Oktoberfest at UIW
Oktoberfest, a traditional German festival, was celebrated at the University of the Incarnate Word Sept. 27, 2012, to promote UIW’s new European Study Center in Heidelberg, Germany.
Surrounded by black, red and yellow balloons, Oktoberfest took place at Dubuis Lawn from 4- 6 p.m. Study Abroad, or International Affairs, and Campus Life sponsored the event, and Sodexho provided food and non-alcoholic beverages. The Lion and Rose, a local British restaurant and pub, provided German beer.
Alanna Taylor, the study abroad coordinator, said, “This is the first time were having Oktoberfest. We have a new European study center in Heidelberg, Germany, that’s actually opening this fall. This is our first semester, and we have eight UIW students there currently.”
She said, “Oktoberfest is a traditional German festival. I think everyone associates it with bratwurst, German beer, festivities and traditional German culture. A traditional fair with tents, eating, gathering and being together.”
UIW’s event was gated off and secured by police officers due to the serving of alcoholic beverages; however, it was open to the public. “It’s open to the college community,” Taylor said. “We’re not advertising it throughout all of San Antonio, but we are inviting students from other universities to come because the European Study Center is open to all [U.S.] students, not just UIW students.”
Taylor said she wants people to have fun at Oktoberfest and learn about some cultural aspects of Germany. “We definitely want to bring people from all over the campus together,” she said. “It’s definitely based on promoting study abroad in Germany, and [to bring] awareness that the study abroad office is here.”
With a yellow wristband, provided at the entrance if over 21-years-old, event-goers could buy a 16-fluid-ounce Franziskaner — a German wheat beer, similar to a Blue Moon, served with a lemon — or a Spaten Lager — a lighter German beer, similar to a normal lager — for $5. Other traditional festival foods were available for purchase by cash or meal card as well, such as: roasted corn or shoestring fries for $1.50; a bratwurst in a roll, large pretzels or funnel cakes for $3; or turkey legs for $5.
Outdoor tables lined with black tablecloths were available for seating and in the perfect range to hear KUIW’s broadcast of German music. Some German songs played were Die Schlauberger’s “Du, Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen” and the Seven Dutchmen Orchestra’s “In München Steht Ein Hofbräuhaus” — imagine a type of polka music for reference.
“The European Study Center offers UIW courses, so all the courses are taught in English,” Taylor said. “It uses the same curriculum as we do here, same books as we do here. It just happens to be over there.”
If students signed up for the Spring 2013 semester over at UIW’s European Study Center during Oktoberfest, and pay their deposit by the Oct. 15 deadline, they would receive a free trip to Paris — no gimmicks attached.
UIW’s European Study Center in Heidelberg, Germany, offers all courses in English, includes cultural adventures in tuition, follows the U.S. academic calendar, and students still receive a transcript from the University of the Incarnate Word. Adventures include a weekend trip to Berlin, day trips to Strasbourg, Stuttgart and Frankfurt, and other excursions in and around Heidelberg. The Spring 2013 semester starts Jan. 4, ends May 4, 2013, and the cost is around $11,900.
During Oktoberfest, the Center for Medical Tourism Research (CMTR) also advertised its 2013 Travel Abroad Scholarship that could help pay for a student’s travel expenses to Germany. David Vequist, CMTR’s founder and director, said, “Medical tourism is a hundred-billion dollar industry, and the major academic research center for medical tourism is here at UIW.”
“Germany is actually a very frequented place for medical tourism,” Vequist said. “Just in the last two years Peyton Manning, who’s now with the Denver Broncos, went to Germany for stem cell treatments on his throwing arm. Kobe Bryant, from the Los Angeles Lakers, went there, and A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), from the New York Yankees, went there.
The reason they went there is [because] there are physicians or facilities in Germany that are actually considered to be better than they are in the U.S., so these very affluent people, in this case, actually pay money to go travel to a place like Germany for healthcare.”
Christine Sandoval, a former UIW student who plans to come back and a current CMTR undergraduate assistant, said, “I’m excited to go to Germany to have a unique opportunity and to be able to attend CMTR’s forth annual conference.”
Oktoberfest is customarily a 16-day festival, held annually, in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Contrary to its name, the festival starts in late September and ends during the first weekend of October. It is the world’s largest fair, and one of the most famous events held in Germany with more than 5 million people attending each year.
If you’re interested in attending, check out Oktoberfest in San Antonio, Texas — meaning, not affiliated with the University of the Incarnate Word — or one in your own city. San Antonio’s Oktoberfest is Oct. 12-14, 2012, starting around 5 p.m. at the Beethoven Maennerchor, 422 Pereida St., or the King William District in downtown San Antonio. Drink German beer, eat German food and learn about Germany’s culture, that way when you eventually go to Germany on that trip of a lifetime you’ll know what you’re talking about.
For more information about UIW’s European Study Center please visit: http://www.uiw-heidelberg.eu/