Credit: Provided

DOHA, Qatar — "Since we've arrived in Doha, many of you have asked, 'What are students in Ithaca like?" said Cornell Student Assembly President C.J. Slicklen '09, talking to students at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), March 18. "The answer is simple. Just like you."

Over spring break, March 16-21, Slicklen, Adam Gay '08, vice president for finance of the Student Assembly, Dean of Students Kent Hubbell '67 and this writer (former president of the Student Assembly and now an at-large representative of the Student Assembly) traveled to Qatar to see how undergraduates in Ithaca can collaborate with their premedical counterparts in Doha as part of the Ithaca-Qatar Ambassadors, a student-led initiative founded in 2007 to increase communication and forge connections at the student level across all of its campuses.

"Cornell had been anxious to increase student collaboration between its campuses for some time, and ... this proposal [is] a viable way to help get the ball rolling," said Slicklen. "The administration embraced the initiative and encouraged us to continue pursuing it."

Much of the visit focused on the summer component of the Ithaca-Qatar Ambassadors Program. Many premedical students from WCMC-Q conduct research in Ithaca immediately following their second year. This year, they will be paired with undergraduates in Ithaca who will also be on campus for the summer. The students will spend time together in enrichment activities that have been organized and funded by the ambassadors program, such as traveling to New York City or Niagara Falls, going to the Farmers' Market or hiking through the gorges.

The WCMC-Q students had some tough questions for their classmates from Ithaca.

"They wanted to know everything about Cornell ... the pumpkin on the clock tower, the gorges and Collegetown, but they also wanted to know about the students," said Gay. "They wanted to know if students in Ithaca knew about Cornell's campus in Qatar, and if they did, how students in Ithaca perceived it."

Other students were concerned that they wouldn't blend into Cornell's summer community.

"Some students thought they would stand out in their traditional Islamic clothing, and some felt they would have difficulty finding food that met their strict dietary laws. We spent a lot of time talking about what they can expect, but we made it clear that Cornellians are curious — they're more likely to ask questions about what they don't know than remain scared of what they don't know," said Slicklen.

In addition to touring the WCMC-Q facilities, various university campuses in Education City and the city of Doha, the Ithaca delegation met with premedical students and foundation students -- a preparatory program largely focused on English language skills that was recently established to help transition prospective students from their local education to Cornell's challenging premedical curriculum. They also met with faculty and administrators, learning about the Cornell experience in Qatar and exchanging stories about life as Cornellians at their respective campuses.

The Ithaca team also made a formal presentation to the student body at WCMC-Q, followed by an informal meet-and-greet with the Doha students.

"We traveled so far, but we felt very much at home," said Gay, noting the warm welcome from the WCMC-Q community.

Elan Greenberg '08 is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.