W H A T ’ S

I N S I D E

Primannum

Members

Abroad

2

Study Abroad

Office &

International

Groups

3

Alternative

Breaks & the

Language

House

4

PHS Spotlight 5

Opportunities

& PHS Events

6

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Newsletter O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1

PRIMANNUM HONOR SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER

STAFF :

Christine Poisson

Molly Bumbera

David Oliver

Tacy Lambiase

Olga Kushnir

Chelsea Kajs

Emily Stern

Angelica Eng

Newsletter Chair

Christina Lee

VP of Communications

Brought to you

by Primannum’s

Communications

Committee

This month’s newsletter theme is Global. As the new school year comes into full swing, many exciting opportunities await you. President Wallace D. Loh said at the beginning of the school year, “Diversity is one of the great strengths at this university.” So, let’s embrace this diversity, reach out to new experiences and cultures, and see what the world has to offer!

By Olga Kushnir See the World—Study Abroad! Studying Abroad is a very

important experience to

have in college. There are

many reasons to study

abroad, and there is no rea-

son why you shouldn’t do it!

You will never have the kind

of opportunity you have in

college to go live in another

country for an extended

period of time with no wor-

ries! All that you have to do

is attend classes, which is

what you would be doing at

the University of Maryland

(UMD) anyway! After gradu-

ation, most students try to

find a job and start their

“real life,” and usually do not

have much time to travel the

world. When studying

abroad; however, you can

still go to school, take your

classes, live in an amazing

learning environment, and

see the world outside of

Maryland. You can also learn

a new language while study-

ing abroad as well!

UMD offers many differ-

ent programs for studying

abroad and works hard to

help you find a program that

is best for you! There are

many scholarships and grants

for studying abroad so never

let money hold you back.

If you would like to find

the program that fits you

best, go to http://

www.international.umd.edu/

studyabroad/. Then, go to

“Explore Programs” and you

can search for the program

that is best for you. They

have a program that fits eve-

ryone! You can go anywhere

the road takes you.

P A G E 2

Studying Abroad Down Under

As a junior last spring,

Katie wanted an adventure,

so she decided to study

abroad in Sydney, Australia,

with the Education Abroad

Network. In Sydney, Katie

was enrolled in four courses:

Modern American History,

Australian T.V. and Cinema

and two European history

classes. “I took my classes

seriously and enjoyed the

higher level of interaction

between faculty and stu-

dents,” Katie said.

While not in class, Katie

enjoyed various outdoor

activities and excursions that

allowed her to appreciate

Australia’s natural beauty.

Some of her favorite memo-

ries are from the scenic walk

between her apartment and

the nearby surfing beach.

The group also camped for

four days on a sand island,

where they skydived, snor-

keled and rafted, and took a

trip to New Zealand’s south

island for a week. “I shared

so many laughs and thrills

with the friends I made in my

program, and will never for-

get them,” Katie said.

For Katie, there were

two small drawbacks to stud-

ying in Australia. One was

the lack of exoticism; Aus-

tralian culture is fundamen-

tally similar to American

culture, she explained. The

other issue was how expen-

sive everything was. To put it

into perspective, Katie was

never able to visit the Out-

back because flights to that

region cost roughly $600.

But overall, Katie had an

“incredible adventure” and

recommends study abroad

programs to all interested

students.

Happy studying!

By Emily Stern

Study Abroad: Destination Dublin Julia Laws couldn’t wait

to get out of the coun-

try. Last June, she and a

small group of students had

the opportunity to study

abroad in Dublin, Ireland for

two weeks through a Univer-

sity of Maryland-sponsored

program.

For Julia, this was an ex-

citing and long-awaited op-

portunity to explore a new

environment and earn col-

lege credit at the same time.

“It was a really exciting op-

portunity that I was present-

ed with,” Julia said. “I was

able to complete three cred-

its in just two weeks while

having a wonderful time.”

The course that Julia and

her fellow trip mates took

while in Ireland was centered

on the writings of James

Joyce, the famous Irish au-

thor who penned the classic

novel Ulysses. While some

consider Ulysses to be quite a

long and daunting novel, Julia

remarked that she “was able

to experience a whole new

culture” through reading and

studying one of Ireland’s

greatest works.

“It’s entirely different

from learning in a class-

room,” she said. “I would

definitely encourage students

to study abroad. It’s an op-

portunity that you just can’t

duplicate outside of the col-

lege environment.”

If you are interested in

learning more about the

many study abroad opportu-

nities that the University of

Maryland has to offer, visit

www.international.umd.edu/

studyabroad/.

By Tacy Lambiase

P A G E 3

An Internationally Focused Community There is no debate that

the University of Maryland,

College Park (UMD) is a very

diverse community. Howev-

er, over the years as a stu-

dent at UMD, I have person-

ally come to notice how

internationally based our

student population really is.

If you think about it, we are

directly in the middle of two

major cities (Baltimore and

Washington, DC), making

the campus attractive to

exchange students.

Have you ever wondered

what the actual number of

international students on our

campus is? Well, through a

little research I discovered

that there are over 3,600

international students, over

1,100 international faculty

members, and more than

150 countries represented at

UMD! The University of

Maryland’s Office of Interna-

tional Services (OIS) is a

great resource for finding

out about the international

student population. On their

website,

www.international.umd.edu/

ies/, OIS boasts that for over

15 years, the University of

Maryland has been ranked

among “the top 20 U.S. uni-

versities serving international

students.”

In addition to the high

international population,

UMD is also very well en-

dowed in student clubs and

organizations that are global-

ly focused. For example, on

the Student Activities Re-

porting System (STARS)

website, I looked up a few of

these student groups and

found a wide variety. They

spanned from clubs such as

International TERPS, which

allows for socializing and

networking between interna-

tional students, faculty and

staff, to the International

Student Volunteers, a club

centered on inspiring stu-

dents to take their passion

for volunteering in the com-

munity and expand it to vol-

unteering abroad.

I am personally involved

in one of the many interna-

tionally focused clubs on

campus, the Global Business

Society (GBS). Our mission

is to spread interest in and

awareness of international

business through guest

speakers, globally themed

events, and networking op-

portunities. We have events

throughout the semester

dedicated to stressing the

importance of becoming

globally aware especially in

today’s extremely intercon-

nected society. One of the

events we hold in September

is a welcome back network-

ing dinner to acclimate the

Smith School exchange stu-

dents and allow them to

meet American students.

This year we are expecting

fifteen exchange students,

representing countries such

as Australia and China.

As you can see, there are

many clubs focused on either

integrating international stu-

dents into the UMD commu-

nity or teaching American

students about the endless

opportunities that exist out-

side our borders. So, if you

are at all interested in be-

coming globally aware or

connected with our interna-

tional students, check out

the STARS website and join

one of the many internation-

ally focused groups on cam-

pus!

By Molly Bumbera

Find Out More About Study Abroad

Studying abroad is an

exciting, life-changing oppor-

tunity for college students,

and the University of Mary-

land’s (UMD) programs are

no exception. There are a

plethora of programs inter-

nationally, including Spain,

Israel, Austria, Germany,

England and more. Although

funding study abroad is not

cheap, many scholarships

provide students with the

chances of a lifetime to learn,

grow and have fun for a se-

mester (fall, winter, spring

and/or summer) or year.

One can visit 1125 Hol-

zapfel Hall during walk-in

hours for more information.

To make an appointment,

call (301)314-7746 or e-mail

educationbroad@umd.edu.

You can also check out

http://www.international.

umd.edu/studyabroad/.

By David Oliver

The University of Maryland’s

Study Abroad Office is locat-

ed in Holzapfel Hall (above).

DID YOU KNOW?

UMD has:

...Over 3,600

international

students

...Over 1,100

international

faculty

members

…More than

150

countries

represented

UMD’s Study

Abroad Office

is open

Monday thru

Friday from

8:30am—

4:30pm.

P A G E 4

Living-Learning and a Love of Language If you are looking to get a

truly “global” experience

during college, then the Uni-

versity of Maryland’s Lan-

guage House may be for

you.

Primannum member Car-

rie Hildebrandt is a current

resident of the Language

House, located in St. Mary’s

Hall. She lives with six other

female residents in an apart-

ment, or “language cluster.”

What makes this program

special is the fact that Carrie

and her apartment mates are

expected to speak their cho-

sen language, French, about

80 percent of the time while

in their apartment.

“By speaking French to

your suitemates, you can

learn so many everyday

words that you don’t learn in

c l a s s , ” C a r r i e e x -

plained. “I’ve also become

better at con jugat ing

verbs. So far it’s been an

amazing opportunity to prac-

tice my French.”

Senior Andrea Smith,

another Language House

student, echoed these senti-

ments. “I’ve gotten so much

better at French,” she said.

“This is my fourth semester

to live in the Language

House, and I love it. I totally

believe in this program.”

Many other languages

besides French are repre-

sented in the Language

House, including Russian,

S p a n i s h , a n d C h i -

nese. Students have to go

through a rigorous applica-

tion process to secure spots

in the language cluster of

their choice, and most are

very serious about becoming

fluent in their language.

“While I recommend this

program to everyone, appli-

cants need to be dedicated

to speaking the language all

of the time,” Andrea ad-

vised. “It’s the only way to

really get the most of out of

the program.”

For Carrie, the experi-

ence has already proven to

be a positive experience. “I

really love the people that

I’ve gotten to meet,” she

said. “I’ve been telling every-

one I know to consider ap-

plying to the Language

House.”

By Tacy Lambiase

Alternative Breaks: Where Will You Go? When many students

think about breaks, usually a

spring break trip to a sunny

destination is the only one

that comes to mind. At the

University of Maryland how-

ever, the Adele H. Stamp

Student Union sponsors Al-

ternative Breaks programs

during winter, spring, and

summer breaks.

Now some college stu-

dents might say, “Why would

I want to give up going on

vacation with my friends?”

Well, alternative breaks offer

an option for you and your

friends to not only have fun

and meet new people, but

also to do something that

can leave a lasting impact on

someone’s life.

The application deadlines

for these programs are in

late September, but even if

you missed this year’s appli-

cation process, it is never

too early to think about next

year’s break opportunities.

There are plenty of trip op-

portunities, from helping the

homeless in Chicago to trav-

eling to the Dominican Re-

public to help improve com-

munity development and

education. Also, if you are

looking to travel somewhere

warm during your winter

break, and still leave a posi-

tive impact on the communi-

ty that you visit, there is

even a program to help im-

prove the environment in

the Bahamas. These are just

a few of the many opportuni-

ties that you would be able

to participate in during these

a l t e r n a t i v e b r e a k s .

Taylor, a junior in

Primannum, reflected on her

alternative break and said, “It

was a nice change to spend

my spring break knowing

that I was helping others and

I made a lot of friends while I

was there."

As you can see, no mat-

ter where you decide to

travel, or which break you

decide to turn into a memo-

rable one, you will always

remember how you had a

positive impact on someone

else’s life.

By Christine Poisson

Arabic

Chinese

German

French

Hebrew

Italian

Persian

Russian

Japanese

Spanish

Ten language

clusters are

available in the

Language House:

P A G E 5

Monthly Member Spotlight:

Interviewee: Jennifer Harris, Co-President

What is your major and what year are you?

Major: Government & Politics

Minor: Philosophy

Year: Senior

Where are you from?

Mount Airy, MD

Tell me something interesting about yourself.

I am actually terrified of speaking in front of large

amounts of people or being confronted with difficult ques-

tions; but it’s something that I try to do at every

Primannum meeting. Practice makes perfect!

Why did you decide to join Primannum and why is

it important to you?

I decided to join Primannum first of all because it was

a combination of two nationally recognized honor socie-

ties. I thought that the requirements to gain access were

difficult to attain and that Primannum would be a society

that I could spend time in for the next four years.

It is important to me because I want to provide fellow

students with activities that make them better people

while also helping them enjoy their time here. I like ser-

vice activities and think the power behind a large group

with a motive is an extraordinary thing. I like how there

are leadership opportunities throughout the organization

and I especially like how involved our advisors are with

the society. It is something that I have now been a part of

for four years and it means a lot to me.

Interviewee: Danielle Safran, Co-President

What is your major and what year are you?

Double Major: Economics and Government &

Politics

Year: Senior

Where are you from?

Stony Brook, NY

Tell me something interesting about yourself.

I studied abroad in Chile for three weeks where I

helped out at a summer camp for underprivileged

children, whitewater rafted and repelled down wa-

terfalls.

What is your role within Primannum and how

are you an actively involved member?

I am Co-President of Primannum Honor Society. I

oversee the executive board, correspond with the

advisors and serve as a liaison for Phi Eta Sigma and

Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Societies.

In the fall of my sophomore year, I decided to be

on the event planning committee. In the spring of my

sophomore year, Jennifer Harris and I were asked to

be co-Vice President of Event Planning which we

both enthusiastically accepted.

The executive board and I aspire to enrich the

Honor Society beyond its previous echelon to bring

superior experiences to all of Primannum’s members.

Primannum’s Co-Presidents, Jennifer Harris & Danielle Safran

By Chelsea Kajs

Jennifer Harrs (left) and

Danielle Safran (right) are

Co-Presidents for the

Primannum Honor Society

for the 2011-2012 year.

P A G E 6

2141 Tydings Hall

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742

Phone: 301-405-1692

E-mail: PrimannumHonorSociety@gmail.com

The Primannum Honor Society is a University of

Maryland Honor Society which represents two

national honor societies, Alpha Lambda Delta and

Phi Eta Sigma. Both of these national honor

societies recognize academic excellence during a

student's first year in college.

Primannum Honor Society

Check out our website at: http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/prim/

October 3—Service Event

Resume and College Statement Letter Workshop, Roosevelt High School (tentative). One point for attending.

October 12—GBM and Enrichment Event

Resume Workshop, 0130 Tydings @ 7 pm. One point for attending.

October 17—Service Event

Project Linus, Somerset Basement @ 7 pm. One point for attending.

October 25—Social and Service Event

Costume Contest & Pumpkin Decorating, 0130 Tydings @ 7pm. One point for attending.

Opportunities on Campus

Upcoming Primannum Events

FIFA ‘12 Tournament

October 7 at 8 pm—12 am in the TerpZone Lounge

Free entry prizes for top finishers in tournament

To find out the rules, go to http://www.thestamp.umd.edu/TerpZone

Free Practice GRE, MCAT, LSAT, GMAT, PCAT, DAT and OAT

October 8 at 11 a.m. in the Armory

To register, fill out the form at http://bit.ly/UMDFallPracticeTest8

Apply to be an RA!

Online Application Deadline: October 12

All applicants must attend an info session before submitting an application.

For more information, go to http://www.resnet.umd.edu/raposition

Become a counselor at the UMD Help Center

Call (301) 314-HELP to schedule an interview or ask for details. If selected, you must be available October 19

from 7-9:30 p.m. and October 22 and 23 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.