Local students first to visit country since travel ban eased. By Casey Cora. A group of students from Dominican University have departed for Cuba, among the first Americans to make the trip to the socialist country since President Barack Obama eased travel restrictions for educational trips earlier this year. The effort is led by Christina Perez, an associate professor of sociology, and Janice Monti, chair of the River Forest university's sociology and criminology department.Perez, Monti and communications professor Richard Calabrese will accompany 20 students on the three-week trip.">Local students first to visit country since travel ban eased. By Casey Cora. A group of students from Dominican University have departed for Cuba, among the first Americans to make the trip to the socialist country since President Barack Obama eased travel restrictions for educational trips earlier this year. The effort is led by Christina Perez, an associate professor of sociology, and Janice Monti, chair of the River Forest university's sociology and criminology department.Perez, Monti and communications professor Richard Calabrese will accompany 20 students on the three-week trip.">

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Hasta Luego: Dominican University Students Arrive in Cuba

Local students first to visit country since travel ban eased. By Casey Cora. A group of students from Dominican University have departed for Cuba, among the first Americans to make the trip to the socialist country since President Barack Obama eased travel restrictions for educational trips earlier this year.

The effort is led by Christina Perez, an associate professor of sociology, and Janice Monti, chair of the River Forest university's sociology and criminology department.

Perez, Monti and communications professor Richard Calabrese will accompany 20 students on the three-week trip.

"I'm a little nervous, but I'm mostly excited," sophomore Vanessa Vanderzee, 19, told Chicago Tribune. "I just really want to experience Cuba instead of just learning about it in a classroom setting."

Perez said the group's agenda centers on the history, culture and politics of the region. During the weekdays, they'll listen to lectures at the University of Havana in the morning and make site visits related to the lecture in the afternoon.

In addition to visiting Havana, the group will also travel to the eastern portion of the island to visit cities like Baracoa and Santiago de Cuba. Perez said there will be an optional evening activities for the students to go out an explore the culture.

"Obviously, we'll be seeing a rumba performance. It will be by practitioners of Santeria so it will be integrated with religious heritage," she said. "We won't so much be going to shows as we will in the streets, experiencing it that way."

Perez, who was hired by Dominican in 2004, said she worked toward her dissertation in Cuba and has worked with the University of Havana before, and it was those social and academic ties that paved the way for planning the unique program.

But a change to federal travel restrictions in 2oo4 prevented it from actually happening — until Obama unexpectedly announced early this year his administration would allow travel to Cuba for certain educational trips.

"We were surprised. We had to scramble to recruit students and to run the program," Perez said. "But we've been ready."

The Dominican group left Friday and is expected to return June 3.

The students will provide periodic updates to an online travelogue on their blog, DU in Cuba.


Source: http://oakpark.patch.com/articles/

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