Sharing similarities and differences: university students from UAM meet with students from Mississippi (photo( Mary Helen W. Espinosa) Poverty and crime. These were the two answers repeatedly given during an intercultural exchange between students from Universidad Americana’s college program in English (UAM CUSE) and students from Alcorn State University in Mississippi on Nov. 24.
After randomly pairing together, the students began by asking each other to state the first things that came to mind in response to the words “Nicaragua” and “Mississippi.” Each group of students had similar responses: poverty and crime. Yes, Nicaragua is surpassed only by Haiti in levels of poverty in the hemisphere. It is also true that Mississippi is also consistently ranked among the poorest of the 50 states in the United States. But their relative crime statistics, when compared with neighboring countries and other U.S. states, bear out the fact that the existence of poverty does not equate to crime.
We officially opened our new academic year with our UAM-CUSE Orientation 2012. Students were able to learn more about our college’s regulations, programs, and co-curricular activities. Moreover, students were able to learn more about each other and construct a spirit of teamship through the day. Thanks to all those who participated in this activity!
