Heavy metal. Rob Ryan says a new exchange plan will bring us top
Hungarian weightlifting, gymnastics and swimming coaches.

Building bridges to Budapest

Go east, young athlete.

That tempting option will soon be available to Douglas College students in Physical
Education and Coaching Diploma programs, as well as faculty in many disciplines,
following exchange discussions with the Hungarian University of Physical Education
(HUPE) in Budapest.

The negotiations were held in July while Director of Athletics Betty Lou Hayes and
instructors Robin Ryan and Gert van Niekerk attended a 52-institution conference called
West Meets East in Sports Sciences in Higher Education. The HUPE-hosted conference
attracted delegates from Asia, Europe and North America.

The exchange program, expected to be in place by fall, 1995, will allow second-year
Douglas College students to live, train and learn in the Budapest facility which has
graduated 72 medal-winning Olympic athletes. Built in 1925, the picturesque university
features a swimming pool, training halls and gymnasiums, student dormitories and open-air
sports courts. All classes and instruction are in English.

“An exchange would really be a wonderful opportunity for a student, it would offer new
perspectives educationally and culturally. In North America, we have shifted to an emphasis
on academic preparations with less time spent pursuing physical performance skills. In
Budapest, individual physical performance is still important, along with academics. The
university has international-class coaches in sports such as gymnastics, wrestling and
swimming. Being exposed to different philosophies and understanding their merits can
benefit our students wonderfully,” said Ryan.

HUPE is equally eager to have its students and instructors learn from us. As evidenced
by the conference title, Ryan noted the Hungarians are keen to exchange expertise and
cooperation internationally now that greater openness exists in Eastern Europe. Douglas
College is also involved in partnership projects with Hungarian Colleges of Finance and
Accounting as well as Commerce, Catering and Tourism, which have already resulted in
some student and personnel exchanges.

“It is very evident that the Hungarians are very anxious for new ideas, to regain their
place among European nations and to rebuild their economy,” observed Ryan. “The
experiences and opportunities which will result from working with them are very exciting to
contemplate.”

Building
community
partnerships

How can Douglas College work with
you, and what can we do better?

Those were the questions asked at the
College’s Community Forum entitled
Creating Training Partnerships held on
September 20 at Coquitlam’s Best
Western Inn. The session attracted about
125 people, including representatives of
school districts, labour groups, business
and agencies from various levels of
government.

The forum allowed present and
potential educational partners to find out
more about College services while also
telling the College how we can serve their
needs. Particpants provided a lot of
straight answers.

“One message we heard is that there
should be more planning involving the
community, school districts and the
College, and that should be done on a
regular basis in order for us to meet
educational needs,” said Janet Knowles,
Manager of Centre 2000.

“We also heard loud and clear that it
should not take three years to complete a
two-year college program.”

The forum also produced a variety of
very specific program suggestions. These
ranged from the need to provide greater
diversity in computer training to a
suggestion for lunch-hour programs to
continued support for First Nations
educational initiatives.

All forum material is currently being
organized by Centre 2000. It will be
distributed to attendees and will also be a
resource for College planning. fl

 

Quote of the Month:

“Tf you understand
everything, you must be
misinformed.”

- Japanese proverb