In forming the European Society, our goal was to create a student-run organization that would attract a wide range of students from or interested in Europe, who will work together to promote and raise awareness of European cultures. The purpose of the European Society is to develop, foster, and maintain communication between students from Europe and bond them with the members of the university community whom are affiliated, interested, or involved in matters relating to Europe. Our activities revolve around promoting European culture, history, and politics as well as to highlight the countries from Europe that are represented by students at the University campus. From weekly meetings to forum discussions to social gatherings, the European Society, in its first year alone, has flourished into a diverse group of wonderful people. We hope to continue to grow and attract more students with these common bonds and interests.

In just our first semester, the European Society attracted nearly 40 active members and who represented over 15 different countries in Europe. All of the students who became involved expressed true enthusiasm about the formation of this organization, and were very glad to finally have the chance to meet people with similar backgrounds and interests. The European Society offered a way through which students could promote the unique aspects of their individual cultures as it fits into one cohesive European group. Our organization was met with a very high demand, and even attracted a number of American students equally interested in Europe.

The European Society's activities throughout the first semester were aimed at uniting students who would join together to promote European cultures and facilitate the relations between the European organizations and students. We immediately started working with the admissions office, serving as contacts for prospective students from Europe. Last semester we produced the first European Society Newsletter, which offered information about U** for international prospects, and was directly distributed to many high schools throughout Europe. The European Society quickly became a strong and integral part of our experience, serving as an active point reference for admissions administrators, prospective European students, current international students, other students with ties to Europe, and cultural societies representing individual countries in Europe.

Our first main event after the official formation of the society was a program sponsored by the International Center that we titled "Backpacking through Europe". It was designed as a virtual tour of 7 different European cities, featuring traveling and site-seeing tips from insiders. One or two of our members from each city prepared a brief presentation and slide show about the unique features and attractions that a backpacker should visit, along with information about the unique culture of that area. In addition to the presentations, students prepared musical performances that related to each of the cities; for example, a Spanish guitar duo, an acoustic version of a Beatles song, a Turkish band, piano performances, Italian and French duet. After the program was over we had a reception for the 75-100 people who had attended, and were complimented many times for the success of our group. All the members that were involved in putting on this event showed enthusiasm and dedication, and the bond between everyone was greatly strengthened.

The European Society organized several other equally successful activities during its first year. We organized two lecture forums about current issue dealing with Europe, the first at which Professor Sofka spoke about the enlargement of the European Union, and the second at which Professor Kumar spoke about Muslim integration in Western Europe. These presentations allowed members of the ES to discuss and debate about these issues, and also emphasize the importance of these issues to many students. Last semester we also participated in Culture Fest, where we prepared a fashion show of modern European Style. Finally, the European Society has so far organized two very successful end-of-the-semester parties, joining forces with other cultural societies to bring international nightlife.

With the joint forces of all the students involved, the European Society hopes to continue to grow and carry out its mission for years to come.

Celine Clark
President 2003