Local volunteers link Bloomington to Cuba

Friendship, or amistad in Spanish, is not a word commonly used to explain the relationship between the United States and Cuba, but one Bloomington organization is trying to help change this notion. \nCUBAmistad is a local group of volunteers who maintain the Sister City relationship between Bloomington and Santa Clara, Cuba. They have also helped to create a formal partnership between IU and a Santa Clara university.\nCUBAmistad held a celebration of the signing of "The Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation between Indiana University and Universidad Central de Las Villas" Saturday at the IU International Center. \nAnn Marie Thomson, a CUBAmistad volunteer and IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs adjunct assistant professor, said she hoped Cuban music at the event would get everyone dancing and also thought it would be a great learning experience.\n"It is a good opportunity for students to learn about a part of the world that we misunderstand," she said. Although the partnership between IU and Universidad Central de Las Villas is newly formed, Bloomington has been the official sister city to Santa Clara since 1999. Bloomington joins other U.S. cities, including Philadelphia and Madison, Wis., who have formal partnerships with Cuban cities through Sister Cities International. \nSister Cities is an international non-profit organization that helps create networks between cities all around the world.\n"The idea is to create people-to-people relationships, instead of government-to-government relationships," said Mike Gasser, CUBAmistad volunteer and IU computer science professor.\nCUBAmistad is active in sending humanitarian aid to its sister city. In collaboration with the Clarian Health Group of Indianapolis, they have sent computers and medical equipment to several hospitals in Cuba. \nBeyond the humanitarian element, there is an educational component that is beneficial for both cities, Gasser said.\n"We need to try to teach people here about Cuba," he said.\nOne way the organization hoped to strengthen understanding was through the new partnership between the two universities and the educational programs that would come out of the cooperation agreement.\nThey had planned a summer program for IU students to study in Cuba, but new U.S. regulations put in place June 30 made it impossible. The new rules forbid students to study in Cuba for less than 10 weeks. \nAlthough semester-long programs are possible, they are difficult to plan because it is very time consuming for the faculty members who attempt to set up courses in Cuba. A lot of preparation and paperwork must be done, and there are never any guarantees. \n"IU has to apply to the U.S. Treasury Department for a permit to conduct any activity in Cuba," said Rose Vondrasek, program associate for the Office of International Programs.\nEven with these setbacks, CUBAmistad is very proud and excited to celebrate the cooperation agreement between the two universities. They are also dedicated to the long lasting partnership and hope that in the future IU students will get the opportunity to visit Santa Clara. \n"We just need to be faithful and committed," Thomson said. "Fortunately this partnership will last a long time."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Ashley Brown at ashbrown@indiana.edu.