HOPE COLLEGE
VIENNA
SUMMER SCHOOL
FIRST ORIENTATION BULLETIN 2016
2 December 2015
To all Vienna Summer School students and parents or guardians:
Congratulations to each student accepted as a participant in the 60th annual Hope College Vienna
Summer School (see enclosed acceptance letter). Each year I send out five orientation bulletins to
supplement the information provided in the Vienna brochure. I mail the bulletins to all students and parents
or guardians listed on the application in order to keep everyone aware of preparations for the summer. If
parents are separated or divorced, please let me know, and I shall be happy to send copies to both. I am
pleased that several of you are grandchildren or children or siblings of graduates of the Vienna Summer
School---a great tradition! I predict a superb summer (my 41st in a row leading the program overseas!) of
learning, growth, and enjoyment.
1. Applications and Scholarships: Shortly before Thanksgiving, I emailed all who had submitted
applications that the first session (May) had already exceeded the maximum with more than 100 applicants
for 55 openings. Indeed, the second session (June) had 10 more applicants than could be accepted. In
addition, scholarship requests were exceptionally high. Despite these huge numbers, all applications and
scholarship essays and forms were evaluated for “early” acceptance and/or scholarship awards. Some of
you have been offered scholarships (if so, that letter is also enclosed in this envelope). Many of you, of
course, will be disappointed at not winning a scholarship. If that or any other reason means that you will
not be able to participate, please let me know as soon as possible so that a student on the wait list of close
to 50 may be offered a chance to attend. If you signed up for both sessions (May and June), your
application received priority; thus, if you have changed your mind and want only the first session, I need to
put your application back in competition with those of others who want only the first session.
2. Deposits: Please look at the deadline in your acceptance letter (January 11 or 15, depending on whether
you were offered a partial scholarship) to ensure that your deposit arrives on time at the Hope College
Business Office (address is in acceptance letter).
3. Passports: Apply for your passport immediately. Go online and visit: passports.state.gov to get all the
information about eligibility, renewal, application form, costs, needed documents, photos, etc. Indicate that
you need the passport by early April. Nineteen years ago, one student applied so late that his passport did
not arrive in time for him to board the flight to Europe. Fifteen years ago, one student arrived at the airport
with an expired passport; it took him three days and lots of money to get a new passport and flight.
4. Passport Pictures: Any skilled photographer can take passport pictures, but many post offices where
you file for a passport can also take your photo. Get at least three pictures. You need two for the passport
application and one for your International Student Identity Card. If you have an extra, you can autograph it
for your host family in Vienna.
5. International Student Identity Card: I strongly recommend purchasing this identification card (ISIC)
because of the health and safety benefits provided. It offers reduced admission fees to many museums,
theatres, concert halls, etc., as well as some extra insurance for baggage delays, passport loss, hospital
stays, emergency evacuations, etc. The card is valid for any full-time student between the ages of 12 and
112. It is essential for those taking the “Art and Architecture” course or planning to travel after the Vienna
program. The fee is about $25. Hope students can get applications for International Student Identity Cards
at the Hope-Geneva Bookstore. They can be processed through the Registrar's Office and bookstore within
24 hours. Non-Hope students should check with their own campus bookstore or international studies office.
If applications are not available there, google www.statravel.com and look under “Discount Cards.”
6. Youth Hostel Pass: If you are traveling for more than 10 days after the Vienna program, you may want
to consider purchasing a Youth Hostel Pass (about $25 for anyone between the ages of 18-54). If you are
traveling for less time, staying in inexpensive hotels will probably be just as economical. Passes can be
purchased at many (but not all) youth hostels in Europe, or you can write for an application to American
Youth Hostels, 733 15th St., NW, Suite 840, Washington, DC 20005.
7. Visas: American citizens do not need visas to travel in Western Europe or within Eastern European
countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia) where our group will travel. If you are not an American
citizen, check with your own country’s embassy about necessary visas in Europe; you may even need one
for Austria. Recent students from China, Peru, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Nepal, Liberia, and Canada
have needed special visas. Visas for non-Americans can usually be obtained at embassies in Vienna. Let
me know if I can be of any help. Visa applications usually require additional photographs.
8. Immunizations: Students traveling overseas are required to have completed their primary (childhood)
immunizations. Students who signed an immunization waiver upon entrance to Hope College will not be
cleared to travel with a Hope-sponsored international trip. You may contact Cindy Sabo, RN-C, BSN, in
the Hope College Health Clinic if you have questions about this. Travel immunizations required for the
Vienna program include Hepatitis A vaccine and a Tetanus vaccine within the past 5 years. Typhoid
vaccine is optional but encouraged for more "adventurous" eaters!
I shall send names of all Hope participants to Ms. Sabo; she will notify each student in early February about
which vaccines are needed, Hope fees, and other options for obtaining immunizations. Most probably have
these immunizations already. If you plan to travel independently to other countries, please download the
“International Travel Plan Form” (http://www.hope.edu/admin/healthcenter/travel.htm) from Hope’s
Health Clinic website and submit it for more specific advice. If you do need to get vaccinations at the Hope
Clinic, please do so in a timely fashion. Non-Hope students should also submit proof of immunizations.
9. Medical Emergencies and Health Insurance: Austria has an excellent health-care system. In my
previous 40 years with the program, I think there have been only two summers when I did not have to find
medical help (usually minor problems) for someone! The worst year was 2006 with six emergency-ward
trips in Vienna, one hospitalization, and two medical emergencies in Hungary and Slovakia. Englishspeaking doctors are readily available, and most hospitals are very modern. Students have survived
appendectomy and tonsillectomy operations in Vienna and have had no trouble with insurance payments.
Fifteen years ago, one student with a heart problem (not listed on her medical form!) was airlifted by
helicopter from our Alpine hotel on the mountain trip; the bill (about $20,000) was covered with no
difficulty because she had her personal insurance card and her International Student Identity Card. Twelve
summers ago in Vienna, after a nasty fall, I had shoulder surgery for a severely shattered glenoid joint and
learned that advance payment is the rule. My doctor was magnificent, but I needed to pay about $12,000
(via credit card, thankfully) before the surgery! Eventually, I got all the money back from my insurance
company. Hope College now gives me a $25,000 credit line for initial medical payments for students with
health emergencies. If you are covered by your parents' insurance policy, you should have no problem. Be
sure to check with your insurance company for your eligibility overseas, and bring the appropriate card to
indicate your coverage. Last year was the first time ever that I needed to pay Euros 250 in cash before a
student could get aid in the emergency ward for a minor injury.
10. Hope College “Assumption of Risk and Release Form” and “Medical and Mental History Form”
and “Student Off-Campus Program Responsibilities” Sheet: Participants in all of Hope's off-campus
programs (overseas and in the United States) need to sign these three forms. It is essential to acknowledge
that group travel demands responsible behavior (especially with alcohol) on the part of each individual. If
you are more interested in partying rather than studying overseas, please withdraw now. You are not
welcome in the Vienna program. In 2014, some students were sent home early at their own expense from
another May term program overseas for disruptive behavior and received F grades. If you are under 18 at
the time you sign these forms, at least one parent must also sign. I have enclosed identical forms in student
and parent envelopes since it is important for everyone to read them. Please return these (along with a copy
of both sides of your insurance card) to the Fried International Center in Martha Miller 116 (not the
Business Office) no later than January 15, 2016.
Please tell the truth on the medical and mental history form. Recently, several students have neglected to
mention eating disorders, panic attacks, etc.; when these issues surfaced overseas, it was more difficult to
find solutions. In 2005, 2006, and 2007, complicated problems occurred because students had not listed
prescribed medications. Many students have not told the truth about smoking, and this has caused problems
with housing. Not every medical condition is on the list, so please add any other vital information
about your health issues. Lawyers and college officials have been rewriting these policies for years; if you
are at all concerned about these documents, please talk with me before you pay your deposit. In the spring,
Drs. Gibbs and Cunningham and I shall go over your medical form with you in person because conditions
and prescriptions change, and many forget to list issues. I do keep copies of your medical information with
me (in my Vienna office, in my apartment there, and on weekend trips) in case of emergency.
11. Class Registration: For the tenth year in a row, actual class registration will be online in late January
or early February. Complete directions for Hope and non-Hope students to register online will be provided.
12. Flights: Check the 2016 Vienna Summer School brochure for basic information on three sets of group
flights that I have arranged with Witte Travel in Grand Rapids through Austrian Airlines directly from
Chicago to Vienna and back. This is the second year when airlines would not allow me to book connecting
flights from Grand Rapids or other places to Chicago, so I shall provide Hope buses to get West Michigan
folks from Holland to Chicago and back. Flights from other cities or on other airlines are acceptable
for all students, but arrival times must be before 9:00 a.m. on May 11 or June 3. The second bulletin
in January will contain specific information on flight options, alternatives to group flights, and online
instructions for reserving flights through Witte Travel. You will need to complete your online request with
deposit by Monday, February 1 (earlier the better) and pay for your ticket in full by Monday, February 29.
After that, I lose the reserved seats. I plan to meet most students on Sunday 17 January from 6:00 to 7:30
p.m. in the first floor rotunda of Martha Miller) with complete flight information. That same bulletin
distributed that night will, of course, be mailed to all parents and to students unable to attend that meeting.
13. Books: Fodor's Guide to Austria is a superb travel book, and Michelin's Austria is an exceptionally
good guide to architecture and art. Eyewitness Travel Guides: Vienna has been a very popular book
(especially for “Art and Architecture” students). Numerous other guidebooks to Vienna and Austria are
available at most urban bookstores. For students planning independent travel after Vienna, the Let's Go
Europe book is indispensable. Lonely Planet Guides and Rick Steves’ Guides to various parts of Europe
have also received applause from students in recent years. For those who want to learn a little history in a
very readable style, I recommend Frederic Morton's two books, A Nervous Splendor (Vienna around 18881889) and Thunder at Twilight (Vienna around 1913-1914). Both Morton books may be borrowed from
the Fried International Center. Paul Hofmann's The Viennese is enlightening but highly critical, and Hilde
Spiel's Vienna's Golden Autumn has nice illustrations to match the text.
Inge Lehne (her son graduated from Hope) and Lonnie Johnson co-authored a fascinating historical survey,
Vienna--The Past in the Present. J. Sydney Jones, author of Viennawalks, has published three historical
murder-mystery novels (The Empty Mirror features Gustav Klimt, Requiem in Vienna stars Gustav
Mahler, and The Silence includes many historical figures); I enjoyed all three immensely. Anne-Marie
O’Connor’s The Lady in Gold will fascinate every art or history student; Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren
starred in the recent and delightful film version, Woman in Gold. For those entranced with creative writing,
I have located a variety of fiction and poetry about Vienna by American writers. I can lead you to fiction by
John Irving, Kay Boyle, Ernest Hemingway, Bernard Malamud, Erica Jong, and Mark Twain and to poetry
by W.H. Auden, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane Wakoski, Jorie Graham, and William Carlos Williams.
14. Austria on the Internet: The Austrian Press and Information Service provides valuable insights at
www.austria.org: general information (population, climate, history, politics, etc.), travel/tourism tips,
culture and science issues, foreign policy issues, frequently asked questions, etc. The site has earned praise
for its colorful and professional presentation. It even includes a farewell letter from Dr. Eva Nowotny,
Austria’s ambassador to the USA and wife of a Hope College graduate! This is a perfect way for those who
enjoy the Internet to find out what this summer will offer. A site called Austria Café has links to soccer,
video clips, and exchange rates: www.austria-cafe.com.
15. Hope College Vienna Summer School on the Internet: The 2016 brochure is on the Internet, and
each bulletin will appear on the Internet in a timely fashion. Students and parents should be able to access
and download the information at www.hope.edu/beyondhope/offcamp/vienna.html.
16. Occasional Viennese Coffeehouses and (Maybe) Films: As I indicated in your acceptance letter, a
few get-togethers ("Viennese Coffeehouse" style) will occur every so often. The first one will occur on
Sunday 17 January from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. (notices will be sent). If students are interested, I’ll organize
some Austrian film nights (yes, there are films other than The Sound of Music). Let me get to know you
soon. If you have questions, please call my office (616-395-7616) or my home (616-399-1905), or email
me (hemenway@hope.edu), or drop by my office (Lubbers 310). Kendra Williams (kwilliams@hope.edu)
or Amy Otis-De Grau (otis@hope.edu) at the Fried International Center (616-395-7605) can also answer
almost any question. I will be away from Hope from December 21-January 2 but will check email.
Sincerely yours,
Stephen I. Hemenway
Director, Vienna Summer School
"I met a lot of people in Europe.
I even encountered myself."
--James Baldwin
"To travel is to take a journey
into yourself."
--Dena Kaye