Compiled by Emma Livingston, Co-Editor
The comprehensive collection of Das Tor papers in the Thunderbird Archives is a beautiful window into Thunderbird’s past. The paper is a snapshot of campus life through the decades and holds the voices and viewpoints of past Thunderbird students.
A paper from February 14, 2000, 16 years ago, shows the rich variety of study abroad options that were available to Tbirds, displays the plethora of clubs and events happening on campus (including an on-campus internship fair, three-day skiing trips organized by the Ski and Snowboard Club, water skiing at Lake Pleasant organized by the Water/H2O Club, and handcrafted beer brewing by the Brewers Club), and, of course, contains the voices of students unhappy with certain aspects of the school. Surrounding it all was Das Tor’s on-going internal debate to determine how to be as relevant as possible to the Thunderbird community.
Below is an abridged version of some of the top stories in Das Tor, February 14, 2000 edition, Volume 32, No. 4.
Go Global This Summer!
By Earl Gibbons
Thunderbird Overseas Programs begins the new millennium with the broadest array of summer opportunities ever offered. During Summer 2000, more than 200 Thunderbird students will study in seven countries. No fewer than sixteen of Thunderbird’s Glendale-based faculty will be joined by more than two dozen of Thunderbird’s overseas-based faculty and a select group of prestigious visiting faculty from the United States and Australia. Together, the programs will offer a variety of World Business, International Studies and Modern Language courses across six languages.
Overseas Programs 2000 offers a unique blend of familiar locations and new, innovative programs and itineraries. Thunderbird’s French-Geneva Center will host more than 100 students and faculty this summer. The Center, located in Archamps, a French suburb of Geneva Switzerland, will be the base for all of Thunderbird’s European activities in 2000. In addition to studying in Western Europe, a select group of Archamps students will spend a week in the former East German city of Frankfurt and in Poland to make a first-hand assessment of the business and economic transition underway in the region over the past decade.
Students participating in Thunderbird’s Asian Program this summer will be offered two different study tracks: “North Asia” and “China.” The Asian program will initially be based at Thunderbird’s Asian Center in Tokyo, Japan. Students on both tracks will study together in Japan during the first half of the summer term. At midterm, students will have the opportunity to participate in a week-long Field Study program in South Korea where they will meet with Korean and multinational managers and visit their companies. During the second half of the summer term students on the two tracks will split up. Those on the North Asia track will return to Japan after their visit to South Korea. Those on the China track will go on to that country where they will visit Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong during the final six weeks of the term.
Summer 2000 marks the 27th year for Thunderbird’s Latin America Program in Guadalajara, Mexico. This year the program will significantly expand its offering of company visits throughout Guadalajara and Jalisco state, “Mexico’s Silicon Valley.”
No other graduate business school offers the breadth and depth of foreign study opportunities as Thunderbird. What else would you expect from the Number One school in international business education?
Ski Club at Mammoth
The Thunderbird Ski & Snowboard Club enjoyed another great weekend of skiing at Mammoth Mtn. California. We decided to go to Mammoth instead of Colorado location, Telluride. Given the time and money invested in a ski trip it was well worth the 2-hour extra drive for better skiing. For skiing and boarding, snow comes first and foremost and the return on an extra two hour drive was exponential. In addition to reasonable rates, Mammoth also agreed to teach our first-time skiers for free and give them a free rental on day one of all club trips. All roads lead to Mammoth!
Besides great skiing, Mammoth offers incredible service: outside tableside entertainment, a juggler, a skiing mammoth (a huge hairy prehistoric animal), complimentary hot chocolate and cookies at the shuttle bus stops and attendants there to put your skis on the bus. Apres-ski activities included a local bar crawl, two outdoor natural hot springs visits, and two in-house parties: a wine and cheese party and Margaritaville hosted fireside by the club. Next time we will take advantage of the wonderful cross-country skiing opportunities Mammoth is famous for.
Our next trip is Feb 24-27 to Mammoth Lakes, CA. We welcome all first time skiers and boarders with a free ski lesson and rental on day one. We will leave Thursday afternoon and ski on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, returning Sunday night.
Doctor Love
(This was a recurring column in Das Tor, which offered relationship and love advice to Thunderbird students)
Dear Dr. Love,
Valentine’s Day is coming up very quickly, and I don’t know what to get my girlfriend. We’ve been going out for about 7 months now, and I think she might be the one. What should I get her? Something like a vacuum cleaner or an ironing board?
Perplexed in Peoria
Dear Perplexed,
You say you’re ready to settle down with this young lady. You’ve known her for 7 months. And you want to give her a VACUUM CLEANER or an IRONING BOARD?? Son, here’s a tip: when the doctor shines the light into your ear and there’s a spot of light on the opposite side of the wall – it means you’ve got NOTHING IN YOUR HEAD.
Women have a point sometimes when they say men have no clue. Men and women truly are speaking different languages and have different thought processes. Therefore, once again, Doctor Love will now enunciate the rules of Valentine’s Day.
Rule #1: If It’s Practical, It’s WRONG!
Valentine’s Day is a time when you go out of your way to buy her something she wouldn’t ordinarily buy for herself, such as jewelry, chocolates, or Intel stock on margin. Stuff to make her feel special. If you buy her an ironing board, you’ll make her feel like a maid – something I’m betting she won’t appreciate.
Rule #2: Quality is more important than Quantity. Really.
If you’re reading this newspaper, chances are you’re a graduate student. And unless your name is Bill Gates, you’re probably not going to have much money. Therefore, perhaps you can’t buy a thousand dollar diamond bracelet or a weekend in Monaco. But the time you spend with your significant other can mean a great deal. For some odd reason, most women value a long cuddle by a nice fire than a golden bracelet sent by some far away lover. Those who don’t value that sort of things are gold-diggers and you need to watch out for them. But on the whole, if you take the time to be with your girlfriend, perhaps go to a movie or go out to dinner, it will be worth more to her than all the diamonds in South Africa.
Rule #3: When in doubt, ASK!
It is OK to ask someone what they want for Valentine’s Day. First, though, think about your recent conversations together. Has she looked in a store window and said, “Isn’t that a pretty (fill in the blank)?” Chances are she’s hinting at something. If it’s a bracelet or a sweater, get it. If it’s a horse or a boat, check with the Financial Aid Office, and then get it. If it’s a car wreck or house fire, you’ve got bigger problems than Valentine’s Day, and I’m not going to get into that area.
However, if you truly have NO clue whatsoever as to what she wants, ask her. If it’s in a few weeks (or even days – I know us guys don’t tend to plan ahead) it will show her that you care enough to find out what she truly desires. If you ask her what she wants and she says, “Oh, nothing,” she’s lying. All women want something for Valentine’s Day. If all else fails, a card, some flowers, and a big hunk of precious stone set in platinum or gold can’t hurt.
Do you have a dating question? Do you need some answers about a serious love situation? Do you have a recipe for double chocolate fudge torte? If so, send any questions (or recipes) you might have to Dr. Love.
Until Next Time, This is Doctor Love saying: I’ll keep in touch, and you can keep your hands to yourself.
Dr. Love
Letter to Editor
Dear Das Tor,
While it’s always nice to read about exciting travel experiences and past events, what I really need as a Thunderbird student is answers to present day needs. I don’t know whether it’s a lack of transparency, insufficient flow of information, or just plain old university bureaucracy, but I feel like we the consumer/students are often uninformed or disregarded when it comes to important campus decisions such as our healthcare, the commons lighting, and scheduling.
Healthcare: Last semester I wondered why we never received critically important Health Insurance Cards. Now that the service provider had been changed without warning, I wonder why we weren’t consulted or informed. Why is it that I was not informed of the change in providers until reading a limited, after the fact article in the Das Tor?
Commons Lighting: Thunderbird officials informed us last semester that consultants were being hired and meetings had, but in the mean-time students concerns and needs are not being met as we continuously have to sit in the semi-dark to complete group projects at the Commons. Is there no interim solution for providing the necessary lighting in the short-term or will I have to return after graduation to believe that action is, in fact being taken? It sounds like key Thunderbird officials could use a refresher in project management.
Scheduling: Why is it that the CMC was closed the Friday before the Career Fair? Who makes these decisions?
I don’t know if it’s the role of Das Tor to do such investigative journalism, but neither ThunderVoice nor email messaging has proved adequate enough in disseminating this crucial information to the Thunderbird community.
The Editor’s Message
Gloria Mamba, Editor in Chief
This week’s letter to the editor raises the important issue of what role this newspaper should play in the community’s affairs. In past messages I have said that it should influence and shape public discussion and that we will try to address the question, “Am I getting value for the time and money I am investing in this degree?” How do we do that? Since the trimester began, we have addressed the issues of e-commerce and the curriculum, discussed the future of CMC with the new Vice President for Professional and Career Development, highlighted a networking opportunity for those interested in doing business in Africa, and provided suggestions on how to prepare for the Internship Fair. This week, we cover opportunities for those who may want to study abroad for the summer rather than pursue an internship. We believe that these issues are of interest to many students.
In order to keep our newspaper relevant we are trying to move to more issue-based rather than time sensitive concerns. In the next few weeks, we plan to review the effectiveness of the TSG, update the community on the developments with the new curriculum and we hope that these will prove relevant to life at Thunderbird.
On the matter of coverage, the newspaper is completely staffed by students who have academic and other extracurricular commitments. While we believe that we are addressing issues that are relevant, we may overlook one or two. For this reason, we strongly encourage anyone (student, staff, or faculty member) who wishes to pursue an issue or share news to feel free to do so. We would like to everyone in the community to feel that this paper is an open forum.
We at Das Tor want to provide a quality paper that is of relevance to all the members of our community. We depend on the input of all those who read the paper to assist us in developing a paper that informs and entertains.