Editorials
One year on...
“Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome, im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret.” Every student who attended the Cabaret 2010 knows those lines. Or do you rather
recall the South of France or the flying dancing shoes? Good memories last a long time. The Cabaret 2010 was such a memory. It was something new and no one expected to be dazzled and amazed – we were just hoping for a good party! The night unfolded into something much more, however, as the music began to play. The spectators were whirled into a show of talent that needed not be afraid of the spotlights. It was not the dancing nor the singing that amazed us most that night though, but rather the realization that such talent lay hidden behind the studious faces of the community we know as IHEID.
The Acronym was inspired by the Cabaret and our aim has been to create a creative space while fostering a sense of community and student activism here at the Graduate Institute. As we approach again that memorable celebration of talent, we hope this year’s Carnival will do the same and inspire you to engage the IHEID community. Whether you want to join an old club or create a new initiative, we encourage you to go beyond your comfort zone and get out there. Challenge yourself and grow. And for all those who have been doing that: Congratulations! We are more than the sum of us!
This past year, the Acronym Team has worked hard to enable many students to share their thoughts and ideas. We thank you for your contributions and for helping us transform an idea into a realization. We have been pleased to serve you and look forward to seeing how the students of IHEID continue to be inspired.
-The Acronym Team
recall the South of France or the flying dancing shoes? Good memories last a long time. The Cabaret 2010 was such a memory. It was something new and no one expected to be dazzled and amazed – we were just hoping for a good party! The night unfolded into something much more, however, as the music began to play. The spectators were whirled into a show of talent that needed not be afraid of the spotlights. It was not the dancing nor the singing that amazed us most that night though, but rather the realization that such talent lay hidden behind the studious faces of the community we know as IHEID.
The Acronym was inspired by the Cabaret and our aim has been to create a creative space while fostering a sense of community and student activism here at the Graduate Institute. As we approach again that memorable celebration of talent, we hope this year’s Carnival will do the same and inspire you to engage the IHEID community. Whether you want to join an old club or create a new initiative, we encourage you to go beyond your comfort zone and get out there. Challenge yourself and grow. And for all those who have been doing that: Congratulations! We are more than the sum of us!
This past year, the Acronym Team has worked hard to enable many students to share their thoughts and ideas. We thank you for your contributions and for helping us transform an idea into a realization. We have been pleased to serve you and look forward to seeing how the students of IHEID continue to be inspired.
-The Acronym Team
As the semester winds, or rather races, to a close, with papers tumbling in, exams coming at you left and right, and those yearnings for everything to just be accomplished growing ever more repetitive, chances are your mind may be a little weary. However, just now, The Acronym team encourages you to think still more! While you may not feel like you do have an iota of mental energy to spare, we prompt you to think outside your box, whether it be the library cubby hole that you’ve grown to calling home, the book your nose keeps attracting, or the halo of the computer screen. And, trust us, turning your thoughts in a different direction may be just the respite your mind, and soul, need.
First, we charge you to think in color; that is, think green! While many of us at IHEID are friends of the environment, it is all too easy to neglect our daily exchanges with our environment, bustling to class with plastic bottles bobbling in our backpacks and printing off pdf after pdf on the downtime.
Turn to the Opinions and you’ll discover how to take one aspect of your interaction with the environment into consideration, namely how to be a conscientious eater! You’ll also receive the inside scoop on the Robert Keohane public lecture and be inspired to make your own call on the regime complex for climate change.
We also encourage you to think locally. As scholars of international what-have-you, our minds are geared for the global. Yet, as unabashed nerds of international affairs, defenders of human rights, and promoters of progressive ideals, we often forget that Geneva is more than an arena for bouncing around lofty ideas. It’s our community and, like any, is only as progressive as its members care to be concerned. While advocating for justice, equality, and human dignity comes as regular banter for the classroom, we prompt you consider that the real work of “Pressing On” is not always a world away but, rather, lies right at your doorstep.
Finally, take some time to think about (and take care of) yourself! Dart your eyes to the third page for some pointers on how to take charge of the end-of-the-term screenplay. Just below, you’ll find all you need to take a break from the studies and make a jaunt to the mountains this winter a success. Of course, don’t forget to flip to the back page for some fun and games (humor this issue provided courtesy of our dear professors).
And, while taking those moments for self, we also prompt you to think about what you have to offer to your IHEID community. If you have an opinion, a reaction, an insight or bit of creativity or humor to share, contact us! Feedback on what has already gone to print is particularly welcomed as we
seek to feature a new “Letters to the Editor” section in our next issue. We want to know your ideas and look forward to hearing from you. Until then, think green, think local, and don’t forget to take some time for self!
-The Acronym Team
First, we charge you to think in color; that is, think green! While many of us at IHEID are friends of the environment, it is all too easy to neglect our daily exchanges with our environment, bustling to class with plastic bottles bobbling in our backpacks and printing off pdf after pdf on the downtime.
Turn to the Opinions and you’ll discover how to take one aspect of your interaction with the environment into consideration, namely how to be a conscientious eater! You’ll also receive the inside scoop on the Robert Keohane public lecture and be inspired to make your own call on the regime complex for climate change.
We also encourage you to think locally. As scholars of international what-have-you, our minds are geared for the global. Yet, as unabashed nerds of international affairs, defenders of human rights, and promoters of progressive ideals, we often forget that Geneva is more than an arena for bouncing around lofty ideas. It’s our community and, like any, is only as progressive as its members care to be concerned. While advocating for justice, equality, and human dignity comes as regular banter for the classroom, we prompt you consider that the real work of “Pressing On” is not always a world away but, rather, lies right at your doorstep.
Finally, take some time to think about (and take care of) yourself! Dart your eyes to the third page for some pointers on how to take charge of the end-of-the-term screenplay. Just below, you’ll find all you need to take a break from the studies and make a jaunt to the mountains this winter a success. Of course, don’t forget to flip to the back page for some fun and games (humor this issue provided courtesy of our dear professors).
And, while taking those moments for self, we also prompt you to think about what you have to offer to your IHEID community. If you have an opinion, a reaction, an insight or bit of creativity or humor to share, contact us! Feedback on what has already gone to print is particularly welcomed as we
seek to feature a new “Letters to the Editor” section in our next issue. We want to know your ideas and look forward to hearing from you. Until then, think green, think local, and don’t forget to take some time for self!
-The Acronym Team
Welcome to the Acronym! A New Platform for Student Expression and Originality!
Our inspiration for this newspaper flares from that unforgettable night of feathers, fish nets and top hats last May—yes, we all recall the night of the Cabaret! Huddled together on that dark rue just behind the train station, who could have guessed what the evening held in store?
Just inside the doors of the posh Uptown Geneva night club, we were ushered into a gala of glitz and glamour and of musical and theatrical talent so dazzling we never could have imagined it was seated across from us in law, politics, economics or history just earlier in the day.
Indeed, the body-twirling, leg-raising routines featuring our fellow classmates at center stage were so finely choreographed that, four rows back and well outside the spotlight, my own legs nearly started kicking in sync with the others during the final number. And, that’s not to mention the sensational vocal and instrumental performances that carried the night away!
Undoubtedly, the Cabaret was a veritable celebration of student originality. So much hidden talent found itself on that stage that we decided a more permanent forum for student expression was needed. As a platform to spotlight our diverse talents and interests, The Acronym seeks to give voice to the students of IHEID and draw us together as a community.
The new name - chosen in an Institute-wide vote over the summer - reflects our lives in a world of abbreviations.
With or without experience, students can take the stage and share their perspectives, insights, creativity and humor with their fellow students. While eager to showcase the scholarly and opinion reflections one would anticipate of any first-class academic community of international and development studies (can you really believe IHEID does not have a newspaper yet?), we also urge you to contribute your own short stories, poems, cultural insights, around-the-city reviews and other original contributions for making this newspaper a success. In the meantime, we extend a warm welcome to your new student newspaper and wish you a pleasant perusal of this first issue!
If you are interested in writing or editing, do not hesitate to contact us! New ideas and graphical inputs as well as criticism are highly welcome!
Just inside the doors of the posh Uptown Geneva night club, we were ushered into a gala of glitz and glamour and of musical and theatrical talent so dazzling we never could have imagined it was seated across from us in law, politics, economics or history just earlier in the day.
Indeed, the body-twirling, leg-raising routines featuring our fellow classmates at center stage were so finely choreographed that, four rows back and well outside the spotlight, my own legs nearly started kicking in sync with the others during the final number. And, that’s not to mention the sensational vocal and instrumental performances that carried the night away!
Undoubtedly, the Cabaret was a veritable celebration of student originality. So much hidden talent found itself on that stage that we decided a more permanent forum for student expression was needed. As a platform to spotlight our diverse talents and interests, The Acronym seeks to give voice to the students of IHEID and draw us together as a community.
The new name - chosen in an Institute-wide vote over the summer - reflects our lives in a world of abbreviations.
With or without experience, students can take the stage and share their perspectives, insights, creativity and humor with their fellow students. While eager to showcase the scholarly and opinion reflections one would anticipate of any first-class academic community of international and development studies (can you really believe IHEID does not have a newspaper yet?), we also urge you to contribute your own short stories, poems, cultural insights, around-the-city reviews and other original contributions for making this newspaper a success. In the meantime, we extend a warm welcome to your new student newspaper and wish you a pleasant perusal of this first issue!
If you are interested in writing or editing, do not hesitate to contact us! New ideas and graphical inputs as well as criticism are highly welcome!
Disclaimer: The thoughts expressed in all the articles are solely the opinions of the authors and do not reflect official views of the Graduate Institute or other members of the student body. For general inquiries, please contact: [email protected].
