jersey the ability to transition and acclimate to their new location in a much smoother manner than they would in the absence of such communities.

International students in New Jersey are poised to take advantage of the ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity of the state (one of its most well-known features). The state boasts the second highest Jewish population, the second largest Muslim population, the third largest Asian population, the third largest Cuban population, the third largest Italian population, the third largest Indian population, the third largest Korean population, the fourth largest Chinese population, and the fourth largest Filipino population. With such celebrated diversity throughout the state, it is no surprise that these communities support major non-English speaking enclaves. In fact, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Gujarati, Hindi, Tagalog, and Mandarin Chinese are spoken prominently throughout the entire state. There is also an enclave of Korean, Telugu, Tamil, Malayam, Portugese, Turkish, and Russian speakers. Such a diverse mixture of people from across the world ensures international students in New Jersey will find a community wherein the familiar traditions of home may find an outlet.

High School Grads in China, India

2012-08-27T13:29:00.004-07:00

From US News

High School Grads in China, India Are Better Prepared for College

By KELSEY SHEEHY

August 27, 2012 -

China and India ramped up investment in public education, increasing high school attendance and graduation rates.

As many U.S. school districts try to do more with less after a steady stream of funding cuts, lawmakers in India and China are making substantial investmentsin their public education systems.

China's investment inhigh school education rose from $4.1 billion to $13 billion between 2001 and 2006, an increase of 212.6 percent,according to a report released August 21 by the Center for American Progress and the Center for the Next Generation.

India spent $44 billion on education in 2008, a substantial increase from the country's $11 billion annual investment in the late 1980s. The influx of cash bolstered high school attendance and graduation rates.

[What can the U.S. learn from other countries' education systems?]

Currently, about 33 percent of Indian teens finish high school, but that number is expected to climb nearly 15 percentage points in the next five years, the report states. The result: 20 million high school graduates in India by 2017, according to the report.

The United States still spends more per capita on education than India or China, but there remains cause for concern, says Ann O'Leary, director of the Children and Families program at the Center for the Next Generation.

"In the past, they were educating a very miniscule portion of their population," O'Leary says. "Now we're seeing that they've become more of a threat."

High school graduates in India and China are going on to college—and unlike nearly 50 percent of U.S. college students, they're finishing. Many of them graduate with degrees inscience, technology, engineering, or math.

"I think the STEM subject is interesting evidence that we have work to do," O'Leary says, pointing out that China currently graduates close to 1.5 million college students annually with degrees in STEM subjects.

By comparison, fewer than 500,000 U.S. college students graduate with STEM degrees each year.

The difference in STEM graduates at the college level can be traced back to programs in lower grade levels, O'Leary says, noting that many high school graduates in the United States aren't getting the level of training needed to succeed in college-level STEM programs.

To compete with skilled graduates from China, India, and other countries, the U.S. needs to invest in teacher training and provide access to job shadowing and internship experiences to high school students, she adds.

Work experience programs are "strongly associated" with better outcomes in college, but tend to be more accessible for middle-class students, O'Leary says.

"We need to make sure we're providing those types of experiences for all students, because it helps them go on to better education and better work experience," she says. "That's not happening as much as it should."

3 Tips for Parents to Teach Healthy Study Habits to Teens

2012-08-26T06:03:00.004-07:00

USNEWS

3 Tips for Parents to Teach Healthy Study Habits to Teens

Setting a daily study routine can help high school students balance sleep and studying.

By KELSEY SHEEHY

August 24, 2012 RSS Feed Print

When high school students sacrifice sleep to study their academics suffer, a new study reports.

Teens often struggle to manage studying, sleeping, and their social life, and when given the choice, a little shut-eye is often sacrificed. But compromising sleep for studying can do more harm than good, according to a new study in the journal Child Development.

High school students who sacrificed sleep to hit the books had trouble understanding new material and struggled on tests and assignments the next day, researchers report.

"No one is suggesting that students shouldn't study," Andrew Fuligni, professor of psychiatry at the University of California—Los Angeles and the study's senior author, said in a statement. "But an adequate amount of sleep is also critical for academic success."

Researchers recruited high school students from three Los Angeles schools to record their sleep and study habits over a 14-day period during grades 9, 10, and 12. The 535 teens participating in the study represented a range of cultural and economic backgrounds.

The impact of a few missed hours of sleep is amplified by the fact the most high school students are already sleep deprived, the researchers noted.

[Discover why lack of sleep can lead to risky behavior in teens.]

"Adolescents devote less time to sleep as they age, and when they sacrifice the precious little sleep they have for extra studying, it has negative consequences for their daily academic performance," the report states.

Parents can help their students avoid late-night cram sessionsby developing consistent study routines and helping their teens stay on top of due dates and deadlines, says Natascha Santos, a certified school psychologist and behavioral therapist in New York.

"It's important for parents to be in the know," Santos says. "As long as they have an idea of the upcoming expectations or projects, because parents are the ultimate prompt."

These three tips can help parents promote healthy study habits with their teens as they head back to school:

1. Set a schedule: Studying should be part of your student's daily routine, not something he or she tries to cram in the night before a test, Santos says.

The researchers behind the report agree, advising students to parse out their study time over the course of the week, rather than letting due dates dictate their study time.

Preparing for tests ahead of time can reduce anxiety, and finishing assignments ahead of schedule can be rewarding for students, says Santos, who recommends that parents and students write due dates and major deadlines on a calendar or planner to serve as a visual reminder.

2. Eliminate distractions: Cell phones, Facebook, and TV can quickly interrupt a productive study session. Curb your teen's temptation to tune in, text, or update their status by shutting down any unnecessary electronics during scheduled study times.

"Especially with cell phones, It's like their third eye at this point," Santos says. "That's such a distraction."

Since students often need a computer to complete online assignments or type papers, Santos suggests parents pay attention and check in with their studious teens.

"It's pretty easy to gauge if they're going onto social media sites versus typing out an essay," she adds.

3. Break it up: Maintaining focus during a two-hour study session may be challenging, so know your teen's limits and divvy up study time accordingly, licensed psychotherapist Michelle Aycock writes in a column on the Savannah Morning Herald's website.

"Being aware of their attention span can help you structure their study time so that it will be successful," she writes.

Parents should also set milestones for large projects or important tests such as midterms or college entrance exams, Santos, the New York-based school psychologist, notes.

"Don't dump it all in one piece, but break it up into smaller tasks," she says. "Be proactive, so it doesn't come crashing down."

Law Students Study as 'Virtual Apprentices'

2012-08-26T06:00:00.002-07:00

Law Students Study as 'Virtual Apprentices'

J.D. students who have used LawMeets say the site trains them to interact with clients effectively.

By MENACHEM WECKER

August 24, 2012 RSS Feed Print

USNEWS

The medieval educational model of apprenticeship, where students learn practical skills directly from craftsmen, has undergone many modern face lifts. The latest example is a website for J.D. students calledLawMeets, which teaches lawyering skills via "virtual apprenticeships."

Many law schools have been modifying their curricula to offermore practical legal training for students who will face a harsh job market as newly minted J.D.'s. But students say that they sign up for LawMeets competitions because law school coursework doesn't sufficiently address the vital area of lawyer-client interactions.

"Most law schools today are geared toward giving you trial experience," says Peter Tsoflias, a 3L at Widener University School of Law in Delaware. "In actuality, most students are going to be doing transactional work, and most students' résumés are devoid of any indication to an employer that they have any experience with respect to transactional law."

That's why Tsoflias joined LawMeets, which was created by Karl Okamoto, a professor and director of the entrepreneurship law program at Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law. Students watch a video with a hypothetical client dilemma—such as a question about executive pay—and upload their responses as three-minute videos. Students vote on their colleagues' recordings, and the 10 highest rated videos get critiques from legal experts.

According to an August 14 item on the Drexel website, professors at 48 law schools are expressing interest in using LawMeets in the classroom, and the program recently won a$500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Tsoflias has seen firsthand the importance of LawMeets, which he has been asked about at every job interview since he joined the site. "Hiring attorneys don't want to have to teach you everything, and they expect that they can put you in the office and give you a case file, and you can hit the ground running without asking a million questions," he says.

[Learn why online law degrees face a hung jury.]

LawMeets can also help law students refine their presentation skills, says Eamon Gallagher, a 3L at Drexel who started using the site in fall 2011 as part of a class assignment. "We were kind of the guinea pigs for the whole project," he says.

It was initially awkward to record and watch himself on video, says Gallagher, but with 15 LawMeets competitions under his belt, he now sees the experience as invaluable. "You get to actually see what you look like," he says. "It really gives you a great way to make sure that what you think you're saying is what you're actually saying."

In his internship with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, a nonprofit, Gallagher worked with clients directly but says that's a rarity for law student interns. Students who aren't entrusted with client interactions should turn to LawMeets, he recommends.

"If you're going to be involved with clients, it helps to know what that feels like," he says.

[See which b-schools teach student-avatars in virtual worlds.]

Tsoflias, who has participated in about five meets as a Widener student, agrees. "Obviously, if we could go out and do a trial by jury in our second year of law school, that would be the best experience," he says. "What these mock competitions and these learning tools do is they prepare you for the real world."

LawMeets not only prepares students for their careers, but it also facilitates expanding students' networks to include other students, attorneys, alumni, and professors from around the country, according to Chai Hoang, a 3L at Hofstra University'sDeane School of Lawwho has competed in two meets.

"I would definitely recommend it to others," says Hoang, who is also an MBA student at Hofstra's Zarb School of Business. "It provides an opportunity to learn, practice, and hone in on transactional lawyering skills."

But Gallagher, the Drexel student, cautions that LawMeets isn't a golden ticket by any means.

"People that are going to be successful in the law field and be those multi-million-dollar lawyers are probably going to get there regardless of whether or not they have LawMeets," he says. "And people who are going to be really bad lawyers are probably going to be really bad lawyers regardless of whether they have LawMeets."

Ramblings from the French Alps

2012-08-26T05:50:00.002-07:00

Ramblings from the French Alps

Posted on 21 August 2012. Tags: Alps, David Hutt, Europe, france, Latin America, Vagabundo Magazine,

Vagabundo Magazine is the provider of this article.

“You’re a half-mad bastard”, I think to myself. To be chasing off to Latin America once again; leaving a decent job, a comfortable life and family, for the uncertain and unknown. Every now and then (usually after reading about a violent attack on a Gringo or the encroaching drug cartels) the fear hits me; the same kind that rattles a man who dives into shark-infested water, and is tempted to look below the surface to spot one of the demented beasts that might end him. But these are bad vibrations for any traveller. They deserve consideration, but then must be stomped out with extreme violence straight away afterwards.

As I write the sun is setting across the French Alps, painting the top of an overlooking mountain a rich cardinal red. I am sat, with a bottle of beer, on the balcony of my girlfriend’s parents’ chalet. She will return from work soon and we will jump into the Jacuzzi and watch the stars appear over the jet black sky. Here shooting stars are common and, at the age of twenty-two, I have only just learnt how to recognise constellations. At home in London, the night time sky is a bland grey, as if someone had draped a cloth across a masterpiece; but out here it is entirely visible and I intend to enjoy it well into the night.

Arriving yesterday, my girlfriend’s Father picked me up at the train station on his motorbike and sidecar. The sun was just beginning to rise and the air was fresh. Other passengers from the train traipsed onto a bus. I slid on a helmet, leapt into the sidecar and the engine roared. The air smelt better on the road and more intense as it wafted past at thirty miles per hour. We left the city and the tarmac in front became clear. Then the motor opened its jaws. Forty into second, then into third. I stopped counting the gears and closed my eyes. When I opened them the mountains either side had become a blur.

We rushed through the valley like the original wave that split it in two, and now we were its masters. I looked to my left and saw the driver, the man who enjoys his chunk of life and refuses to expel it with a speedy metabolism. His eyes were fixed on the road. His fists clenched. His lips forming a smile. As a corner approached I hoped he wasn’t the kind of half-crazed fool who would overtake blindly. Luckily he wasn’t. He waited and then passed three cars as the road straightened and pulled in tight to avoid an oncoming truck.

I am now stuck in my bucolic sanctuary, with three weeks left before I jet off to Latin America. Tomorrow, I will wake at 7 a.m and change my normal ways. In little under two months I will arrive in Nicaragua and begin work as a tour guide for the surrounding volcanoes and mountain ranges. So in preperation I will run daily, hike for hours, eat healthy food, and not let a drop of alcohol touch my lips. And this is the perfect location for it. Surrounding the chalet overhanging mountains loom, some with snow capping them from the previous winter. In the morning you can chase along the streets and watch as chamois scatter and listen to the whistles of socialising marmots. The clouds loiter inches off the fields and the air is as fresh as it ever will be, like escaping from a vivarium of chain-smoking reptiles into the climax of a thunderstorm. There is little better for the lungs, and for health in general, than an early morning run in the mountainous air, watching to the high-water mark of nature before the cars descend and drive off towards the sun that peers out from behind the peaks. After three weeks my health and fitness should be greatly improved, and then I will hop onto a plane and begin my new life in the Americas.

So one of the five ‘w’s’ has been covered; when. What about the other four? Let’s start with where and why, and perhaps we can stumble across who I am and what’do I do. After contacting an old friend and reminiscing, we came to the conclusion that both of us wanted: let’s revisit South America. So my first stop will be in Argentina to meet him. From there we will travel north through Bolivia and Peru. When I was eighteen and fresh out of school, I knew that I was not ready to settle down to university life so with one phone-call I put it on hold for a year and bought myself a single plane ticket to Buenos Aires. From the moment the plane touched down I sensed that I had done too little planning and my knowledge of Spanish was non-existent; but I knew that I needed to head north and then north some more.

After following a trail well dug out by travellers that came before me, I trekked through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador; then saw my pinnacle and sailed across the Pacific to the Galapagos Islands. Nothing could compete will the experience of four weeks on these islands. The animals couldn’t be tamer; the beaches couldn’t be any less dense with sleeping seals and fighting bulls, the sun no more hot, the water no more clear and the atmosphere no more perfect. I spent my Christmas Day diving amongst hammerhead sharks and manta-rays. We ate fish with vegetables and in the evening the entire island gathered to watch beach volleyball. After arriving back on mainland Ecuador, I sensed that after six months of constant travelling I needed a base. I flew north to Guatemala, where I had lived for a few months the year before, and took up my old job building houses. A base allowed me to settle down into a normality of friends, partying, local bars, regular work and skirt-chasing. Returning back home to the UK after was odd, but three years at university were refreshing and new. I met a new friends and forged a new life; but after graduation my itchy feet started to scratch once again, and in no mood to leap head first into domesticity, I saw the opportunity to travel and dug my fingers into it.

So in Peru I will say my goodbyes to my friend and fly north to meet my girlfriend in Nicaragua. There, we will settle for a few months. She will work as a language teacher and I will work as a tour guide. And, as you might have guessed from what you are reading, I will also bring home the lowly pay of a writer. In order to make the adventure fun for me (my primary motivation) and then have something interesting to write about for you (second), I intend to travel widely and throw myself into experiences and opportunities whenever they arise. Looking at a list of things I plan to do that I have jotted down on a decrepit notepad, here’s a few: learning to dive and getting my open-water PADI certificate; learning to surf; trying to win some dollars on a cock-fight; partying on the Caribbean coast; surfing down a volcano; swimming in a bull shark-infested lake; and drinking enough rum to dissuade Johnny Deep from starring as Hunter S. Thompson ever again. These are merely my plans, my best laid plans; but they will likely change and I will get lost along the way and discover places and parties much more enjoyable and purposeful for life. When my time in Nicaragua is over, I will finish the year’s adventure with a few months in Cuba. My dream ever since I was very little has been to hike the Sierra Maestra and pretend to be Che Guevara, like how little children play cowboys and Indians.

But for now my rations of beer are depleting and my girlfriend will return home imminently. As a new correspondent for this magazine I was asked to introduce myself in this first article. I do not know if I have done that fully. I have mentioned a few anecdotes about past travels and shared my future plans, but mentioned little about my personality. But that may come through later. With some hope, you are looking forward to reading about my travels and misadventures. For that I can make you one promise: we will have some fun along the way. This magazine will serve as my drinking companion and I will recount my anecdotes and tales to you as I sip on a cold rum and coke, with the hope that you will be doing the same.

My Latin America journey does not begin for another three weeks, and I curse myself for not booking those bastard tickets sooner; yet it gives me the opportunity to reminisce about my summer in Europe. I decided to hitch-hike around France and Spain and stumble across what I could. That included several weeks in Paris and an unforgettable four day binge in Pamplona, where I narrowly avoided being gored by a bull and learnt the true value of Spanish alcohol. These stories shall come in the next few weeks. Then my plane will leave European soil and my trail of rum and Latin America will begin.

Stresa: Italy's Best Kept Musical Secret

2012-08-26T05:43:00.003-07:00

Stresa: Italy's Best Kept Musical Secret

By Mario R. Mercado This article come from Travel and leisure

Just as most summer music festivals are winding down in the United States and abroad, the Stresa Festival at Lake Maggiore, set on the southern banks of the Italian Alps kicks into high gear. The festival runs a fortnight, August 24-September 8, and although this year marks its 51st season, the Settimane Musicali di Stresa may still be one of the best-kept secrets in the music world. But not for long.

Under the dynamic artistic direction of conductor Gianandrea Noseda, the festival draws today’s leading musicians and young performers, ensembles, and orchestras to Stresa and neighboring towns—and islands—around a western stretch of the lake known as the Borromeo Gulf.

The concerts take place in lakeside palaces and garden villas, historic churches and chapels, a medieval castle and a converted factory. Against this evocative background, youth is on prominent display: Noseda leads the European Union Youth Orchestra and Daniele Gatti conducts theGustav Mahler Jugendorchester in compelling programs that range from Tchaikovsky and Wagner to Berg and Ravel.

Conductor on the rise Daniele Rustioni leads the world premiere of the opera Tagete e la Terra dell’Arcobalento (Tagetes and Rainbow Land), a musical fairy tale, by Andrea Portera. There’s more: chamber music, recitals, even Tango Nuevo, all packed into two weeks. Like the patina of many of its sites and venues, Stresa exudes a special, almost rarefied atmosphere. Yet, as Noseda and his colleagues look forward to the next 50 years they are making the festival accessible to a larger public and have introduced a new schedule of prices, with tickets starting at 15 euros, that’s 18 bucks.

It’s hard to imagine any greater value or beautiful place—or time—to capture summer’s end.

Job market has changed but universities pump out graduates

2012-08-26T05:34:00.001-07:00

GLOBAL Information from University World News

Job market has changed but universities pump out graduates

Vangelis Tsiligiris 26 August 2012 I

News Feeds

With the rise in fees in the UK and elsewhere, higher education institutions have started exploring ways of responding to anticipated increased expectations of students. Investment in sport and IT facilities and additional teaching are some of the ways in which institutions are trying to respond to the ‘value for money’ conundrum.

However, I think that we are missing a really important trick.

Presumably, for a change, we can all agree that if we were to ask current and future students what they would consider to be the most rewarding outcome of their time and money investment in higher education, they would answer “a job”. Sadly, not many institutions can guarantee students that they will be able to find a job any time soon after graduation.

In the recent past, employability has been one of the most popular catchphrases in higher education. However, employability does not mean employment; it means the propensity or the readiness of students to fulfil employment market requirements.

So perhaps the main question that should be asked today is: to what extent is the global economy able to create new jobs at the same pace that higher education institutions produce graduates?

Rise of derivatives has changed employment

In my opinion, the rise of markets for financial derivatives that are primarily traded outside the main stock exchanges – the so-called over-the-counter (OTC) markets – has altered the essence of wealth creation and consequently employment under the capitalism system as we knew it.

The main advantages of these financial products are low taxes and the direct negotiation between seller and buyers with or without minimum interference by the authorities.

To conceptualise the size of this market, consider the latest report by the Bank of International Settlements, published in May 2012. It states that the total notional value of OTC derivatives reached US$648 trillion at the end of 2011. This is almost nine times the gross world product which, according to the CIA Factbook, was estimated at US$70.16 trillion in 2011.

Thus, today an investor can choose to invest in an extensive selection of financial by-products that can generate profits even in cases where the markets concerned are in decline. Moreover, investors are not required to have capital to invest in these financial derivatives; they can simply borrow to invest. This means that almost any individual is able to make money out of money and, most importantly, by investing money they do not have.

Where are the jobs?

But what has all of this got to do with higher education?

For years now, higher education has been considered as the means to social mobility and better employment prospects. Whatever the view you take about the role of globalisation, human capital is considered the cornerstone of the modern economy.

This is according to the Marxist view of the capitalist system as being based on the production of goods and services for the creation of wealth. It is also assumed that this production process, whatever its nature and scale, involves some employment, even if that is at a reduced scale as a result of technological advancements.

Nevertheless, modern financial products have made this traditional ‘investment-production-wealth’ process less attractive to investors. Today, an investor is much less likely to invest in a factory, a plant or any other form of production of goods or services, when the same investment can generate a higher return in the short to medium term without the risks involved in managing people, inventories and production operations.

So the question that arises is: where are the jobs going to come from?

That is something very few in higher education, not least in economic policy, have thought about. There has been an over-concentration on ‘producing’ employable graduates, but no one seems to recognise that the economy has been slower and slower at creating jobs.

Higher education authorities have been busy projecting a booming future for graduates while there is very little evidence to reassure graduates that they will land a job.

A recent report published by the International Labour Organisation states that youth unemployment is rising in all parts of the world and the global rate is projected to reach 12.7% by the end of 2012, with a further negative projection up until 2016.

The same report states that education tends to act as a shield against unemployment; however, education does not guarantee employment. Another report, published by the Office of National Statistics in the UK, reveals that the percentage of graduates employed in lower skilled jobs increased from 26.7% in 2001 to 36% in 2011.

In specific parts of the world, graduate employment prospects are clearly worse than they used to be. For example, in the US, according to a publication by Associated Press, “the job prospects for bachelor degree holders fell last year [2011] to the lowest level in more than a decade”.

Economic change and tuition fees

At the same time, within this changing global economic environment, governments tend to receive no income from tax-free financial transactions while the income from corporate taxes is constantly in decline, primarily because of modern tax avoidance practices adopted by corporations.

This affects the ability of governments to contribute financially to higher education and consequently increases the need for direct financial contributions by students and their families.

In turn, this creates a vicious cycle of students becoming more demanding about ‘value for money’ with a strong emphasis on finding employment after graduation so they can get a return on their investment. Higher education institutions end up with less financial support to meet higher student expectations.

Furthermore, the booming derivatives market has changed the mechanism of money creation in the economy. As a consequence, macro-economic policy is becoming ineffective, making economic recovery a painful and unrealisable task while worsening the prospects for boosting employment.

In a depressed economic environment there is a danger of having too many highly employable graduates but too few jobs, something that is in line with the findings of the recent reports discussed earlier.

This graduate surplus affects the type of jobs accepted by graduates, devalues undergraduate degrees and puts the emphasis on vocational qualifications.

Higher education policy has failed to respond

At an economic policy level, we have failed to recognise the dramatic change that has occurred in the global economic system over the past 20 years or so; while at a higher education policy level we continue focusing on widening access and achieving recruitment targets without considering the consequences of the oversupply of graduates.

So, there seems to be a forthcoming challenge for higher education, both at a policy and operational level, as we enter a period of high student expectations and high graduate unemployment.

* Vangelis Tsiligiris is college principal of MBS College in Crete, Greece, and a PhD candidate at Birmingham City University.

Teachers Get Techy: Education-Focused Startups Are Making In-Roads into Classrooms

2012-08-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

United States

Teachers Get Techy: Education-Focused Startups Are Making In-Roads into Classrooms

Technology, once a distraction for students, is finding its way into classrooms in a way that is more seamless than ever.

By SARAH MAX | August 23, 2012 | from Time Business

ELISE AMENDOLA / AP

A student looks at her new iPad at Burlington High School in Burlington, Mass, Aug. 23, 2011. Burlington gave iPads to every one of its 1,000-plus high school students.

Sit in on one of Jeannine Eddleton’s chemistry lectures at Virginia Tech and you’ll see a couple hundred students hunched over their cell phones, iPads and laptops. Rather than texting and checking Facebook, though, they’re using their devices to answer problems posed by Eddleton using Top Hat Monocle.

Whereas traditional response systems, or clickers, require specialized devices, this web-based software is universal. “Students can use the devices they never forget to bring to class and never forget to charge,” says Eddleton, who introduced Top Hat Monocle two years ago. She uses the software to ask three to six questions per class, poll students and share results instantly. “Students are completely engaged.”

This is just one example of how technology, once a distraction for students, is finding its way into classrooms in a way that is more seamless than ever. Cramped classrooms, high education costs and a digitally fluent student body have helped open doors for education-focused technology startups. Investors have taken note. Funding for education-technology companies was $429 million in 2011, up from $146 million in 2002, according to the National Venture Capital Association.

(MORE: Free Textbooks Shaking Up Higher Education)

Traditionally, education has been a tough category to break into. “It can take two to three years to land a contract with a school,” says Mike Silagadze, CEO and founder of 35-employee Toronto-based Top Hat Monocle. After unsuccessfully trying to sell to universities, the company took its technology to teachers, who recommend the $20 annual subscription – which is good for all classes – as part of their curriculum. In September 2010, the company had 3,000 student subscribers at five universities. This year, it expects to have 220,000 subscribers at about 250 universities. “It transforms the whole classroom experience from a passive one to an active one,” says Silagadze, adding that instructors report an increase in attendance, comprehension and grades after incorporating the software.

Another company, Echo360, licenses directly with universities, but has managed to break in, in a big way. Founded in 2006, the company lets instructors automatically record lectures, broadcast them live and catalog them with no extra work on their part. At the same time it’s used for distance learning, it lets traditional students go back and review material they missed or didn’t understand the first time around. It’s also a popular tool for “flipped classrooms,” in which teachers record lectures, assign them as homework and use class time for hands-on instruction. The technology is now in 6,000 classrooms at 500 institutions.

“These universities are putting out more video in a day than NBC,” says Fred Singer, CEO of the Dulles, Va. company. Echo360 expects its revenue to increase 50% this year to $18 million. While the business is profitable for Echo360, its product is relatively inexpensive, costing institutions about $20 per student per year.

Meanwhile, there is no shortage of educational websites, videos and other content for educators to share with their students. The trouble is keeping track of it all. Enter another education startup, MentorMob. The nine-employee Chicago startup makes it easy to create “learning playlists” of online material, share them and update them. “Before, teachers were curating content and putting lists of links on their blogs, but there was no easy way to update it or track it,” says cofounder Vince Leung.

(MORE: Gadgets Go to Class)

That was Crystal Kirch’s issue. The Santa Ana, Calif. math teacher wanted to share online resources with students, “but it was all over the place,” she says. “I would send them links, and they would lose them.” Last January, she began organizing them by playlists that are available on the MentorMob site and embedded in her blog. Now, she says, they’re more likely to actually go to those links.

While there’s no cost to join MentorMob’s free online community, the company is banking that teachers and institutions will pay for new premium service that starts at $7 a month. Among other features, it provides analytics on whether students actually visited the sites and how much time they spent on them.

Kirch, for one, thinks it’s worth it. Not only can she keep closer tabs on whether students are using the links she’s so carefully curated, she’ll be inviting students to create and share their own.

Go8 and China 9 extend alliance to promote international student flow

2012-08-26T05:25:00.002-07:00

Go8 and China 9 extend alliance to promote international student flow

China’s top universities are courted by the top 20 universities in the world. AAP

A newly extended alliance between the Group of Eight coalition of Australian universities and the China 9 universities is helping to build “globally mobile students” says Go8 executive director Michael Gallagher.

But competing with elite universities from the United States will remain a challenge, says one China expert, as Chinese students continue to choose universities based on reputation and rankings.

“If we’re going to compete on elitism we will always lose to the US,” said James Laurenceson, who is president of the Chinese Economics Society Australia, and a senior lecturer in economics at University of Queensland.

The Group of 8 and China 9 recently reviewed what has been a five-year relationship, and plan to expand on and strengthen the partnership over the next five years.

Mutual credit recognition between the institutions, so that students from any of the institutions can complete some of their study at overseas universities, is a critical component of the alliance, Mr Gallagher said.

“If you want globally mobile students with a global outlook then you need to have these group relationships to get agreements for credit recognition,” Mr Gallagher said.

He said the alliance would measure its success by looking at numbers of highly cited co-authored publications, research collaboration and co-investment, and the degree to which there are two-way exchanges of students of staff.

Dr Laurenceson said it’s good to have these types of agreements, but he is unsure how effective they will be in creating bilateral student flows.

“Top universities in China are being courted by the top 20 in the world…It would be naive of us to think that the Group of 8 means more to an elite Chinese university than Harvard or Stanford.”

The alliance renewal comes amid the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities, with more Australian universities now ranked in the top 100.

American and British universities continued to dominate the top 10, however Chinese universities are rising in the rankings.

“When you’re trying to network with Chinese institutions you’ve got to network with universities who are basically on parity with you,” Dr Laurenceson said.

For example, Dr Laureceson said, even though UQ ranks ahead of many Chinese universities, he would recommend it link with the best university in a province.

India's New Rules for Foreign Universities Raise Questions at Home and Abroad

2012-08-26T05:23:00.001-07:00

India's New Rules for Foreign Universities Raise Questions at Home and Abroad

Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development

Ved Prakash, chairman of India's University Grants Commission (left), with the education minister, Kapil Sibal: "The idea is simply to regulate this growing area for the benefit of students so that only genuine academic collaborations are encouraged."

Enlarge Image

By Shailaja Neelakantan

New Delhi

India's recent announcement that it would more closely regulate the many joint- and dual-degree programs its universities have developed with foreign partners has been met at home with a mix of confusion, annoyance, anxiety, and even ridicule. Foreign-university administrators are also unclear about the effect of the new restrictions, which include allowing only institutions ranked in the top 500 worldwide to collaborate with Indian universities.

Many Indian institutions are confused about whether they even fall under the purview of the new regulations, issued by the University Grants Commission, the country's university regulator. Some academics are annoyed because they see the rules as evidence that Kapil Sibal, India's education minister, has all but given up on a bill that would allow foreign universities to set up stand-alone programs in India. The proposal has faced stiff resistance from members of India's Parliament.

Several observers find it downright amusing that government officials believe elite international universities would flock to India to offer joint degrees. The fact is that few of the 340 or so Indian institutions offering joint or dual degrees have top-tier international partners.

"There's a bill pending in Parliament—they should have waited to see its fate instead of sidestepping it," said Ramamurthy Natarajan, a former director of India's regulatory agency for professional education, about education-ministry officials. An academic who didn't want to be named, for fear of angering higher-education officials, described the ministry's decision as "madcap," saying it "confuses and confounds."

American university administrators were equally flummoxed by the announcement.

"The regulations are excessively restricted," said Guru Ghosh, associate vice president for international affairs at Virginia Tech, which is developing a research center outside Chennai, India. "Having worked with Chinese universities for over a decade, I can attest that even China does not have such stringent requirements and rules dictating academic partnerships and twinning programs."

Mr. Ghosh said he was talking with Virginia Tech's Indian partners to better understand the new rules.

He said he appreciated that India is hesitant to open its arms to outside influence in light of its colonial history. But to fix the country's deep-seated educational problems, like a lack of skilled faculty members and a rapidly growing young population, it needs to bring in "the best minds and research and educational facilities" from around the world.

Who's the Boss?

A major point of confusion stems from the overlapping authority of India's two dozen higher-education regulators. Many institutions that run joint programs are overseen not by the University Grants Commission but by the All India Council for Technical Education, which regulates programs such as engineering and management. Further, some education administrators note that their institutions offer not degrees but diplomas, which are different things in India.

"What is really prohibited is the award of a foreign degree on a stand-alone basis or a joint degree where both universities jointly admit a graduate to a bachelor's or a master's degree," said P.V. Ramana, chairman of the private ITM Group of Institutions, which operates such collaborations.

Still other providers say they're exempt because they are not universities but institutes—again, two different things in India. Then there are the institutions that offer degrees but are called institutes and not universities. They are confused about where they fall. "I don't know what will happen. No one is asking the right questions," said the director of one such institution. "The education ministry is getting reckless."

To an outsider this might just seem to be another tale of bureaucracy run amok in India. But how the regulations are carried out could have a real impact on foreign engagement. India's higher-education system has been a notoriously difficult—and sometimes hostile—landscape for foreign institutions to navigate. If the government throws up additional barriers to partnerships, some educators say, that could harm what little internationalization has managed to take root so far.

"International partnerships largely work through personal contacts and individual efforts," said R. Narasimhan, founder-director of the private SMOT Business School and a consultant on higher-education strategy. Mr. Narasimhan said it was unlikely that an American university ranked in the top 500 globally, as the new regulations require, would be contacted by a top Indian university, also required by the regulations, and agree to develop joint-degree programs just because the Indian government says they can do so. Allowing Indian institutions to build partnerships with universities abroad is needed, he said, but the government needs to understand that such partnerships do not mature easily.

"So giving them time and helping them to improve should be the approach," he said, "instead of always holding a stick on the head ready to hit anytime when something goes wrong."

Wrong About Rankings

Several experts say that, in any event, rankings are the wrong way to evaluate the quality of academic programs.

E. Lee Gorsuch II, president of the City University of Seattle, said his institution had been seeking an Indian partner, but any potential collaboration would seem to be illegal now. "It appears that the new regulations would preclude CityU since it is not on the list of 500," he wrote by e-mail to The Chronicle. He said recognition by an American accreditor should be enough for India to ensure that any partnerships will be of high quality.

Other educational experts have said that India is unlikely to attract top-ranked higher-education players because so few of its universities are well regarded worldwide. But some dismiss that argument.

"We may not have many Indian universities in the top 500 global rankings, but we do have many outstanding academics," said P.M. Bhargava, former vice chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, a higher-education advisory body.

As for what may happen next, Ved Prakash, the University Grants Commission's chairman, could not be reached for comment. But he has made clear that "every institute that grants a degree," even if approved by another regulator, such as the All India Council for Technical Education, "has to follow the new rule," according to Mr. Bhargava, who said he had spoken with the chairman about the subject.

Mr. Prakash told an Indian newspaper in June that the number of foreign institutions operating in India in some form had increased to 631 in 2010 from 144 a decade earlier. "The idea is simply to regulate this growing area for the benefit of students so that only genuine academic collaborations are encouraged," he said.

If Indian institutions don't meet the new regulatory requirements, they have only six months to make improvements, the rules say. If the institutions fail to do so, they will have to terminate the agreements or risk being derecognized, if they're private, or lose government funds, if they're public.

"Six months is too short a time to wind up any ongoing partnership," said the SMOT Business School's Mr. Narasimhan. Students at institutions in such partnerships, he said, should be allowed to finish their programs.

Mr. Bhargava differs. "Six months should not be a problem," he said. "If they are so dependent on the foreign partner, the university has no right to exist."

Higher education needs to engage in outreach-based research

2012-08-26T05:21:00.001-07:00

AFRICA

Higher education needs to engage in outreach-based research

Thierry Claudien Uhawenimana26 August 2012 Issue No:236

Higher education institutions play an important role in shaping communities’ development. Their activities can lead to raised wages and productivity, allowing countries to make impressive strides in accelerating social, economic, scientific, technological and political advancements.

History shows that strong economic growth in a country is generally grounded in a knowledge-based economy, especially where the country invests significantly in community-based research in science and technology, biomedical and allied health sciences, agriculture, husbandry and industry.

Such growth is further bolstered by universities devoting themselves to quality education, and aligning their curricula with the needs of the community.

It is necessary for higher education institutions to involve themselves in community outreach-based research to contribute to a strong knowledge-based economy in their country.

And it is crucial for universities to expose students to the community early on in their studies – long before graduation. In fact, community outreach activities should be incorporated as core courses in university curricula. This will increase students’ competence and familiarise them with their societies’ needs.

East Africa

Having realised the importance of community outreach activities in boosting the social, economic and political sectors of their countries, some Rwandan and Ugandan higher education institutions have begun to take this approach.

Not only does this allow them to better serve their communities, but it is also a way for a university to strengthen its institutional reputation.

So far, two of Rwanda’s universities are fostering community outreach activities that are shaping and changing people’s lives. While the Kigali Health Institute (KHI) and some departments at the National University of Rwanda have adopted community outreach programmes, other institutions are still struggling to get there.

In addition to the KHI’s clinics and consultancy centres that offer informative, rehabilitative and curative services in dental therapy, physiotherapy, medical diagnostic laboratory and family health therapy to the public, students and staff work in rural areas during the course of the academic year.

The institute’s outreach activities revolve mainly around health services, such as health education, screening for certain illnesses and treatment in some serious cases. Importantly, academic staff and students also do door-to-door surveys and even hospital-based surveys to gather information on the prevalence of certain health-related problems.

In all outreach activities, KHI collaborates with the relevant ministries and non-governmental organisations such as Water Aid Rwanda, Handicap International, Rotary Club International, UNICEF, Tulane University and the Belgian Technical Cooperation, among many others. The institute also works with the private sector, for example, Colgate, Palmolive and Whitedent.

The National University of Rwanda has created various faculty centres that reach out to the community by training local authority workers in matters related to sustainable development, particularly grouped settlement (umudugudu), cooperative management, environmental protection, technological agriculture, conflict resolution and peace sustainability.

They also look at social issues that affect the population, such as collective trauma and mental health problems.

At Makerere University in Uganda, community outreach is highly valued, to the extent that it occupies a central position in the university’s pursuit of quality education. By emphasising training that makes the university relevant to society’s needs, it is making community outreach-based research a reality.

In this new portfolio, outreach activities include internships, consultancy and action research. Within this context, Makerere has registered success in a number of ways. For example, its community outreach-based research has brought about innovations of various local products such as building materials, sanitary pads and paper-making from banana fibre, among others.

At Uganda Christian University, Save the Mothers – an international organisation committed to partnerships that, through education, promote the health and dignity of mothers and children in developing countries – has made excellent progress in community outreach among the rural poor.

The university offers a masters degree in public health leadership, which is contributing to changing the lives of rural mothers and children in Uganda.

In addition to the Baby-Friendly Hospital programme established at some hospitals the organisation, in collaboration with the university, gives students the opportunity to interact with communities around issues of maternal health, allowing them to observe clinical settings where maternal health services are provided. They also participate in behavioural change initiatives in rural communities.

The way forward

Despite all this, a lot still needs to be done. And while community outreach-based research at institutions of higher education responds to some social problems, it does not yet provide sustainable, long-term solutions spread widely enough at the grassroots level.

Universities should become integrated in their communities and work with them to overcome the hurdles that affect local life by seeking tailormade, evidence-based solutions to problems that impede progress.

We cannot ignore the financial and curriculum-related problems that still affect the successful implementation of community based-outreach research.

These challenges include the lack of clear plans for community outreach activities in some universities’ academic calendars, curricula that do not include community outreach, rigid mindsets and, importantly, the ever-present budget issue.

Academic institutions in Africa should review their curricula and adapt them to the needs of and realities facing their communities. Curricula should be designed in ways that will equip students with critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Universities should furthermore seek out and create synergies with industry, the private sector and civil society during the development and monitoring of their curricula.

This will play a critical role in securing and leveraging additional resources for higher education, promoting innovation and technology transfer, and making sure that graduates have the skills and knowledge needed to respond to the developmental aspirations of their countries.

Research units do not always collaborate fully with community outreach departments to identify priority areas where both the community and the university can reap benefits. Research ethics committees at universities can play a role by setting standards that govern and promote community outreach-based research in the institution’s research activities.

To mobilise funds for community outreach-based research, universities should become creative and innovative in their thinking. By establishing income-generating initiatives and carrying out consultancies that link them to the community, a university can capitalise on opportunities to do surveys on matters affecting the university itself.

They can also engage in business activities that can generate income to be used to sustain community outreach activities. This, in turn, will feed into evidence-based solutions being found to various social problems in rural and urban areas alike.

Universities should also strengthen their sponsorship activities. They should revamp their public relations activities by engaging all stakeholders, including the community, partners, alumni and government, in activities that promote their development and success, while aligning these with the development of their countries.

Universities facing challenges in promoting their research activities need to look at good practices in research uptake at other universities and forge strategic partnerships. Similarly, they should collaborate with community-based organisations to work towards improving the quality of life and well-being of individuals and groups – in short, the communities they serve.

* Thierry Claudien Uhawenimana is the public relations and communications officer at the Kigali Health Institute in Rwanda. This article first appeared on www.drussa.net. DRUSSA works with 24 Sub-Saharan universities as they improve their capacity to manage the uptake of research by key stakeholders.

2012 Flower Carpet, Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

2012-08-23T18:50:00.003-07:00

Information from Cheeseweb.eu

2012 Flower Carpet, Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

by ALISON on Aug 23, 2012 • 08:312 Comments

Flower Carpet 2012, Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

Every other year, for five short days, the Grand Place of Brussels, Belgium is a riot of colour. The bi-annual Flower Carpet appears on postcards, calendars and images of Brussels for years to come, but only those who visit the city during those special days in August are lucky enough to see it in person. This year, early one morning, we were among them.

History of the Brussels Flower Carpet

The Flower Carpet in Grand Place began, as we know it, in 1971, but the idea took root long before. E. Stautemas, a landscape architect from Zottegem, began experimenting with the Flower Carpet idea in the 1950s.

Stautemas had a passion for begonias and began creating small flower carpets in various cities in Flanders. His fame spread and soon his designs appeared in Luxemburg, Paris, London, Amsterdam and as far away as Buenos Aires and Colombus, Ohio.

However, despite travelling far and wide to create his carpets, Stautemas claimed “”Nowhere is the carpet more beautiful and distinguished than in the unique, ancient surroundings of the Grand-Place in Brussels.”

The historic architecture of Grand Place adds to the magic of the Flower Carpet in Brussels.

The first few years, the carpet’s appearance in Grand Place was erratic, but it quickly became a biennial event.

After Stautemas death in 1998, landscape architect, Mark Schautteet, became the vision behind the Brussels Flower Carpet, beginning with a Belgian lace theme in 2000.

Creating the Brussels Flower Carpet

Creating a carpet of flowers, large enough to fill the Grand Place, takes a lot of planning, materials and (wo)manpower.

Plans are drawn up for the Flower Carpet a year in advance. The designers decide on colours and calculate how many flowers need to be grown for the year’s theme. In 2012 over 600,000 flowers made up the African themed carpet.

600000 begonias are used to make this year’s Flower Carpet in Grand Place

Begonias continue to be the preferred flower of the Brussels Flower Carpet (although other blooms, such as carnations are also used). Although they originated in the West Indies, 80% of the carpet’s begonias are cultivated in Ghent. In fact, Belgium is the world’s largest producer of begonia tubers, cultivating 60 million each year.

Because of the ephemeral nature of flowers, the actual construction of the Flower Carpet has to happen quickly. The first step is to cover the cobblestones of Grand Place with plastic and lay out an outline of the design. Then, 120 volunteers fill in the colourful pattern, packing the flowers tightly. This prevents them from blowing away, but also creates a humid microclimate that keeps the begonias looking their best.

The completed Flower Carpet measures 1800 m² and is admired by thousands of visitors, every other year.

Visitors come from around the world to see the Flower Carpet in Brussels

2012 – Africa in Brussels

Each year, the Grand Place Flower Carpet design has a particular theme. For 2012, the theme was Africa and the design drew inspiration from the tribes of Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Botswana, and Cameroon.

This year to compliment the begonias, and help create the African motif, the designers included barks, sands, soils and pigments in the design.

In addition to begonias, this year’s carpet contains soil, sand, turf and wood chips.

Tips for Visiting the Brussels Flower Carpet

Visit early in the morning. We were in the Grand Place around 7am. The light was beautiful as the sun rose over Grand Place and there were very few other visitors.
Get a birds-eye view from the Town Hall for €5 and be able to view the entire design at once.
Visit the day before the Flower Carpet’s official opening to watch the workers assemble the design.

Visit the Flower Carpet early in the morning for no crowds and beautiful golden light.

If you didn’t get a chance to see the 2012 Flower Carpet in Brussels Grand Place, I hope our photos will give you a taste of this stunning display.

follow us at http://www.facebook.com/EcuadorSap , @ecuadorsap

How to Afford Studying Abroad

2012-08-23T18:38:00.001-07:00

How to Afford Studying Abroad

Posted on August 23rd, 2012 by Jenny Frankel

Did you enjoy last month’s guest post from GoAbroad.com on student visas? If so, then you will enjoy this blog as part of a larger series on helpful tips for study abroad students.

Money, or a lack of money, is the main culprit preventing students from studying abroad. You’re a poor college student, we get that, but there are ways to make spending a semester or two abroad possible.

Scholarships

One of the best ways to fund your study abroad trip is through the help of a scholarship, stipend or grant. As soon as you decide where you are studying abroad, begin looking for scholarships you can apply to. Ask the study abroad adviser at your university what opportunities are available to help fund your trip. Once you’re accepted into your program, start applying! The more scholarships you apply for, the more you are likely to receive. Writing a few essays in exchange for $1,000 is definitely worth it.

Gifts

Do you have a birthday coming up? Or maybe a gift-bearing holiday is right around the corner. Instead of asking for the latest iPod or the complete DVD set of your favorite television series, ask friends and family for money to put toward your trip abroad. Luggage necessities, clothes to help you fit in with locals, and money toward your plane ticket are all items you can ask for to save some cash.

Selling Yourself

If you have the time, look into getting a second job (or a first). Even taking a few hours each week to tutor or babysit will add up and help lessen your study abroad expenses. If you find you are tight on time, sell your stuff. If you have items just laying around, sell them on eBay or Craigslist. You could even have a yard sale if you have the goods and the space. Tell people you’re trying to raise money to study abroad; they’ll be more likely to buy items if they know it’s for a cause.

Loans

If you can’t afford to study abroad now, apply for a loan and let future-you fund your adventure. No one likes to be in debt, but most life-changing purchases require a loan. Paying for tuition, buying a car, purchasing a house: Most people take out loans to pay for these milestones. Why should studying abroad be any different? If you qualify for federal student aid, or FAFSA, this money can often be put toward studying abroad. Make sure you look into a variety of options so you can have a great experience abroad without sinking into too much debt.

Not Spending

The best way to save money is by not spending it, duh! Think hard about your spending habits and make a list of unnecessary purchases. Cable, fast food and coffee are all items that could be cut out of your budget without changing your life too much (unless you’re a caffeine addict). Want to see how much you end up earning? Designate a jar to your study abroad trip and fill it with money every time you refrain from buying something. Rather than spending $10 on pizza, put $10 in your study abroad jar. Then watch it add up and have a blast studying abroad!

What else have you done to afford studying abroad? What do you think is the best way to afford traveling?

UNITED STATES Inclusive higher education faces new threats in more unequal world

2012-08-22T18:14:00.001-07:00

UNITED STATES

Inclusive higher education faces new threats in more unequal world

Anne MacLachlan19 August 2012 Issue No:235

Equity of access to post-secondary education for all groups in American society has been a focus of policy-makers in the United States since World War II. Target groups have changed over time from veterans just after the war, women, then African Americans and members of other minority groups.

Participation has increased for all groups, but unevenly, so that minority groups are now known in higher education as ‘under-represented’ since their share of earned bachelor degrees is less than the representation of these groups in the total population. Women also remain under-represented in many fields of study and in higher degree programmes.

Because of this unequal distribution, women and students of colour are still considered as non-traditional students and are all too often treated as outsiders. Current trends of increasing poverty, underfunding of primary and secondary education, and vitriolic attacks on higher education with drastic cuts in funding of public colleges and universities, are intensifying exclusion.

Women and students of colour will not only remain non-traditional students, but ‘standing on the outside looking in’ at middle-class life as Mary Howard-Hamilton described it in the title of her compendium of studies on this phenomenon.

Exclusion is increasing

Today, increasing numbers of Americans are excluded from educational opportunity and related economic mobility as a result of decades of poor public policy and more recent polarising politics.

Those most affected are women of all ethnicities, American blacks, Latinos and American Indians, the poorest groups in the United States whose wealth accumulation and standard of living has never achieved that of white men. Their poverty is sustained by low educational opportunities leading to low-paid employment.

Increases in the educational level of the population generally since World War II and decades of expanding employment opportunities have not produced parity. Not only has uniform access to education never been achieved, access has declined since the 1980s.

Certainly, patterns in earned bachelor degrees changed substantially between 1980 and 2008, the latest available data. A total of 934,800 degrees were conferred in 1980, compared to 1,563,069 in 2007-08.

In 1980 white students earned 807,319 degrees or 86.4% of the total, declining to 71.8% in 2007-08, less than their 74.8% representation in the US population. Black students earned 60,673 degrees in 1980, 6.5% of the total; in 2007-08 they earned 152,457 degrees or 9.8% of the total, but they represent 13.6% of the US population.

In 1980 hispanics earned 21,832 degrees, 2.3% of the total; in 2007-08 they earned 123,048 or 7.9% of the total. Hispanics are the second fastest growing population group, comprising around 14% of the total population, but earn a far smaller share of degrees. These inequalities persist despite 30 years of programmes to increase the number of black and hispanic graduates.

Asians are an exception, earning 7% of all bachelor degrees though they make up only 5% of the total population.

Racial-ethnic groups are increasingly difficult to classify, however, as there has been a 50% increase of children of mixed race under 18 years in the US since 2000. It is also possible to list oneself as more than one race on the US census forms and other official documents such as college registration. This makes exact tracking very difficult.

Access programmes that work

With growing complexities over definitions and increasing financial challenges, it is a good juncture at which to look at which of the programmes aimed at broadening participation in post-secondary education have actually worked.

The most successful programmes are those providing financial assistance and academic support for disadvantaged students whether poor, inadequately prepared for college, or with a first language other than English.

All of these programmes, such as the Pell Grants (free), the guaranteed student loan programme, and several other forms of financial aid including the Economic Opportunity Programme, have widened participation greatly. As far as is known the more focused affirmative action programmes such as the LS-AMP were also successful, but supported far fewer individuals.

The population of qualified students of colour from disadvantaged backgrounds ready for college was small in the 1970s so, in a way, any increase in their participation is a win.

But the programmes were usually created as part of the federal affirmative action initiative and funded by many federal agencies: NSF, Department of Education, Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy and so on. They require one or more faculty members to compete for funding through a complicated grant application process for a programme that may or may not be effective in broadening participation.

Until recently, programmes created in the 1970s and later had virtually no evaluation of their effectiveness, no tracking of student participants, and no sense of the money and effort being well applied. That has only changed in the past few years, but even now there is no overall picture of the degree of success.

For example, the NSF funds a 10-week summer research programme – Research Experience for Undergraduates, or REU – intended to increase the number of minorities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by enabling them to work with a senior scientist at a research university and become enthusiastic about pursuing a research PhD.

There are currently more than 600 REU sites in the US in all disciplines but the humanities, with around 10 to 15 students in each. This programme was designed for students ‘under-represented in science’ (minorities and women) who are the first in their family to attend college, who attend an institution with few research facilities, and who have an interest in a science career.

It is likely that the programme initially functioned as intended, but if so, there is no general documentation. Today the programme is being compromised by accepting students with educated parents; immigrants who look like African Americans but are, for example, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Trinidadian or from other parts of the world; as well as students from other research universities. Few are of the population originally intended.

Reform needed from the bottom up

If students of colour, women and the otherwise disadvantaged are to merge into the educational mainstream, the educational system that now ensures their non-traditional status needs reform from the bottom up.

Success in secondary education today still depends very much on class and race. Schools are being re-segregated by the more affluent congregating in predominantly white neighbourhoods, while the poor and children of colour are left behind in inadequately funded schools. College access requires appropriate academic preparation that the 16,000 ‘poverty schools’ (schools defined as having 75% to100% of pupils on the free lunch programme) do not provide.

The socio-economic environment and disconnect from middle-class life for those who may want to go to college may lead them into making college choices in which they are disproportionately likely to fail. Programmes created to assist such students have helped to foster success, but as part of the current polarisation of American politics, cuts in educational funding of all kinds are occurring.

Those public colleges and universities enrolling more than 70% of all undergraduate students have had to reduce the number they can accommodate, cut majors and classes, raise tuition fees, end many student support and advisory services, and generally reduce academic quality as class size grows and more adjunct untenured faculty instruct those classes.

Increasingly a college education is considered by a portion of the electorate, including many students, to be a workforce training exercise, not a place where students are exposed to many and new ideas, and taught to think analytically and to explore the fullness of intellectual endeavour.

Deep structural problems

The US led the world in broadening participation in post-secondary education after World War II, when college enrolment increased from 2,444,900 in 1950 to 18 million by 2009. Enrolment expanded from a small elite to a broad cross-section of the population.

Higher education participation for the 18- to 24-year-old cohort rose to 69% in 2002, but has since dropped to 62%. Today colleges and universities enrol more than 50% women and more members than ever before of ethnic groups long excluded from mainstream higher education.

While these numbers reflect a social revolution, the disproportion in participation by various groups and the increasing gap between white, black and hispanic degree acquisition point to deep structural problems. The gap between white and black bachelor attainment has risen from 12 percentage points in 1971 to 18 in 2009, with the white-hispanic gap increasing from 14 to 25 percentage points.

Efforts to address these problems take many different forms, ranging from individual initiatives in schools and colleges, larger targeted programmes such as those privately funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the Seattle school district, state-wide initiatives through state departments of education, and a great many federally funded programmes.

‘Broadening participation’ is a current buzzword in US education at all levels, including many federal agencies. Of course, every activity that assists excluded students is to be applauded and every single student who is enabled to attend college and succeed there needs to be celebrated.

Efforts by individual four-year institutions to bridge the gaps in access and persistence can often be successful and should be taken seriously. Retention efforts do not have to be expensive; it is more about creating an institution-wide approach in which faculty and staff are cooperatively working to bring about student achievement.

Currently, however, it is unlikely that any individual programme or the huge multiplicity of programmes will succeed even in the middle term in ‘fixing’ the national problem of deep economic and social inequality that is the basis for uneven post-secondary participation. Broadening participation cannot be confined to educational initiatives, however well designed and funded.

Nonetheless, there is a serious national effort at the level of the National Academies of Science and Engineering (NAS) to broaden participation. The focus is on the national scientific workforce keeping up with global standards by utilising all the talent of the US.

The seriousness of concern is reflected in the title of their 2006 publication, Rising above the Gathering Storm: Energising and employing America for a brighter economic future. The NAS has conducted and published studies on bias, discrimination and unequal educational access with titles such as Beyond Bias and Barriers, focusing on women, and Expanding Under-represented Minority Participation: America’s science and technology talent at the crossroads.

Execution of the recommendations in these studies is by federal agencies like the NSF, which has put great effort into analysing existing educational and training programmes. The approach is targeted at under-represented individuals, institutions and regions of the US. Many other federal agencies are similarly engaged.

Yet the likelihood of these efforts being very successful even in the next decade is highly uncertain. Increasing numbers of young people of colour are not participating in post-secondary education or not participating successfully. Extensive gaps in high-school completion, poverty, rising college costs and changing financial aid policies work against success.

These people of colour and women generally still face substantial bias and discrimination even when successful in enrolling in college. Perhaps even more disheartening is that federal programmes devolve to individuals to implement them, individuals who may hold their own biases and through them undermine the intent of the funded programmes they run.

It is a general pattern to consider immigrants of colour as US minorities (see Harvard’s announcement of its ‘diverse’ entering class), admit them to programmes intended for US disadvantaged students, and derive satisfaction from their success in terms of having met the federal mandate.

Immigrants are frequently highly motivated students and come from countries that may be poor but that may have excellent secondary education, and such students are in many ways more tractable than US students.

If this misappropriation of broadening participation strategies was not already a source of deep concern, the current political landscape has allowed the appropriation of educational priorities by a deeply anti-intellectual section of the electorate.

The result is the widespread disparagement of going to college at all, serious cutting of higher education funding in many states and at the federal level, and a climate actively hostile to the poor, minorities and women.

It should be an anomaly in 21st century America that women and students of colour are still considered to be non-traditional students in some educational settings. Yet this is not likely to change in coming years.

Truly broadening post-secondary participation requires a different vision of civil society, not a tacit acceptance of growing income and educational disparities. Inclusion flows from a principled commitment to equality and a willingness to work towards achieving it.

* Anne MacLachlan is a senior researcher in the Center for Studies in Higher Education at University of California, Berkeley. This is an edited version of the paper “Women and Students of Colour as Non-traditional Students: The difficulties of inclusion in the United States”, published this month in the CSHE’s Research and Occasional Paper Series.

Asian Students are on the Rise in Canada!

2012-08-22T17:24:00.001-07:00

Asian Students are on the Rise in Canada!

Posted on August 22nd, 2012 by Annemarie Keller

Canada is looking to make a greater effort to attract more Asian students to Canada. The president at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Stephen Toope wrote a paper titled Strengthening education and research connectivity between Canada and Asia, released on August 7^th, 2012. The paper calls for the creation of a high-profile Canadian scholarship program for undergraduate students and a significant expansion of the Vanier Canada scholarship program for graduate students. He also feels Canada must strive to develop educational partnerships with Asian countries rather than simply act as a recruiter.

With these efforts you can expect that Asian students will be on the rise in Canada! Asia is already the world’s largest source of international students and the number of Asians looking to study abroad is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Universities in Canada have already been successful in recruiting international students. Currently, China is Canada’s top source country for international students.

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