* Regents rally 'round the Pac-10
   
* Governor makes flexibility official
   
* Co-chairs to lead Staff Council in coming year
   
* The Bard is back in town
   
* Five questions for Brian Shimamoto
   
* Renowned geneticist heralds in new era for people with Down syndrome
   
* Did you know?
   
* People
   
* Letters to the editor
 
 NEWS FROM THE CU SYSTEM
 
  CU-BOULDER
  Study finds ocean may have covered one-third of Mars
 
  UCCS
  New pedestrian walkway nears completion
 
  UC DENVER
  Maymester a call to action for students studying in Guatemala
 
  ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS
  UCH receives prestigious nursing designation
 
  CU FOUNDATION
  Book honors local writer and alum
 
   Home
   Newsletter Archive
 
Download Newsleter in PDF
 
Share your thoughts
   
  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Share your opinions

CONTACT US
Send your thoughts and suggestions for the Newsletter
   
   
   
   
   
   

News from the CU system - UC Denver

Maymester a call to action for students studying in Guatemala

Lani Barry laughs with Veronica
Maymester at the University of Colorado Denver offered students a full academic experience in a condensed timeframe – only three weeks. But the six students who registered for the Communications Department course: "Nobel Cause: Peace and Justice in Guatemala" experienced lessons that go well beyond text books, lectures and papers.

A week and a half after the group – led by faculty member E.J. Yoder – arrived in Central America, a volcano erupted in the area. Not to be outdone, Hurricane Agatha also paid a visit. Students stayed on task and worked the initial 10 days, as planned, with Nobel Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum and her foundation in Guatemala City.

The road to San Lucas Toliman
The Nobel Committee, awarding the prize in 1992, noted: "Rigoberta Menchú grew up in poverty, in a family which has undergone the most brutal suppression and persecution. In her social and political work, she has always borne in mind that the long-term objective of the struggle is peace." The focus of the course was linked to the Rocky Mountain PeaceJam that will be in Denver in July, where Menchú is scheduled to speak.

The students' work included assisting with translating web documents from Spanish to English as well as managing other online data needs. "This work allowed our students to see all the ways Menchú pursues peace, community organizing and humanitarian activities," Yoder explained.

Brandy Reida hands out pencils to the children.
But in the initial aftermath of both the hurricane and volcanic eruption, it quickly became apparent that the lessons Menchú offers by example prompted these UC Denver students to mobilize to the front lines. So they traveled to the hard-hit community of San Lucas Toliman. "We ended up 'switching gears,'" says Yoder. "When the Education Center opened itself up to provide humanitarian aid to 18 families who lost their homes to mudslides, we headed out to pitch in." There they helped families whose homes were destroyed by working with children ages 2 to 12 to provide some basic needs, such as clean water. "The natural disasters created an opportunity to help, and that's a part of learning," says Yoder.

Now back at home, the work continues for these students. They'll be working together to finalize their project by preparing a proposal on ways the Education Center can develop additional education and humanitarian efforts. By seeing an area already "living on the edge" and then hit by natural disasters, "they began to see how important self sufficiency and community support are in the peace process," Yoder explains. "To assist a community in going beyond basic survival, they began seeing all of those connections."

Yoder believes this experience can help the students become global citizens who are more aware. "And while I always know our students will grow," she adds, "I hope they'll feel deep personal growth."

Bookmark - Print - Share

 
Previous UC Denver Stories

06/02/2010
Wartgow, Marks take on new leadership roles

05/26/2010
Graduates with ethnic studies minor honored

05/19/2010
Columnist Brooks talks politics at School of Public Affairs dinner

05/12/2010
School of Public Affairs launches training for public, nonprofit managers

05/05/2010
Program transforms schoolyards into farm land serving school, community

04/28/2010
Successful blog creator shares experience with students

04/21/2010
Spring breaking for the greater good

04/14/2010
Banner day at future site of Business School

04/07/2010
Auraria Campus students approve RTD pass program

03/31/2010
Auraria Campus to host Safe Campus Night

03/24/2010
Physicist's underground work results in dark matter "sightings"

03/17/2010
Psychological Services Center opens to serve campus, local communities

03/10/2010
New director to lead Graduate Career Connections

03/03/2010
Pyramid Plus center will promote social emotional development in kids

02/24/2010
Faculty to play prominent role in student symposium

02/17/2010
Seminar to detail basics of finding external funding

02/10/2010
Media forensics center launches with new master's program

02/03/2010
Giving Back Campaign making fans of volunteerism

01/27/2010
Haiti earthquake echoes at UC Denver

01/20/2010
CDPHE issues plan and calls for partnership with School of Public Health

01/13/2010
Research applies math model to better predict spread of epidemic diseases

01/06/2010
Symposium focuses on service learning

12/16/2009
Employee teams form to respond to community needs

12/09/2009
Gift from Wal-Mart will help small Colorado communities go green

12/02/2009
Science building offers latest in architecture, sustainability

11/18/2009
Business School program recognized globally

11/11/2009
Campus encourages volunteerism with Giving Back Campaign

11/04/2009
New Phoenix Center offers help to students in times of crisis

10/28/2009
Replica of Vietnam Memorial Wall on display to honor veterans

10/21/2009
STEMapalooza connects kids to science, technology, engineering, math

10/14/2009
National drug czar visits local substance abuse program

09/30/2009
Grant to fund study of redeveloped schoolyards' impact on health of children

09/23/2009
Walking is good for you -- unless ...

09/16/2009
Interaction with first-year students the focus at symposium

09/02/2009
Student wins first Zinke Award for economics paper

08/19/2009
Study: Redheads more likely to fear dental pain

08/06/2009
Budding authors explore the art of writing

07/23/2009
Migraines and academic performance

07/08/2009
UC Denver Downtown Campus Business School receives $1 million gift from EnCana

06/24/2009
Study: Breastfed babies do well in high school, go on to college

06/04/2009
Diabetes pioneer receives lifetime achievement award

05/20/2009
UC Denver submits hundreds of grant proposals for stimulus funding