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Euro Studies majors unite in summit

by Nichael Joseph A. Muncal

TWO STUDENT intercul­tural organizations from the country’s top universities united to strengthen inter­actions among European Studies majors in the Phil­ippines.

The University of the Philippines’ Euro-Filipino Understanding and Relations Organization (UP EURO), in cooperation with the Ateneo Lingua Ars Cultura (ALAC), organized the 3rd Annual Summit on European Stud­ies on February 9 at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) Au­ditorium in UP-Diliman.

“[The Summit] created a space for all [European Studies] students to be able to listen to speakers, notable speakers of their respective fields … to interact with young professionals, [and] most importantly to open communication lines with fellow students of the same discipline,” said ALAC Head Project Coordinator Charilou Joan Linsey (IV AB Eu).

Bringing the EU closer to students

“Understanding [Euro­pean Union (EU)]-Philippine Cooperation towards Devel­opment” was the theme of the Euro Summit, which was done along with the Delega­tion of the European Commis­sion (EC) to the Philippines and IBM.

Around 130 students from the Ateneo, UP-Diliman, De La Salle University-Manila, De La Salle University-Col­lege of Saint Benilde, Lyceum of the Philippines, and Col­lege of the Holy Spirit par­ticipated in the event.

Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of the EC Delegation, gave an overview of the theme.

“Amb. MacDonald gave a retrospective analysis of the projects the EU had done through the EC in the Philippines … projects on is­sues such as gender inequal­ity, the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship programme, … [and] combating terrorism in Mindanao,” said UP EURO Vice President for Relations Julienne Sayoc in a mix of English and Filipino.

Emma Sundblad, Embas­sy of the United Kingdom’s 2nd secretary for economic and global issues, meanwhile, talked about Advocacy on Hu­man Rights, while Georges-Gaston Feydeau, Embassy of France’s counselor for cooperation and cultural af­fairs, discussed France’s EU presidency for 2008.

Different levels of exchange

European Studies Lectur­ers Niccola Strazzari and Martina Corrado, Ph.D., also gave feedback from the Philippines. This was the idea of European Studies Program Director and former Ambassador Rosario Manalo, said Sayoc.

“Amb. Manalo wanted that while the EU would inform the students of what it does for the Philippines, at the same time she wanted that there also be profes­sors who would tell about the needs of Filipinos,” said Sayoc in a mix of English and Filipino.

Along with the talks was an informal dialogue over the lunch break between partici­pants, who were divided into Power Lunch Groups. Dis­cussions were facilitated by professionals from different institutions, many of whom were graduates of Ateneo’s European Studies or UP’s European Languages.

“Here with Euro Summit, we did [the interaction] at different levels: student-to-student, [student-facilitator], and student-speakers. So the participants really got so many levels of exchange from the different people who came,” said Linsey.

“Minority course”

Sayoc, who was also Euro Summit’s Relations Committee Head, said Eu­ropean Studies or European Languages can be considered a “minority course” since people do not understand it that much compared to other fields like engineering and nursing.

“Even in UP, some ask us, ‘What do you want to become, translators?’ It is as if the course gets belittled,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The Summit, she said, aimed to strengthen the field by making the students feel how important their course is.

“[The Summit aims] to make [the students] aware [that] it’s a good thing [that] soon [they will] be ambas­sadors, diplomats [who will represent the] Philippines.”