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February 24th, 2022 — Vol. 100, Issue 8
Bon Jour Loras - A French Perspective For the Spring Semester, Loras College has accepted ten students from France. Learn more about their experiences here on campus! by MARK MEDERSON faculty advisor
If you have heard some unusual words coming from the mouths of students who you do not recognize, do not be concerned. Eleven students from Nantes, France are living on campus and attending classes this semester. Like Dubuque, Nantes is situated on a river, the Loire. But that is where the similarities end. “The weather is cold [here] but [it] is cool to see snow because in my region it never snows,” French student Charles Belaud said. While the weather in Dubuque may be colder than in Nantes, many of the French students said the people in Dubuque, and the other students at Loras, have been very warm. “I think what surprised me the most was the kindness and interest of the people towards us,” Alexandra Sire said. “In France, I don’t have the impression that people are as welcoming as here.” The French students are working on their Master’s degrees at their home school, The Institut Catholique d’Etudes Supérieures (Catholic Institute for Higher Studies), or ICES, in France. Here at Loras they are taking undergraduate courses. Cindy Behnke, Loras College Coordinator of Center for Inclusion & Advocacy, said the goal is for them to improve their English and to learn more about politics in the United States. “They hope to take a trip to Des Moines to visit the state capital,” Behnke said. “Several Loras College alum who work in the capital will be giving the French students a tour, unless COVID changes that.” Most of the French students agree that there really were not too many surprises about their first few weeks here in Dubuque. One of the biggest things they have to get used to is the food in the Café. Several said they miss French bread, croissants and cheese. There was one more surprise when it comes to eating on campus.
“I think it’s the mealtimes, especially in the evening,” Mathilde Langlais said. “In France, we never eat that early in the evening. In general, dinner is around 8:30 or 9:00 pm.” French students have been spending a semester at Loras since 2014. They had been going to Divine Word College but wanted to a d d s ome Ame r i c an politics classes and reached out to Loras for help. At first the students were living with host families here in Dubuque, Behnke said. But finding enough families to host them became an issue so they switched to living in the dorms. “We found that they liked the experience of living on campus better,” Behnke said. “They really seemed to get to know other students better and to get a better feel for the community.” The students agree that most everything has gone well at Loras so far. Well, except for an adventure that Florent Gichard, Charles Belaud and Charles Rouland set out to take last week. They rented a car and attempted to drive to Des Moines to do a little sightseeing. They stopped to fuel up the car and mistakenly added diesel fuel instead of gasoline. The car chugged to a stop a few miles after leaving the gas station. They were stranded on a Native American reservation more than three hours
photo by MARK MEDERSON
from Dubuque with no help in sight. “After four hours of waiting, a police car approached us,” Charles Rouland recalled. “The police officer, Jeff, reassured us and called a tow truck.” The three had to stay in a hotel overnight in Marshalltown and missed classes the next day. It was not quite the adventure they had planned. Behnke said the French students are not the only international students on campus. Loras currently enrolls 48 students from 14 different countries from across the globe.
Beckman is Buzzing by MARK MEDERSON faculty advisor
You may have heard the grinding and banging sounds as you passed outside of Beckman Hall. The renovation of the dorm began in earnest back in October and, according to Steve Klaren, the project superintendent for Portzen Construction, the work is proceeding on schedule. Klaren says they are at the framing and mechanical rough-in phase of the project. He said, “It’s going to be tight,” but he is confident his team will be finished in time for students to move in on August 8. Klaren says that one of the new additions to Beckman, the large individual shower stalls on each floor, is the only area where he is concerned about meeting the deadline. In addition to the shower stalls, a central air-conditioning (and heating) system is being added meaning that the building will not have the unsightly AC units poking out of the windows. One of the only new additions that is visible on the exterior of the building is a new window on the corner of the first floor facing Loras Blvd. All of the windows in the building will eventually match the new corner window. While the new windows will not have the quaint Colonial grids like the old wooden ones, the new windows are much more energy-efficient and will let in a lot more sunlight. There will be very few changes in the individual dorm rooms but, Klaren says, much of the rest of the building will be fixed up. “All of the bathrooms … laundry rooms, kitchenettes and (the) lounges” will be renovated, Klaren said. Students moving into Beckman for fall semester of 2022 will likely be greeted by the smells of new paint, new carpet and a lot of renovated spaces throughout the entire building. photo by MARK MEDERSON
You probably wouldn’t recognize the interior of Beckman at this phase of construction. This is a hallway on the first floor with copper pipes stacked on the floor. The pipes will be used in the new heat and AC system.
Beckman is set to reopen for the fall semester of 2022
Loras College’s Newest Organization: Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society by KEEGAN GODWIN executive editor
The newest organization on campus is Alpha Phi Sigma, a criminal justice honor society. The organization was pushed forward by the criminal justice program’s newest professor, Kenny Loui. Dr. Loui and the members worked hard throughout the fall semester to make this goal a reality. After a semester long process, they plan on bringing a new perspective of criminal justice to campus with guest speakers from the professional viewpoint. Expect events in near future to be popping up around campus!