Collegiate Times

Residential advisors from Virginia Tech and Tec de Monterrey University in Mexico experienced a student affairs exchange from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28.

Five visiting prefectos, or RAs, stayed overnight with volunteer RAs at Tech and participated in a number of activities throughout the weekend. Representatives from the student union and staff members from Tec de Monterrey also visited during this chapter of the exchange program.

"It's a chance for student leaders on both campuses to get to interact with each other," said Evelyn Wallington, associate director of residence life.

During their stay, the prefectos and Tech RAs were able to tour the campus, eat meals together, attend the Blue Ridge Summit Regional Leadership Conference at neighboring Radford University, and enjoy activities such as American swing dancing and Mexican salsa dancing lessons.

Wallington explained that the basic concept of the student affairs exchange involves "exchanging ideas and learning from different cultures."

Jonathan Wiley, a complex director for residential life, was able to share in some of the events of the weekend. He said that the RAs aimed to provide insight into their own lifestyles; for example, on Friday night they had barbecue for dinner as it is a very southern style meal.

"We tried to give them a little bit of our culture," Wiley said.

Dining services at Tech provided $45 to each prefecto for their weekend visit.

Although it was raining two out of the three days of their stay, prefectos enjoyed the Tech campus and Hokie spirit, which they were able to see through the students and staff members.

"Their biggest comment was that it's large," Wiley said. "Their university is the size of our Drillfield pretty much."

The prefectos came prepared with presentations about their own lifestyles at Tec de Monterrey. They also had the chance to participate in discussions where the RA's compared student life in America with student life in Mexico as a way of learning about their differences and similarities.

Colin Chadwick, another complex director for residence life described it as "a learning experience all around."

The main campus of Tec de Monterrey consists of 17,000 full-time students, 1,600 of whom live on campus.

Tech and Tec de Monterrey annually alternate sending students to the opposite university as a part of these programs.

Last October, students and staff from Virginia Tech were able to travel to Mexico and attend a student leadership conference while participating in the same program hosted by the students at Tec de Monterrey.

This particular exchange between the two universities has been able to continue because it's proved successful in helping students to learn about other cultures.

"I think it went really well. We put a lot of planning into it and provided a lot of opportunities for them," Chadwick said. "We hope to continue it in the future."