匈牙利国会议员在校园里分享民主的美好希望

资深圣迈克尔应用语言学和英语语言项目负责人Richard Gamache, center, 马哈茂德·阿拉尼, 正确的, look with a visiting Hungarian parliamentarian at historical items from when Hungarian Freedom Fighters took English at Saint 迈克尔的 in the 1950s, 在圣路易斯市国际学生休息室为来访人员举行的招待会上. 埃德蒙的大厅. (伊莎贝拉·帕雷德斯·门多萨摄于1924年)

周三，匈牙利议会的五名议员参观了十大赌博靠谱网络平台, 学习和教授民主的本质和挑战.

该组织的校园主持人杰弗里·艾尔斯说, 他是学院全球参与研究所所长, said he and his students and colleagues appreciated what felt for Americans like a timely extended dialogue with “a 集团 of elected parliamentarians fighting for more openness and democratic freedoms in a country increasingly considered autocratic, 民粹主义者和威权主义者.”

杰弗里·艾尔斯

Ayres said he found the 游客 “really interesting and fun — an impressive 集团 of people in a challenging situation over there in Hungary” – namely, all are part of the opposition coalition to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nationalistic 正确的-wing super-majority that has been making itself known in U.S. 近月十大赌博靠谱网络平台.

Sponsoring the five-delegate 集团’s 保持 in Vermont was the Vermont Council on World Affairs (VCWA) as part of its Open World Program. 此前两天，他们在蒙彼利埃与佛蒙特州议会官员会面. 在此之前，他们在华盛顿特区，了解美国.S. 联邦政府.

在政治学教授艾尔斯周三上午的国际关系导论课上, 代表团的五名匈牙利议员中，有四名随行的还有一名美国高级外交官.S. 他也是匈牙利人. 艾尔斯说，该组织的两名成员, Anna Orosz和David Bedo, 属于一个叫动量的年轻政党，听起来很有趣. 代表们一起对最近的政治和他们面临的挑战发表了短短20分钟的看法. 例如, they noted how the European Union had issued a statement saying that Hungary is not a functioning democracy any more.

“很高兴听到这群致力于多元化的人的声音, 自由民主社会,艾尔斯说。, “They are struggling in a context where propaganda and Orban’s super majority collation makes it difficult to get opposing viewpoints through.”

星期三上午与匈牙利来访者进行课堂讨论.

课堂讨论揭示了美国当前的一些相似之处.S. 政治上，如城乡在主流意识形态上的分裂, with urbane Budapest residents being more highly educated and supportive of democracy and diversity of views and minority 正确的s. 他说，学生们在近40分钟的时间里提出了很好的问题.

“They asked a lot about rule of law and the constitution and the challenge of being in the opposition in Hungary, 以及现在乌克兰边境的情况, 以及俄罗斯入侵如何影响匈牙利的生活和政治,艾尔斯说.

Ayres said he could tell the 集团 enjoyed what was their only visit to an educational institution and class during their U.S. 保持. After the class was a well-attended 接待 in the International Student Lounge with a good number of faculty and staff turning out, “所以人们有机会与这些代表单独交谈.”

Longtime Applied Linguistics Professor Richard Gamache came to share historical items from when Saint 迈克尔的 hosted a 集团 of refugee Hungarian Freedom Fighters in 1956 during the early years of the College’s pioneering English language program of that era. 招待会结束后, 格雷琴·加尔布雷斯院长, Professor Mike Bosia of political science and some others joined the 游客 for lunch in Alliot (see bottom photo at end of story).

“午餐后我带他们参观了校园，他们被教堂的美丽所震撼，”艾尔斯说.

The Vermont Council on World Affairs states that its Open World program “has been forging lasting positive relationships between emerging and established leaders in the former Soviet Union and their American counterparts since 1999. 项目参与者有着各种各样的背景，他们来到美国.S. with the purpose of gaining a better understanding of American democracy and the rule of law in the U.S. 而在这里, 他们被介绍到关键领域的最佳实践，比如维持非政府组织, 解决腐败问题, 促进司法独立, 还有更多.”

从上到下依次是汤普斯，巴拉萨和奥罗什.

艾尔斯分享了匈牙利游客的简介:

Marton Tompos: Mr. 汤普斯于2022年5月作为在野党“动量党”的一员当选为国会议员, 新加入议会的政党之一. He was a member of the Momentum Movement and later became one of the founder of its transformation into a political party in 2017. 他最近当选为副党鞭. 他之前是一名视频博客制作人和编辑.

彼得Balassa: Mr. Balassa was elected to the National Assembly in May 22 as a member of the opposition party Jobbik faction. 他目前担任欧洲事务委员会副主席. 他以前是一名职业足球运动员, spending three seasons with Szombathely Haladas and was a Member of the Sarvar City Council where he focused on social and economic affairs.

Bedo, top和Barkoczi.

安娜奥罗兹: Ms. 奥罗什于2022年5月以反对党“动量党”成员的身份当选为国民议会议员, 她在2021年担任临时领导人. Ms. Orosz曾担任城市发展和公共教育副市长. 2017年，她被《十大赌博靠谱网络平台》评为匈牙利公共生活中最具影响力女性的第8位. 她还曾在政治资本公司担任分析师和通讯助理.

大卫Bedo: Mr. 贝多于2022年5月作为在野党“动量党”的一员当选为国会议员. 他在欧洲事务委员会任职, 目前是动量党议会党团的副党首. 此前，他曾担任布达佩斯十一世地方理事会成员. 并担任动量党网络总监.

Dr. Balazs Barkoczi: Mr. Barkoczi was elected to the National Assembly in May of 2022 and is a member of the opposition party Democratic Coalition. 他在欧洲事务委员会和农业委员会任职. Before becoming a Member of Parliament he served as the Spokesperson for the Democratic Coalition and a High School Teacher of Hungarian Language and Literature.

陪同代表团的有 伴侣Hegedus美国政治研究所高级政治专家.自2012年起美国驻布达佩斯大使馆.

历史的圣. 迈克的连接

The College Archivist Liz Scott of the Durick library staff shared an interesting historical account of a previous long-ago 集团 of Hungarian 游客 Saint 迈克尔的 in the 1950s as mentioned. This comes from an issue of the student paper The Michaelman from November 1958 in an editorial statement supporting freedom in Hungary after the Soviet 1956 invasion:

Mementoes from the 1950s 保持 by Hungarian Freedom Fighters at Saint 迈克尔的 College to learn English used to be displayed as above in the old Applied Linguistics offices.

“St. 迈克尔学院认识匈牙利人，并以一种真正的美国方式欢迎他们. 1月17日, 1957, a large 集团 of Michaelmen carrying placards waited at Essex Junction in the subzero weather to meet the train carrying the Hungarian Freedom Fighters to St. 迈克尔的. 这是一次令人难忘的活动，欢呼和握手很快消除了所有的语言障碍. 匈牙利人在他们新生的自由中开始了过渡.

在美国的3.2万名难民中.S.在美国，有1.2万人是学生. 迈克尔的 accepted 101 of them through the supervision of the Institute of International Education which is financed by grants from Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. 英语课程正是匈牙利人所需要的. 迈克尔被要求尽可能多地接受.

为了给他们提供必要的住宿，还有很多工作要做. 他们被安置在圣. John’s Hall and the facilities of Aquinas Hall were enlarged to receive the added number for the English Program. Each Hungarian was assigned an American student as an advisor for the various problems which he would encounter. 最大的项目之一是服装. The new Michaelmen were ill attired for Vermont winters so Michaelmen took it upon themselves to round-up clothing with a door to door campaign of the surrounding neighborhood.

当学生们闯入他们的衣橱寻找急需的衣服时，情况就更糟了. 然后，每个匈牙利人都得到了一套完整的衣服. Donations were sought to furnish the young Freedom Fighters with a small semi-monthly allotment to be used for entertainment. 他们对这种慷慨表示公开的惊讶. 他们在匈牙利收到的礼物总是附带条件的. “为什么他们这么有帮助?, 当他们不希望得到任何回报的时候,他们问自己.

在他们逗留的15周内, 该组表现出最高的成就, 学校教育的, 之前被录取的其他学生. 在匈牙利人的个人生活中, 在私人家里吃饭, 去州首府旅行, 科尔切斯特镇会议的第一手资料, 偶尔喝一杯可乐作为学习之余的休息.

Approximately two-thirds of the Hungarians received scholarships to various universities and colleges including Michigan State, 福特汉姆, 哥伦比亚, 普林斯顿大学, 等. 报告证实，他们做得很好，有些人是他们领域的优秀学生. 他们没有忘记他们在美国的第一个家，圣. 迈克尔忘记了那些打破铁幕的人.”

在阿利奥与匈牙利来访者共进午餐的小组包括院长格雷琴·加尔布雷斯, 左二, 政治学教授迈克·波西亚(她旁边的蓝领带), 杰弗里·艾尔斯(隔着波西亚的左肩).