ACTR

[Deborah Hoffman]

For what it's worth, this sounds like some of the disorganization I experienced in 1991. But then, everything was disorganized...even what people called the streets and Metros--try getting directions as a foreigner that way! The DC-based office was wonderful and the orientation was extremely helpful as I remember, but once we were in country there was very little support. My first day in Moscow we were taken downtown by the resident director and told "Ok, there's Red Square, there's the Metro, have fun!" Now, you really learned to sink or swim which was a good thing, but given the lack of actual speaking experience any of us had it was quite the shock to the system. I do think that auditing a course and getting through a bureaucracy are two different sets of skills, and I would think there should be some assistance for students handling the latter. It was hard enough some days negotiating the university bureaucracy in my native country! 
   
  It's funny you should mention about looking for the schedule "somewhere in the university" as I remember tagging along with several people wandering the halls of the Thorez Institute asking random people about this elusive raspisanie, getting very rude answers, and finally giving up in frustration. I remember several occasions of people being misinformed about requirements for travel and other things, though whether this was because the requirements were constantly changing or there was a breakdown in communication between MGLU and the dorm director I don't think any of us could have determined. 
   
  That being said, it was an excellent, excellent program, truly life changing and our teachers at MGLU were beyond compare. None of us wanted to complain and make their lives any harder than they already were. I would think things would be easier today with the cell phone and Internet to just call back to the States or email or whatever if information is not forthcoming from the dorm leader--unless we wanted to stand in line for 6 hours none of us really had the option. But then we developed an appropriately fatalistic attitude and did just fine.
   
   
  
At 12:03 AM +0300 12/2/07, Dustin H. wrote:
>Dear SEELANGers,
>
>I am not exactly sure how to address it, so I wanted to discuss it in
 the
>open since it concerns all who are interested in ACTR and their
 program in
>Moscow.
>
>I have several acquaintanes, friends, and colleagues who have dealt
 with
>ACTR from within the past few years up until the present.  I have only
 heard
>negative comments about ACTR and their program in both Moscow and St.
>Petersburg from my close sources - again friends and acquaintances.
  People
>have constantly mentioned (complained about) how unprofessional and
 untimely
>the ACTR often responds to requests - from those students on ACTR
 Moscow
>program and even to those even requesting information.
>
>My questions are these:
>
>1) Why were students told to take a long Thanksgiving break, but not
 told
>until approximately one week before Thanksgiving that their visas
 would have
>to be extended (or renewed?) and therefore they would not have their
>passports, which are necessary for travel within Russia?
>
>Some students made travel arrangements, bought tickets, and then were
 not
>able to go because the resident director had contradicted him/herself
 and
>misinformed the students, taking their passports at the last possible
>minute.
>
>2) Why were students told that they could audit courses with Russian
>university students, but at the same time the students were not given
>information on exactly how to do this?
>
>An answer from the resident director to the effect of "There's a
 schedule
>somewhere in the university.... and you have to look at it yourself"
 is
>ineffective and will only confuse American students, who generally do
 not
>know how Russian universities function.
>
>3) In regard to job applicants, ACTR has persistently dragged out the
>application process and not given timely answers to their applicants.
  This
>reflects negatively upon ACTR as a potential employer and as an
 organization
>in general.  Giving an especially highly qualified applicant a
 positive
>answer and then not responding is outright rude and unprofessional.
>
>Why does the ACTR allow this?
>
>Again, these are concerns which I feel should be addressed by the
 community
>that the ACTR serves.  This is why I have chosen to mention these
 issues
>here.
>
>--
>Dustin Hosseini
>
>"Earth laughs in flowers."
>- Ralph Waldo Emerson


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