It Takes A Village

A recent evening of African drumming and dance drew a large crowd to Living/Learning's Global Village. (Photo: John Sama)

Just as the global economy, the Internet, the environment and other factors have given half-a-world away all the relevance of down the block, the long-standing internationally themed suites of UVM's Living/Learning complex (L/L), have grown closer this academic year. UVM's nine culture-based residential programs have united in one building and entity, “The Global Village.”

Dennis Mahoney - genial, enthusiastic, exuberantly bearded - is the faculty director at Global Village. The German and Russian professor's experience at the university stretches across more than two decades, and it all started right at L/L, where he and his wife lived in a faculty apartment for three years while he was faculty director of German House. “I have a deep affection for the place,” Mahoney says.

This year, the language/cultural houses of Global Village (Africa House, Canada House, Casa Italiana, Chinese House, German House, Japanese House, La Casa Hispanica, La Maison Francaise and Russian House) have 120 student residents. Running through a highlight reel from the village's first semester, Mahoney mentions some of the rare opportunities the students have been offered – among them, a personal meeting with Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, lunch with Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union, and a moving concert of gospel music by Francois Clemmons.

Heidi Shimada, a junior from Kapolei, Hawaii, says that on the strength of the Global Village the Japanese House is flourishing, growing to 14 students from last year's four. Shimada attended more than 20 internationally themed events last semester as part of her Global Village activities and is involved in helping to plan at least that many for this spring.

Amanda Hower, a first-year student from Salisbury, Conn., lives in Canada House and is studying both Chinese and Spanish at UVM. Deeply interested in the study of language and culture, she says Global Village has been a perfect fit. Hower says that even the daily stuff of conversation with fellow Global Villagers in the laundry room or over tea, has greatly enriched her experience. Enthusiastically, Hower talks about a multiplier effect that happens when Global Village residents gather. She gives the example of a student of Chinese descent who grew up in France and lives in Africa House speaking with another student who studies Spanish and Russian and lives in Canada House. "It's almost like having six people's worth of experience that can be shared and learned from," Hower says.

For more information about UVM's Global Village residential learning community, visit: www.uvm.edu/~rlc/?Page=gvrlc/overview.html