SAIS is fundamentally an academic experience. With final examinations on the horizon, it's no wonder coffee consumption and library usage are on the rise.
But SAIS is not only about academics. This blog has highlighted sports, clubs, guest lecturers and social events among ways students enhance their experience in Bologna.
You can add fund-raising to the list. At various points this year, large numbers of SAIS Bologna students have been involved in collecting donations for a wide variety of causes.
Nearly two dozen male students grew moustaches in the fall as part of the Movember movement to raise money for prostate cancer research. Students collected more than $1,000 with a trivia night and sports tournament and by selling calendars ("The Mustached Men of SAIS Bologna 2013").
This month, 17 SAIS Bologna women took time out from their studies to put on a production of "The Vagina Monologues". The sell-out audience awarded the thespians with a standing ovation and more than $1,000 in donations toward the Casa delle Donne, a shelter for abused women in Bologna. A string of other events are being put on this month to raise money for charities combating sexual abuse.
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| 17 actresses for a cause |
This post is for those who have dedicated time this year to these and other such events. You are living proof that a year at SAIS Bologna is more transformational than I had dared imagine before coming here.
Felix Amrhein (BC13/DC14)
Photo by Ian Muir (BC13/DC14)
