USAC to begin programs in Cuba, Brazil

USAC to begin programs in Cuba, Brazil
By: Megan Ortiz
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - 5:06 PM

Purple- Countries with USAC programs, Green- Countries without USAC
programs, Orange- Countries that will have new USCA programs in 2013

The University Studies Abroad Consortium will open two new programs in
Brazil and Cuba in the next year.

Adding to the existing South American location in Santiago, Chile,
spring semester 2013 will mark the inaugural session of USAC's new
specialty study program in Florianópolis, Brazil. USAC specialty
programs represent an extension of the U.S. member universities as
opposed to partnership programs which act as exchange-based agreements.

McKenzi Swinehart, program adviser and USAC alumna, said the program
has been in development for about a year and a half.

"There has been a real interest in South America," Swinehart said.
"Brazil has just been up and coming a lot."

Floripa, as the locals call it, is a sub-tropical island in the southern
part of Brazil, and was voted one of the ten most dynamic cities in the
world in 2006 by Newsweek magazine. With many beaches and a close
proximity to other major cities in Brazil like Curitiba and Rio de
Janeiro, Swinehart said the new program should be an attractive option
for students
interested in economics and natural resources.

The program will also have opportunities students in need of language
credits, a requirement for most majors on the University of Nevada, Reno
campus and a requirement for any USAC student.

"Students at an advanced Spanish level have the option of direct
enrolling at the host university," Swinehart said. "Although Portuguese
is difficult, they feel that because the two are similar that students
at a high level could succeed quite well."

USAC is also opening a specialty program located in Havana, Cuba that
will begin as a five-week program in the summer of 2013. The project has
already had a first run as a field study program during the summer.

An option only for USAC students studying in one of three Costa Rica
locations, the Cuba program this summer was a six-day, five-night option
for students interested in Cuban culture, history and food. Justin
Lopez, UNR student and USAC alumnus of Chile and Costa Rica,
participated in the Cuba program during the summer.

"What drew me in was the same thing that made me incredibly nervous: The
fact that it was forbidden for U.S. citizens to go there," Lopez said.

Lopez said he quickly realized, however, that Cuba, or at least Havana,
has something intangible that drew him in. According to Swinehart,
Havana is a safe place.

"Because the field study is so short, students actually get to stay in a
hotel," Swinehart said. "It's different than our other full programs,
because of recent changes in law and the shortness of it, so the
students are together all of the time with a guide, showing them as many
aspects of Havana from a local's point of view."

Lopez enjoyed this, saying the entire city exudes the rhythm of Cuban
salsa and the flavor of Cuban food. But he worries that when the full
program opens, there could be some apprehension due to the difficulty of
contacting one's family from the island.

However, Lopez said he recommends the program to any student.

"There's no other place in the world that compares to this small
island," Lopez said.

Megan Ortiz can be reached at mortiz@nevadasagebrush.com.

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2012/09/05/usac-to-begin-programs-in-cuba-brazil/