The German Embassy in Washington, D.C. recently selected the University as one of 25 colleges and universities to commemorate the historic fall of the Berlin Wall nearly 20 years ago. The embassy will provide the University with $5000, which will be matched by the German Society and Center for German Studies, to sponsor events next week in remembrance of the historic event.
University community members will recognize the landmark anniversary with a week-long project called "Freedom Without Walls," a series of events raising awareness about the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as its social, political and cultural significance. Also next week, the University will hold lectures and roundtable discussions about German culture and contributions in diverse fields such as architecture, politics, economics, science and literature.
The project will feature a declamation contest, in which students will orate speeches either in English or German, about the fall, Assoc. German Prof. Jeffrey Grossman said. Also during the contest, students, faculty and enthusiasts will be able to debate political issues concerning freedom of expression and intellectual freedom.
Additionally, community members participating in the event recently conducted a wall art contest, in which entrants submitted art visually espousing the ideals of intellectual and political freedom on the wall, German graduate student Brett Martz said. University art faculty and internationally renowned artists judged and reviewed the art submissions. The wall will go on display Sept. 28 in the Amphitheater. A blank section of the wall will also be available to students for chalking.
In addition to the wall art, Engineering students helped commemorate the event by constructing a replica of the Berlin Wall also to be placed in the Amphitheater, Martz said. The German Society will also host a 5K charity race this Saturday. All proceeds will be donated to the organization, Doctors Without Borders, Martz said.
To be selected as one of the 25 colleges and universities that received funding, the University had to submit an application to the German Embassy. Martz and fellow German graduate student Gerrit Roessler, along with the approval of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, compiled and submitted the application.
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