By YESENIA RAMIREZ

Special to The Hays Daily News

Fort Hays State University students travel to Germany in July for 11 days to study the Holocaust.

The Leadership Studies Department will sponsor the trip, which will give students the opportunity to study German culture as well as the leadership tactics of Adolf Hitler. This will be the second trip of its kind by the department. The first trip was made last year to Italy and Greece. Students studied the history and democracy of the Roman Empire.

This time, the students will get the chance to take a fresh look at a subject that is grim to many individuals around the world -- the Holocaust.

The students will travel to Berlin, Germany; Warsaw and Krakow, Poland; Auschwitz; and Prague. They will have the chance to compare and contrast today's leadership concepts with the styles and tactics of Hitler and the impact of his leadership.

Students can earn three credit hours in Leadership Studies by enrolling in Study Abroad, a special topics class offered through the Leadership Studies Department.

After promoting the trips within their classes, instructors of leadership Jill Arensdorf and Jeff Montgomery said they have had good student response.

"We were surprised as to how quickly the spots filled up," Arensdorf said.

Of the 12 student slots, 11 students have enrolled and confirmed their participation in the program.

"Parents have been very supportive and see this as an opportunity (for their children) to experience something different," Arensdorf said.

"Many of our students have never traveled very far or outside of the country," Montgomery said. "I think it is a very different experience to read about it and to (actually) see it."

The students are responsible for the $3,310 needed for the trip; that will cover round-trip airfare, hotel stays, some dinners, travel between cities, and fees for institutions and museums.

"The trip is a very good offer to learn and travel," Montgomery said.

Kennedy Hansen, a Manhattan senior majoring in Leadership Studies, is one of the students going on the trip.

"I view this as opportunity to learn how to connect different parts of history to leadership," Hansen said.

This will be first time Hansen has traveled outside the country.

"I'm so excited because I've always wanted to go to Europe," Hansen said. "But I'm really nervous because it's an overnight flight."

Josh Taylor, a Wichita junior, is looking forward to studying "how different cultures do things differently and they have different expectations for everyday life. Here (in the U.S.) we are more participative and supportive," he said.

This will be Taylor's last summer attending Fort Hays, and he said he is looking forward to the opportunity to learn and travel while earning college credit.

There still is one spot left to fill or the trip to Germany. Any student interested in going can contact Arensdorf or Montgomery through the Leadership Studies Department at (785) 628-5562. Faculty interested in participating in any future trips can contact the same individuals.

Yesenia Ramirez, Hays, is a senior at Fort Hays State University with a double major in communication

studies and modern languages.