MUDEC Student Handbook
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COVER 2014-15 MUDEC Student Handbook MiamiOH.edu/luxembourg Contents WELCOME - 3 IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION - 4 LUXEMBOURG & THE CHATEAU - 6 • Map • Living in Luxembourg • The Chateau PRE-DEPARTURE - 11 • Checklist (things to do before leaving) • Cross-Cultural Engagement & Goal Setting • Maintaining Eligibility • Scholarships, Financial Aid & Making Payments • Orientation • Academics • Passports & Visas • Housing • Money Matters • Health Prep • Getting There • Packing & Luggage ON THE GROUND - 31 • Culture Shock & Revisiting Goals • Residency Permit Reminder • Important Policies • Transportation • Registering for Next Semester - Revisited • Housing Revisited • Budgeting Revisited • Student Activities • Technology and Staying in Touch • Health Abroad • Safety Abroad • Independent European Travel POST-MUDEC 47 • Reverse Culture Shock • Staying Connected to your Study Abroad Experience Welcome Dear Student, Congratulations on your acceptance and welcome to MUDEC! Program Introduction Located in the historic Château de Differdange, the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) has been a leader in international education since the program’s inception in 1968. With over 45 years of superior educational opportunities in a historic yet grandly modernized European environment, MUDEC’s distinguished program boasts the expertise of past ambassadors, government officials, linguistic experts, and educators well known in the country for their excellence. Concerts at the Philharmonie (Luxembourg’s modern concert hall), visits to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, and weekly lectures and/or activities from prominent Europeans remain unique features of the program. Students acquire foreign languages by linguistic and cultural opportunities and develop a cultivated repertoire of customs, travel and food—all of which easily attest to the high quality of the MUDEC program. Studying in Luxembourg is enrichment for the rest of your life and gives you the foundation to do anything! The Château de Differdange Situated in a park at the center of Differdange, Luxembourg is MUDEC’s Château de Differdange, a 15th-century castle modernized to meet the needs of a 21st century education. Once a stopping point for Charles the Bold (Charles le Téméraire), the Château offers MUDEC students a computer lab, Wi-Fi, an extensive upper-foyer lounge, a library, a grande salle des fêtes (the Grand Hall), additional study lounges, staff and faculty offices, classrooms, and of course the Cave. Some faculty and staff, including the Dean, live in the Château. The Cave, MUDEC’s student lounge (once the Château’s wine cellar), is a comfortable, quiet space. Appointed with couches, a study area, a TV, and Wi-Fi access, students can relax, do homework, and plan out their weekends. The Cave offers a kitchenette equipped with plates, silverware, microwaves, refrigerators, and a small dining area. The Cave also houses MUDEC’s laundry facilities, lockers, a foosball table and vending machines. We urge you to read the contents of this handbook for important details concerning a variety of topics ranging from academics and pre-departure logistics to culture shock, health & safety, and housing. Feel free to contact our MUDEC staff members – in Oxford or in Luxembourg – for any questions, and we look forward to getting to know you better as you begin your exciting journey abroad! Best regards, The MUDEC Staff MUDEC Student Handbook { 3 Important Contact Information Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) in Differdange, Luxembourg 1, Impasse du Château, L-4524 Differdange, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Main Switchboard – Tel: 011-352-58-22-221, Fax: 011-352-58-22-22-204 Château Hours of Operation Monday-Thursday, 8:00 am – 10:00 pm Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday, closed except before mid-terms and finals Dr. Thierry Leterre, Dean Tel: 011-352-58-22-22-201 (office), Email: [email protected] Contact Dr. Leterre for any questions about: • The European Experience credit • Disciplinary issues • Missing/lost passports • General health & safety information Raymond Manes, Assistant Dean Tel: 011-352-58-22-22-202 (office), Email: [email protected] Contact Mr. Manes for any questions about: • Course schedules and time conflicts • Cashless accounts • Force-adds • Outstanding bills • Language petitions • Independent studies • Study tour information Crici Dumont, Housing Coordinator Tel: 011-352-58-22-22-206 (office), Email: [email protected] Contact Ms. Dumont for any questions about: • Homestay requests • Questions about living in Lux • Homestay assistance in Lux (transportation, hairdresser, medical • Student residency permit process appointments, etc.) • Laundry tokens 4 } MUDEC Student Handbook Carlo Specchio, IT Services/Librarian Tel: 011-352-58-22-22-210 (office), Email: [email protected] Contact Mr. Specchio for any questions about: • Textbook ordering and textbooks in • Computer and printing assistance at general the Château • Checking out books from MUDEC’s library Katie Grady, Student Activities Coordinator Tel: 011-352-58-22-22-205, Email: [email protected] Contact Ms. Grady for any questions about: • Student activities • Culture shock • Weekly meal schedules • Participating in local Discovery Tours • Joining the Student-Faculty Council • European travel Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) Office in Oxford, Ohio 217-222 MacMillan Hall, 501 E. Spring Street, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA Main Line – Tel: 513-529-5050. Fax: 513-529-5051 Email: [email protected] Lux Office Hours of Operation Academic Year: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Summer: Monday-Friday, 7:30am – 4:30 pm Lynn Butler, Coordinator Tel: 513-529-9694, Email: [email protected] Contact Ms. Butler for any questions about: • The application process • Program deposits • Academic advising and course • Scholarships offerings • Becoming a MUDEC Student • Pre-departure orientation sessions Ambassador in Oxford • Lux Club Gina Asalon, Advisor Tel: 513-529-8372, Email: [email protected] Contact Ms. Asalon for any questions about: • The application process • Program deposits • Academic advising and course • Scholarships offerings • Becoming a MUDEC Student • Pre-departure orientation sessions Ambassador in Oxford • Lux Club MUDEC Student Handbook { 5 Luxembourg and the Château Living in Luxembourg Luxembourg: More than 1000 years of history in the heart of Europe Luxembourg, located between Belgium, Germany and France, is a small country just 51 miles (82 km) from north to south and 35 miles (57 km) from east to west. The charm of the Grand Duchy is enhanced by its towering castles, famous abbeys and medieval cities; its old battlements mingle within the modern Luxembourg City. The passing of the Celts and the presence of the Romans have left significant traces on its present territory. When Siegfried, Count of the powerful House of Ardennes, chose to build his castle in 963 on land he purchased from a Trier monastery, he set into motion centuries of expansion and growth, violent and turbulent wars and a culture that truly appreciates independence and the right of self-rule. The fruits of Siegfried’s labors are still visible today near the Grund in the city of Luxembourg. Luxembourg became the home of one of the most powerful dynasties of the Middle Ages, the House of Luxembourg, which produced four emperors for the Holy Roman Empire, four kings for Bohemia and one king for Hungary. The names of Henry VII, John the Blind, a Luxembourg national hero, Wenceslas, Charles IV and Sigismund recall this period of Luxembourg’s history ending in the 15th century. Then a long period of foreign domination followed, which ended only in the 19th century. During the 15th and 17th centuries, Luxembourg experienced devastating disease and starvation which resulted in waves of émigrés. American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt descended from one of those families. Political unrest in the 1830’s led to the transfer of the western, French-speaking areas of Luxembourg to Belgium. The remaining Luxembourgish-speaking areas later became the independent Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It was only in 1867 with the Treaty of London that Luxembourg attained total independence. The price of Luxembourg’s freedom and neutrality was a complete dismantling of the mighty fortress, although some parts of it still remain in the city today. Luxembourg was not immune to the worldwide depression in the 1920s, but rebounded with the industrial revolution and the growing prosperity of the three steel and iron factories, which remain among the world’s leading steel producers. The occupation of German troops during both World Wars imposed a terrible hardship on Luxembourgers, but they persevered with inspirational radio messages of hope transmitted by Grand Duchess Charlotte, who was living in exile. The second liberation by American troops in 1945 cemented a relationship characterized by a deep respect and true friendship that has since continued between the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the United States. Excerpts from an address by George Koenig, quoted after Living in Luxembourg by the American Women’s Club of Luxembourg, 13th Edition, 1996-1997; and The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Press and Information Service, Luxembourg Government, 1993. 6 } MUDEC Student Handbook More Information about Luxembourg GOOD MANNERS Social situations are generally more formal in Luxembourg than in the U.S. Greet clerks when entering public places with moien, bonjour or Guten Tag and say addi, au