Program Information 2008
Dates: July 9 through August 6, 2008
Students who wish to extend their stay may do so but must tell us before we purchase the tickets.- Cost: $4,300 (includes airfare, tuition, lodging, ground transportation to and from the airport, daily allowance for one meal, bus trips, and insurance)
- Accommodations: Students will reside at the Loyola House, a residence for students from Loyola College of Maryland. The rooms accommodate two or three students. Students wishing to room with specific individuals should indicate their choice. There are kitchens, pay washing machines, showers, and a TV room. (Additional information below.)
Non-Loyola as well as Loyola students are invited to apply. There are a limited number of places. Late applicants will be accepted, but on a space-available basis only. Cost: $4,300 (including airfare.) A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due at registration. Late applicants will be accepted, but on a space-available basis only. A payment of $1,500 is due by February, and $1,300 is due by March 30. The balance of $1000 is due by May 1. Return form and checks to Dr. Cook, Department of History, Bobet 427, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA 70118. Make checks payable to Loyola University Belgium Program. The cost of the program is $3,400 if you provide your own airfare.
- If you plan to finance your trip with a student loan you must sign a letter of commitment which obliges you to reimburse the program for your airline ticket whether you go or not. Without this commitment on your part we will not purchase your ticket and you cannot participate in the program.
- Fr. Robert Gerlich will be the on-site director of the summer program in Belgium
Fr. Gerlich in Leuven: Program cell phone: 011-32-0-49.514.1169. Loyola House telephone: 011-32-16-32.94.24 Fr. Gerlich e-mail: Gerlich@loyno.edu - Dr. Cook will make your airline reservations within the next few days. Check with Dr. Cook to see if the information he has concerning your reservation is correct. We will let you know the number and time of the departing flight shortly. You will depart on July 9 from New Orleans and you will return on August 6. Our fee covers the flight from New Orleans to Brussels and back on the official dates. Additional costs of any other arrangements must be paid by the student.
- Be sure to let us know the city from which you will begin your Belgium trip NOW!!! Additional air fare above the cost from New Orleans will be borne by the student.
- Once we have purchased your airline ticket any refund would be less the penalty assessed by the airline and you will be responsible for making any changes. If you plan to stay in Europe and travel we must have your return dates now. You will be responsible for any later changes. These are difficult and costly to make.
You will need:
1) A current US passport. It sometimes takes six weeks to get a passport. Apply now!!! The Passport Office in New Orleans is at 701 Loyola Avenue [telephone # 589-6161] --- If you are not a US citizen, you will need a passport and possibly a visa, plus papers to verify your right to return to the USA. If you are not a US citizen let us know now! The form many be accessed on the web and mailed in:
<http://www.travel.state.gov/passport-services.html>
2) Warm clothes, e.g. sweaters, long sleeves. It gets cool in the evening. Temperatures often do not get above 70 degrees. Umbrellas or rain gear are a must. [The summer of 2003, however, was dry and hot.]
3) You will need adapters for electrical gadgets that do not have a European setting. If they have a European setting special plugs are still needed. Bring a battery-operated alarm clock.
4) You will need money for food, snacks, entertainment, optional week-end travel on your own. The dollar is pretty weak. On March 26,2008 it took $1.57 to buy a EURO. A credit card would be handy. VISA is widely accepted. There are ATMs [VISA, AE, OPTIMA] if you have a pin number . An American Express card in your name will allow you to cash checks [on your US account-bring them if you plan to use them!] at the American Express office in Brussels, a half hour from Leuven by train. Travelers' checks provide the security of being able to have lost or stolen checks replaced, but the exchange rate for travelers' checks is not as good as cash. International Telephone cards for calling the US may be purchased at newsstands in Belgium. Do not buy pre-paid telephone cards in the US. ATT, Sprint etc. cards can be used, but they are more expensive to use. Do not bring bills or traveler's checks in denominations larger than $50. These are difficult to cash
Bring any medicine you need in the original prescription containers. Bring prescriptions for glasses or contacts--or better an extra set if they are indispensable. DO NOT BRING ANY ILLEGAL DRUGS.
If you are not spending extra-time in Europe I do not believe that it is worth while to purchase a Eurail Pass. You can purchase a Eurail pass in the USA [before we leave] for eight days of intermittent travel. Tickets for London or Paris can be purchased in Leuven with a credit card.
Fill out and have a parent sign the "Consent for Emergency Health Care Form," and the liability forms. Fill out the Consular Information form and return it with a Xeroxed copy of the first page of your passport to Dr. Cook. No student can participate in the program without completing these forms.
Loyola in Belgium Contact numbers:
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History Department at Loyola: 1-504-865-3537
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Dean McCay's office at Loyola: 1-504-865-3244
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Dr. Cook's office at Loyola: 1-504-865-2564
Loyola International House
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Schapenstraat 80/1
B-3000 Leuven
Belgium -
Fr. Robert Gerlich and Dr. David Moore in Leuven: 011-32-16-32.94.24
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Fr. Gerlich in Leuven: Program cell phone: 011-32-0-49.514.1169.
Fr. Gerlich e-mail: Gerlich@loyno.edu -
Dr. Moore's e-mail: dmoore@loyno.edu
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Dr. Cook's e-mail: cook@loyno.edu . Dr. Cook will only be in Belgium from July 8 until July 19 but will regularly check his e-mail.
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Mrs. Christel Snels, Assistant Director Loyola House
011-32-16-32.94.20
Director Loyola House: 011-32-16-32.94.21
Ground floor students can be reached at: 011-32-16-32.94.23
First floor (American second floor) students: 011-32-16-32.94.24
Second floor (American third floor) students: 011-32-16-32.94.25
Please call the correct floor and do not call before 7 AM or after 11 PM (Leuven time) unless it is an emergency.
At Loyola House there is a public phone on the ground floor. You will need a phone card to utilize this telephine. Economical cards may be purchased in Belgium at newsstands and quick shops. ATT; Sprint; and MCI cards also work but they are more expensive to use. Mrs. Cook will tell you how to use it. Remember Loyola House is 7 hours ahead of New Orleans. 1 PM in New Orleans (CST) is 8 PM in Leuven; 10 PM at night in New Orleans is 5 AM in the morning in Leuven.
Students can access their Loyola E-mail account at Leuven. There are two computers in Loyola House which have access to the web and there is an Internetcafe on Naamsestraat.
Remind your parents that the time in Belgium will be six hours later than EST, seven hours later that CST. Noon in New Orleans is 7 PM in Leuven. You are not to receive calls between 11 PM and 7 AM Leuven time (2 PM and midnight New Orleans time).
- If you or your parents would like to contact me my telephone numbers in New Orleans are: Dr. Cook 1-504-865-2564 (office)
I will be in Europe after June 28.
Due to new Loyola regulations only registered participants of the Belgium program can accompany the program on the bus trips. You may not miss a bus trip to meet or visit with friends or relatives. Our advice is to have them come at the end of the program.
Loyola House has coin operated washers and dryers Tokens may be purchased. Loyola House charges around $3.50 for the washer; and $1 for the dryer. We will purchase laundry soap for you. Pack lightly. Wash and wear clothes are advisable.
You will receive three keys: one for the gate and house; one for common rooms; one to your room. There is a c. $20 replacement charge for each lost house key, and a c. $10 charge for lost room keys. Be careful. YOU must pay for lost or misplaced keys, lost or broken plates etc., and damage to the building. You will not be assigned a grade until you have paid for lost keys or damage. Your room will be inspected on departure day, if your keys are not at your place you will be assessed a lost key fee. Let Mrs. Cook know when we arrive if you are missing plates, flatware etc., or if your room has a cracked window, etc.
Bikes can be rented by the week in Leuven. You are responsible for anything that you rent.
The airlines accept two suitcases (each less than 70 lbs.) and you are allowed one carry-on (plus a purse etc.). We advise you to travel lightly. Several students in the past were charged by the airline for overweight luggage.
You are expected to observe the House Rules which will be explained to you after we arrive. They are not onerous but they make living in a community more pleasant.
Be considerate of persons wishing to sleep between 11 PM and 7 AM -- watch the noise level in your rooms and in the courtyard. Shut your doors between those hours if you are talking. The House asks that no one outside your room be disturbed by your music and that at night you do not talk loudly in the halls or in the courtyard (or play music in the courtyard at night). We want everyone to have a good time and enjoy themselves but also to be considerate of others. Your rights end where those of others begin.
Guests may not stay at Loyola House or in your room. To do this would be a serious breach of Loyola House rules and Program rules.
You are expected to attend class and to be punctual! The bus trips are an essential part of the educational experience. They are required. Grades are lowered a letter for missed trips. If a student is intoxicated and misses a trip he/she will be sent home. You are expected to be on the bus at departure time.
VCR tapes can be rented and played on the TV in the Common Room -- BUT you are responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged VCR tapes. If you do not want to assume this responsibility, do not rent them -- or anything else for that matter.
You will be expected to help keep the kitchen area tidy and to respect other people's food in the refrigerator. You are to wash your dishes and put them away IMMEDIATELY after each use. You are also asked to observe the recycling regulations. You will be responsible for damage to Loyola House property or lost or broken dishes etc..
Don't forget to bring towels, a wash cloth, soap, and if desired, a robe and slippers. The showers are down the hall from the rooms. They are quite private but the general area is co-ed. Bring shorts or a robe to walk back and forth. Loyola House provides sheets, pillow, one towel, dishes, and utensils (for all of which you are responsible). Bring comfortable walking shoes (something other than thongs or flip-flops). You will walk a great deal . Bring a sweater, some long sleeve shirts, and an umbrella or raincoat .
Let us re-iterate:
American money can be exchanged and travelers checks can be cashed in Leuven. The exchange rate for travelers checks is worse than for money and an extra-charge is often assessed on travelers checks. Do not bring traveler's checks or cash in denominations larger than $50 . It can be difficult or even impossible to exchange these. There is an American Express office in Brussels. Personal checks can be cashed there by a person with an American Express card. There are machines that provide money on credit card accounts (Optima; American Express; VISA) if the holder has a pin number. You will need to pay for two meals a day, snacks, entertainment, optional travel into Brussels [You will need to pay for our commuter train ride into Brussels on Sunday, July 10 -- Buy round trip tickets in groups of 2 or 3 -- that way it should cost each of you around $4 apiece], and other optional travel. We provide bus transportation to and from the airport in Belgium. We provide money for one meal a day, and our sightseeing bus trips and entrance to required museums and sites are covered by the cost of the program. To help defray the cost of food we will give you 50 euro when you arrive; 50 euro on July 18; 50 euro on July 25; and 50 euro on July 29. This should be sufficient for one light meal a day if you go to the grocery store or buy sandwiches at the Imbiss on Naamsestraat or some other such place.
Don't forget to get your syllabi and text books before you leave New Orleans. Do your reading and/or assignments in advance so that you may get the most from your European experience.
Report any problems in Belgium to Fr. Gerlich, whom I should re-iterate will direct the program and is responsible for its on-site administration. ___________________________________________________________
Loyola University Emergency Procedures for all Loyola Foreign Study Programs:
Students are required to inform the on-site program director, Fr. Gerlich, about any medical emergency.
Loyola University requires all programs to inform their participants that if they experience or learn of any of the following, they should report them immediately to Fr. Gerlich or, if he cannot be contacted, Dr. Moore, Dr. Kaplan, or Dr. Cook:
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Disappearance of a participant
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Criminal assault against a program participant
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Sexual assault or rape
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Sexual Harassment
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Serious illness, physical or emotional, injury or death
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Alcohol poisoning
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Hospitalization for any reason
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Arrest, incarceration, deportation
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Threat or attack
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Natural Disaster