Students to take spring spring break in Germany

As many University students are boarding airplanes bound for close encounters of the spring break kind in March, over 20 University students will be flying the friendly skies to Germany. The students, all members of Awareness of International Markets (AIM), are participants in the student-run group's spring break trip to Germany and Belgium. The group, which will travel with faculty advisor and Assistant Legal Studies Professor William Laufer, will spend the majority of the trip visiting German corporations such as Dainler-Benz, Lowenbrau breweries, and Deutche Bank -- the "Citibank" of Germany. They will also travel to Brussels to spend a day at the European Community headquarters. "[The trip] is an interactive program," said Wharton sophomore Peter Ehrich, a trip participant. "The students give a lot to the program and also get a lot out of it." Ehrich, who also participated in last year's AIM-sponsored trip to Japan and helped to coordinate the upcoming trip, said the group is comprised of students who are "primarily involved in business." He added that the main thrust of the program is to increase awareness of global markets. In preparation for the European trip, AIM is sponoring a six-week lecture series which is already underway, Wharton junior Greg Woodie said. He added that the lectures are being given by people both within and outside the University. The last two have been about German history and the rest will "move into the German educational system, business practices, religion, and culture," Woodie said. In addition to the formal lectures, Wharton junior Kurt Apen, another participant, said the group is planning a series of "social events" for the entire group before they head to Europe. He said that many activities -- which may include eating at a German restaurant and viewing a German exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art -- will center around learning about German culture. "We are planning a lot of different activities as far as just trying to get to know each other when we get there," Apen said. Participants in the trip said they are very excited about their upcoming adventure for many reasons, including learning about a different economic system and soaking up German culture. "It will be interesting to see how Germany [which is concentrating on internal organization] will view its role in the European Community and the rest of the world," said Maribelle Bernabe, administration chairperson for AIM. The Wharton sophomore added that although participants cannot be expected to "totally absorb German culture" in one week, they will learn a lot from the combination of the trip and the lecture series. "We want to see what drives the German mentality," Bernabe said. AIM is a student-operated organization which began last year when a Wharton student petitioned the school's faculty to establish a group which would enable students to learn about economic systems throughout the world. The petition was accepted, and membership recruitment for the independent club began last year. Apen said that each participant was required to go through an application process which included a short written portion as well as a 30-minute interview with the student leaders of AIM.

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