Spain study abroad trip lacks students

by Caleb Fort

Daily Lobo

A program that allows students

to study in Spain for a month

might not happen this summer.

This year not enough students

from New Mexico Highlands

University were interested in the

program that alternates between

UNM and NMHU.

That's why NMHU decided to

attract UNM students, said James

Gutierrez, the program liaison between

the two universities.

About 15 to 20 students will go

on the trip to Trujillo, Spain, he

said. The program needs 10 more

students from UNM to be feasible,

he said.

"We have about 30,000 students

here," Gutierrez said. "It

seems like we should be able to

get 10 that are interested."

Student Ana-Lisa Montoya,

who is participating in the program,

said she wants to get international

experience that will help

her in the future.

"I maybe want to do international

business, and you can't

do international business unless

you've traveled places internationally,"

she said. "I just want to

apply it to real life."

Participants will earn nine

credits from NMHU, and pay

$650 for tuition. The same number

of credits at UNM for the

summer costs $1,027. However,

students need to confirm with

their adviser that they can transfer

the NMHU credits to UNM,

Gutierrez said.

Students will pay about $1,900

for food and lodging during the

trip, and must buy their own airline

ticket, he said. The total cost

will probably be about $3,500, he

said.

Students will stay with host

families.

Student Danielle Goetz said she

was interested in the program but

decided not to go.

"I can't afford that thing," she

said. "I thought it was going to be

a little cheaper."

Montoya, who has studied

abroad twice in Mexico, said she

doesn't mind the price.

"I think the price is fine," she

said. "It might seem a little steep,

but after college it's not often you

get to get up and go somewhere

for that amount of time."

If enough students sign up, the

students will be in Spain from

June 24 to July 24, Gutierrez

said.

Goetz said she did not like that

she would be staying with a host

family.

"I thought we were going to be

living in a college or dormitory or

something," she said.

However, Montoya said that

was something she liked about the

program. Living in the dorms is

no different than living in America,

she said.

"You go to American places to eat,

you hang out with your American

friends, and you talk about American

things," she said. "I think you're

missing out on a big part of it if you

don't stay with a host family."

Students do not have to speak

Spanish to participate in the program,

Gutierrez said. Classes

will be taught by NMHU faculty.

Courses include a class about

travel journals, a class about

Spanish business and an independent

study, which allows students

to create their own class.

However, he said even students

who don't speak Spanish will

probably pick up quite a bit.

"You can take a Spanish class,

and you're there maybe two or three

hours a week," he said. "But when

you're in Spain, you have billboards

and people singing on the streets

- you're totally immersed in it."

At NMHU, the program is

called Study in Spain. At UNM it

is called Conexiones, Spanish for

"connections." However, UNM's

program offers different classes

and also travels to Mexico.

The UNM program has been

going to Spain since 1995. This

is the program's third year at

NMHU.

Students interested in the program

need to register by April 30, he

said. They can call (505) 429-2328

or e-mail jigutierrez@hotmail.com.