Few attend Penn Abroad Fair

The brie, hummus, fortune cookies, tortillas, guacamole and other international delicacies that covered tables in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge went untouched yesterday. Although those who organized the Penn Abroad Fair had hoped that hundreds of students would take advantage of the resources offered, the lounge remained mostly empty throughout the afternoon. Sponsored by the Office of International Programs and Penn Summer Abroad, the fair boasted 150 programs in 52 countries. Faculty and recent alumni manned tables arranged by geography or language and covered with ethnic foods and brochures. "The Penn Abroad Fair is the best way for students to find out about Penn Abroad programs in one place," said Penn Summer Abroad Director Elizabeth Sachs, adding that interested students should view all of their options at once rather than call the coordinators of the various programs. Penn Abroad features programs in places including Italy, Africa, East Asia and Australia. They run year-long, semester-long or for the summer. "More information generates interest by undergraduates," said Amy Kidd Raphael, marketing and outreach coordinator for the Office of International Programs. "They realize that they can speak only English and study in Prague or Italy." Just as the student turnout was relatively low, some Penn Abroad program tables were left empty as representatives did not show. One Penn Abroad program that was featured at the fair -- junior year in Munich -- lasts the academic year, counts for five credits and requires a prerequisite of German 004. Students from Penn, University of Chicago, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Yale universities attend and professors from these schools teach them on a rotating basis. "The purpose of this program is to immerse students of German in the culture, to breathe, eat, go out, and drink German," said German Professor Francis Brevart. "Every thought is in German. Two weeks is not enough." Brevart added that American students tend to make more lasting connections with German students during a year-long program than they would in a shorter time-span. Conversely, summer programs in London and Prague can be exclusively in English. These types of programs do allow students to fulfill Penn requirements, but also include travel and, in some cases, internships. According to Kidd Raphael, 400 students came to the fair last year. Sachs noted that this year's turnout was particularly disappointing because the fair was widely publicized. Sachs and Kidd Raphael also created a variety of incentives for student attendance, including a raffle that awarded gift certificates to The Book Store, international music and ethnic foods. The extensive opportunities the fair provided allowed the students who did attend to learn a great deal. College sophomore Emily Topf, for instance, was able to tell students about the Munich program, relating many anecdotes about her great times in Germany. Topf added that as much as she loves the University, she got much out of her experience abroad and hoped that other students would take advantage of the opportunity.