Foundation Sponsors Dominican Event

Harvard students and faculty mingled with educators and dignitaries from the Dominican Republican yesterday at a reception at Winthrop House last night.

The reception was the culmination of a day of events designed to improve cultural and educational relations between the Dominican Republic and the United States.

The Symposium on Educational Exchanges brought approximately 20 Dominican officials to Harvard where they spoke with campus community members about the state of Dominican education and its ties to the United States.

Dominican Minister of Higher Education Alejandrina German and the presidents of five of the Dominican Republic's 35 universities-Abraham Hazoury, Roberto Berges, Franklin Holguin, Edylberto Cabral and Radhames Mejia-were among the featured guests.

The reception was sponsored by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, LASPAU (an affiliated association for academic and professional programs for the Americas) and Fuerza Quisquezana and was part of Dominican Week, a series of events to improve cultural relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

"We hope to raise Dominican values into American society," said Luis Heredia Bonetti, a Dominican lawyer, in his introductory speech.

"We had to build a bridge between Dominicans living in the Dominican Republic and Dominicans living abroad," he said.

Sarita M. James co-chair of the student advisory committee (SAC) of the Harvard Foundation, said in her address to the visitors that the events helped her gain insight into other cultures.

James' co-chair, Nana E. Coleman '98, expressed similar sentiments.

"The opportunity to interact with educators helps me to become more familiar with other education systems, as well as understand the American system better," Coleman said.

Though the Harvard Foundation invited the president of the Dominican Republic, he could not come because of his obligations as the newly-elected 1997 President of the Year in Latin America.

Meijia said that the type of interaction this event fostered could be continued if an institute for Dominican-American relations were created at Harvard.

"The President will come for the inaugration of the institute," Meijia quipped.

Pedro A. Pimentel '99, a student from the Dominican Republic, praised the genial atmosphere of the gathering.

"They haven't organized any event like this kind since I've been at Harvard," said.

"I think that this is an event is important for students as well as officials," said Marlene M. Losier'01.

This event was one of the many organized and sponsored by the Harvard Foundation, which was established in 1980 by the deans of Harvard and then president Derek C. Bok in an effort to improve cultural understanding at Harvard.

"We put on events like this all the time," said Allen S. Counter, the director of the Harvard Foundation and associate professor of neurology.

As the evening came to a close, the visitors said they enjoyed their time at Harvard.

The dignitaries expressed enthusiasm about the future relationship between Harvard and the universities in the Dominican Republic.

"We expect, as a consequence of our visit to Harvard, that an exchange program will be initiated," said Jacqueline Malagon, the academic coordinator of Dominican Week.

"We'll be back next year," Bonetti said.