My name is Roberta Gregoli, I am 26 years old from Campinas, Brazil, and am a second year student of the Crossways in Humanities programme. My mobility track is Sheffield-Perpignan-Sheffield-Lisbon.
I would like to put my name forward as Crossways Representative, as I feel I have the personal qualities and commitment to carry out this role. I am already enthusiastically involved in supporting the programme and my experience in this has given me deep insight, and considerable ideas to carry out the role efficiently and be of best service to Crossways' students.
I personally founded an email-group for students of my programme (2007-2008), which through the support of many others has provided a simple but powerful tool to share knowledge and experience. I am also editor of the official Crossways blog, which with the contributors’ help has been a great tool providing updated news and information for all students. As Brazil Country Representative, I have been promoting the Erasmus Mundus programme in general and the Crossways programme specifically in my home country. On my own initiative, I have conducted promotional seminars in both Sao Paulo and Rio states, and am continuing to provide information and assistance to those interested in applying for courses.
Through my work with the EMA Latin American Promotions team, I have learned a lot about the Erasmus Mundus Association. As Crossways Rep, I would be able to draw on this knowledge, relationships and experience, to best promote Crossways' students' interests within the EMA.
As Crossways Representative, in addition to fulfilling my other important duties, I would particularly like to strengthen our network in order to ensure everyone feels they have the adequate support when moving from one country to another and also to create a sense of community within the programme. Thus, I would like to help build this by establishing:
1) General Meetings through Skype
I had in mind the organisation of at least two general meetings during the semester with all interested students through Skype. Two weeks prior to such meetings, everybody would be able to send topics to be discussed and I would organize the meeting’s agenda. A second meeting would then happen as a follow-up to this one in order to check what was achieved, assess action and discuss new topics and/or strategies. I would be responsible to organise the dates, conduct the meeting and report to the entire Crossways community. Ideally, the meetings would happen before the beginning of each semester, as this is the time when everybody is curious and keen to know more about the following semester’s city and university.
2) Students Questionnaire and Feedback
I would like to create a questionnaire to hear the students’ opinion on how to improve the programme. We currently have questionnaires of some individual universities of the consortium, but this questionnaire’s aim would be to enhance the Crossways programme as a whole. Through the answers to this questionnaire, I could then generate a report and perform the follow-up together with the Crossways coordinating team.
3) General Meeting
I would like to attempt to gather together all (or most) Crossways students at least once during the next academic year. This topic would have to be thoroughly discussed with the Crossways coordinating team in order to ensure that it is viable financially and practically. Notwithstanding, I would be committed and give my best for that to happen.
The Erasmus Mundus is a unique and wonderful programme. However, being relatively new, it requires considerable work and ideas to promote the programme, and to enable it to run more smoothly and efficiently.
I believe I have the ability, enthusiasm and commitment to assist and serve Crossways students in the best way possible, which will lead to a more enjoyable and rewarding experience for all.
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VISELLI Antonio
Dear Crossways students,
Students in their second year of the “Crossways” programme already know and first year students will soon find out that being part of the consortium “Crossways in European Humanities” means contributing to a large and diverse community. Rooted in different backgrounds, whether meeting in Italy, England, France or elsewhere, we share stories, knowledge or a glass of wine and a typical dish, learning as much from every individual around the table as well as acclimatizing oneself to a new city, country, culture and language barriers. Recent discussions among students have demonstrated the pros and cons of the programme and the lifestyle we have adopted, personal opinions obviously at some times dividing students as well as unifying them.
The role of a student representative, I believe, is to voice certain opinions, problems and ideas the student body would have. He or she should be capable of prioritizing, of deciding not only how to act, but what to act on first, how to listen and who to contact when necessary. Despite disparate views and a multitude of arguments and thoughts, there needs to be cohesion. That is what the student representative embodies, the potential voice of all students, because sometimes a sole voice is in need of an echo, not loud enough to make a change on its own.
My name is Antonio Viselli and I am a Canadian student in Crossways currently studying in Perpignan and will be finishing in St. Andrews in May, 2009. I feel that reconciling personal views and problems with those of the group is fundamental to getting things done and not only speaking about problems, but acting on them. Edmund Burke once said: “Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.” I agree in part with Burke; I do have my own opinions about the programme, about specific universities, living and teaching arrangements and I hope to share and discuss these notions with you, because the most efficient way to problem solving is having someone willing to combine acting on his or her own thoughts as well as others’.
I am not one to make false promises. I see this responsibility as the opportunity to become more active in the programme and to make a difference no matter how big or small. I hope to help students when problems arise at a consulate with Visas or other administrative hold backs, as well as stand up for them at an EMA meeting or conference. Following the Erasmus Mundus, I will engage in doctoral studies and am therefore researching possible programmes and fellowships in Europe and elsewhere, opportunities I would like to keep everyone up to date on, much like Izabela Araújo did during the past year. I feel prepared linguistically to be in contact with as many people as possible, students, professors and administrators alike, whether in English, French, Spanish or Italian.
I don’t pretend to have answers to every question or problem, but I do give my word that I will investigate all possibilities and solutions available in order to handle them and to stand up for “Crossways” students. I may not have the verb or ego to wax eloquent about myself, but I do have the nerve to stand up for others, for our group.
I wish all candidates the best of luck and hope that the following year, we will be able to create new contacts, reaffirm the positive work we are all doing and make ameliorative changes to “Crossways in European Humanities.”
Kindest regards,
Antonio Viselli
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