A group of about 20 students arrived at the Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí in Havana close to midnight on Sunday, December 28th. That very next morning, classes started for the January, 2015 USAC Cuba program. Despite the late arrival and few hours of sleep, students were eager to climb up the marble staircase at Casa Africa in Old Havana for the first day of class. As a visiting professor, I, too, felt the rush of excitement that comes from that first meeting with students.

Some University of Iowa students will soon “hijab-it-up,” break a “fastathon” with crêpes, and pass out flowers of faith. This week, the UI Muslim Student Association will host its first Islam Awareness Week, a series of events designed to raise awareness and understanding of Islam on campus.

University of Iowa students are participating in more summer and winter study-abroad programs in order to participate in more than just class. In the 2012-13 school year, 62 percent of UI students participated in study, work, internships, or volunteering during summer or winter sessions — as opposed to 55 percent just three years ago.

Fewer students are enrolling in foreign-language university courses nationally, a study says, but the University of Iowa is not following the trend. According to a survey conducted by the Modern Language Association, there has been a 6 percent decrease in aggregate enrollments. At the UI, however, enrollment numbers have stayed consistent.

The Caribbean, Diaspora, and Atlantic Studies Program (CDA) will host a lecture with Shona N. Jackson titled "Involuntary Settlers, Voluntary Colonials: the Contingent Nature of Subaltern Freedoms in the Caribbean" on Wednesday, March 4 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in 315 Phillips Hall.

Spring Festival — or Chinese New Year — is one of the most important holidays for many Chinese students. Because it occurs during the semester, many say they’ll miss celebrating with their family. University of Iowa senior Yan Sun said she hasn’t celebrated the Spring Festival with her parents for three years.

When a parent of a child with autism in China attempts to take his or her child to a public school, chances are they’ll be turned away. The UI's Youjia Hua and two other faculty members from other institutions have created the first-ever course sequence training Chinese educators and parents to be Assistant Behavior Analysts (ABA) certified. It's a systematic way of approaching students with disabilities. “There is a law in China that every child has a right to an education, but it’s a toothless tiger — no one enforces it.”

Host Joan Kjaer and her guests on the next WorldCanvass will explore the age of the Anthropocene through the lens of energy, investigating the global environmental transformation effected by humans’ astonishing technological achievements in the search for greater creature comfort. WorldCanvass begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, at FilmScene, 118 East College Street. Admission is free and open to the public.

Hunter Sharpless, originally from Dallas, TX, graduated from the University of Iowa in 2012 with a degree in English Literature. While at the UI, Hunter studied abroad on the USAC program in Turin, Italy, in 2011. Currently, he is an MFA candidate in nonfiction writing as well as a teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota. Read on to learn how Hunter's time abroad enhanced his calling as a writer, as well as how to make the most of your experiences in a new country.

Mark Norris, originally from Ames, IA, graduated from the University of Iowa in 2007 with a degree in linguistics. While at the UI, Mark studied abroad in Reykjavik, Iceland, on the University of Iceland exchange program. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma, and resides in the city of Norman. Read on to learn how Mark's study abroad experience benefited his college career and current endeavors.