8 Russian majors and minors were inducted into the Dobro Slovo National Russian Honors Society on April 24, 2012.

Dobro Slovo was founded in 1963 and serves as a means for the recognition of academic excellence in the study of Slavic languages, literature, history, and culture. There are over 130 local chapters with a total membership of nearly 7,000 nationwide. Members receive national recognition for academic excellent and a pin and tassel to wear on their gowns on graduation day.

This year's inductees included:
Class of 2012: Jim Franklin, Laura Hechtlinger, Olivia Stevens, and Andrei Vernon
Class of 2013: Nealy Harnsberger, Florence Helbing, Caitlin Moriarty, and Melanie Strapko


During the ceremony, the Russian Department also recognized faculty members and students for their service and achievement during the 2011-2012 academic year. Graduating seniors who have studied abroad in Russia during their time at Dickinson were presented with Russian flag patches to sew on their graduation gowns.

Clickhere for more photos.

 Despite the rainy weather, 20 Russian students and faculty loaded into two vans for a day trip to Brighton Beach on Sunday, 22 April 2012.

Brighton Beach is an ocean-side neighborhood in the NYC borough of Brooklyn. It has been dubbed "little Odessa" due to its high population of Russian-speaking residents, Russian-language bookstores, and Russian and Ukrainian restaurants.

Dickinson students enjoyed a five-course meal at the Russian-Georgian restaurant Primorski before setting off on a scavenger hunt around Brighton Beach. Students were split into three teams and had one hour to complete a series of tasks, including finding and photographing typical Russian products and fashion styles. Some of the tasks required that they interview people on the street: for instance, they had to find someone who could recite a Russian poem by heart for them. Rules of the scavenger hunt stipulated that participants use only Russian when communicating with the Brighton Beach community. The department OSA, Vadim Ivanishchev, went along on the scavenger hunt and reported back: "It was the best part of the trip. While students were searching to complete various tasks, I saw how they tried to speak in Russian as much as possible in order to achieve their goals."

For Alex Delp 15, "the day trip to Brighton Beach was fantastic! The scavenger hunt was really fun, and was great to have a chance to use the skills that I have learned in class in a real life setting, and interact with native Russians. The food was really good, too."

After sharing stories and photos, students had time to peruse Russian-language bookstores, video stores, and specialty food markets.

Jim Franklin 12 blogged on his impressions of the trip and the neighborhood here:

http://mughamaratee.blogspot.com/2012/04/brighton-beach-gangster-paradise.html

Click here for more photos.

 Russian majors Nealy Harnsberger and Caitlin Moriarty met with Senator John McCain in April at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where the senator spoke on Afghanistan. Nealy and Caitlin are interning in Washington DC this semester on Russian and former Soviet Union based projects where they are using their Russian language skills daily.

 The Russian Club and Russian Department held their annual Russian dinner on Monday, April 16. Students, faculty, and alumni enjoyed Russian dishes (borsht, bliny, and beef stroganoff) and participated in traditional dances and songs led by the folk ensemble Barynya from New York City.

Earlier that day, Erica Lally 08 (Russian and International Studies) returned to Dickinson to speak about her experiences after graduation as a Fulbright Scholar, during which she collected oral histories from members of the Russian intelligentsia. While on campus, Erica also spoke to students about her current position at Human Rights Watch in New York City and the how her knowledge of Russian and study abroad experiences have positively impacted her career.

Click here for more photos.

 On March 30-31, Russian Dept. students camped overnight in the Kline Center, talking turns walking from 6 PM to 6 AM to raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. The Russian Club team raised $575, surpassing their $500 goal. This was the first year the Russian Club has participated. Russian team walkers included Andrei Vernon 12, Laura Hechtlinger 12, Michael Hoke 12, Alexander Powers 12, Vadim Ivanishchev (OSA), and Mackenzie King 15.

 From March 25 - 30, Dr. Dominic Rubin of the Higher School of Economics (Moscow) and Dickinson-in-Moscow instructor visited campus. During his week at Dickinson he met with students from the Russian Department and Judaic Studies, taught guest classes, and led a Global Education roundtable discussion on the role of religion in contemporary Russian politics.

“It was an interesting glimpse into the long-standing cultural ties between Jews and Russia that I had never considered before.”
-Alex Delp 15

“I really enjoyed the lecture and enjoyed hearing what Dr. Rubin had to say about the philosophy behind the search for a Third Testament in Russia. What I found most captivating about the lecture was the idea that both Jews and Russians are people of the desert and how both groups discover nihilistic anti-materialistic truth in their respective deserts, which are intersected. It was also very thought-provoking to consider Dostoevsky as a Jewish writer. This was hands-down one of the best lectures offered by the Russian Department that I've gone to so far.” -Kirsten Brents 14

Click here for more photos.