In a Far Distant Land: An interview with foreign exchange student Igor Dozortsev

Igor Dozortsev is a native of the Russia Federation studying journalism and public relations as a junior at the University of the Cumberlands. He is 20 years old and beginning his third year away from Moscow. Igor is a student athlete as well as a captain on the university's swim team.

Dozortsev

Media practices and ethics vary from country to country around the world. However, studying public relations in the United States is notable in Igor's case because of the stark differences between the free and lightly regulated press in the US and the state-run, carefully regulated media in Igor's native Russia.

In this interview, the questions asked attempt to better understand how Igor perceived differences not only between our two media climates but also between our cultures. Through this there can be a better understanding of how his life in Russia differs from what might be considered a "typical" American life. There is also an emphasis on what challenges Igor has faced not just as a foreign exchange student in general, but specifically as a student of Russia.



Q: Thank you very much for doing this, Igor. Let's jump right in and start with a question I'm sure you are asked a lot: how does someone like you, from the most populated city in Russia, find himself in the small town of Williamsburg, Kentucky?

A: I was looking for a school in America, and the University of the Cumberlands offered a scholarship for swimming so I decided to take the offer.

Q: Moscow, and Russia respectively, has many universities, some of which are internationally renowned, so what made you decide to pursue higher education in America instead?

A: At home it is difficult to pursue a higher education and be an athlete. I would have to choose between the two, and I didn't want to drop swimming. Swimming has been in my life for 14 years. I would rather be a student athlete in America than not have it at all.

Q: Russia has compulsory military service for men. Were you in the military?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: I was 17 when I left for here, and we go to the Army when we are 18. I basically escaped.

Q: Do you plan on staying in America after graduation or using your American education in Russia?

A: I am going to graduate from UC and then get my master's degree in Journalism and Public Relations somewhere in America. I haven't decided where I am going to live yet. So far, I have at least four more years in America, and I am not planning on going back home anytime soon.

Q: When you are in America, what do you miss most about Russia?

A: I miss my family, friends, and the nature. It's a different environment than here; the trees look different, the grass is different, and so on.

Q: What sort of nature or nature activities do you enjoy in Russia that can't be found in America?

A: A great example would be the forest. When you walk into the forest in Russia everything is different--trees, leaves, grass. It is really hard to explain because the only way to understand it is to experience that kind of environment. We also go to the forest to collect strawberries, blueberries, wild berries, and mushrooms. Sometimes we would have picnics in it.

Q: What has been your most challenging experience in America so far?

A: Adapting to the diversity among the people, as well as the cultural differences. For example, we do not have homosexuality at home. You cannot just walk outside and see that on the street because it is very private in Russia. This cultural difference has been the hardest challenge for me, and I am still working on it a lot.

Q: What were you most surprised by when you first came to America?

A: Like I was saying, I was most surprised by how open and accepting people are with homosexuality. At home, those that are homosexual are very private and secretive.

Q: Does anything continue to surprise you?

A: The only thing that surprises me is that sometimes people misconstrue and misunderstand me. Russian humor is different than American humor, and this is probably the reason why. Not that Russian humor is mean or dark, it is just different.

Q: What do you think would surprise Americans most about Russia?

A: The culture, because it is very different. I just mentioned the difference in humor, but manners are very different as well. Russia is more like a European culture. In America you can just burp in public and it would be okay, but at home people would consider you a very uncultured person. People at home are also quieter than here; we don't talk loud like people in America. Laughing your lungs out in public is considered bad manners.

Q: What is your favorite holiday that you didn't celebrate in Russia?

A: Thanksgiving because I love the concept of coming together with family and friends, as well as appreciating life. And also, good food!

Q: And what's your favorite Russian holiday that we don't celebrate in America?

A: Christmas; it is a different date than here. It is on January 7.

Q: What was your favorite childhood pastime?

A: Summers with my grandparents. We would live together and spend the day together bonding over tea and helping with yard work.

Q: Where did your grandparents live?

A: My grandparents live in the city, but for summers they would go to the country house and live there. Their hobby is to plant vegetables, fruits, and flowers. They would ask me for help so we could do everything together.

Q: Only a couple years before you were born, the Soviet Union dissolved and a new government was formed. What was it like for your parents and you to be raised under two different social and political systems?

A: After the Soviet Union dissolved, there wasn't really any political system in place. Many people were just fighting to survive. It was a rough time for my parents because they needed to support myself and themselves.

Q: As a citizen of the Russian Federation, what does freedom mean to you?

A: Freedom is that I can go into the street and I know no one will shoot me. I know when I go to school I'll make it back safely because there are no guns like there are here in America. Our country is safe.

Q: How is that different from your understand of an American's notion of freedom?

A: I have seen more violence here than I have at home. I think America may have too much freedom.

Q: What were you expecting when you came to America?

A: I didn't expect anything when I first came here. I was basically coming with the flow because I had never wanted to go to America. My parents wanted me to study here so this is the only reason I have come.

Q: Does living in America fit into your preconceived vision of it?

A: No, it does not.

Q: How did time in America then change how you had previously perceived it?

A: My attitude actually changed a lot since my first day here. I went from hating it to liking it. Now I am very happy going to college in America because I can do a sport that I like, make friends, and enjoy my college time.

Q: How does American school differ from what you had in Russia?

A: They are similar systems and ways of teaching, but we have school on Saturday and finish earlier than in America.

Q: From my understanding, you have an interest in pursuing a career in media. What is the attitude in Russia like towards the state media versus the independent or foreign media?

A: My media interest has to do with sports, but news media is actually the same in America and Russia. It is government controlled in both countries. It is American propaganda that says American media is free. I know a lot of cases where American media makes things up; for example, on American TV they show how we are in a war with Ukraine and apparently bombing them--which is all lies. American media also says that we bomb Syria, but we only bomb ISIS. So I would call American media very government controlled.

Q: President Vladimir Putin currently boasts an 89% approval rating and is a very polarizing leader. How do you perceive him?

A: He is a great leader. His foreign policy is great, but I don't like his idea of a domestic policy. I love that he doesn't do what America tells the whole world to do, and I think he is right. He is not afraid to go against America and the United Nations. Talking about domestic policy, I hate that he didn't get rid of corruption. Everything is corrupted at home and no one likes it.

Russia in 5 Images

"Portrait of Lenin on the Facade of the Winter Palace
for May Day Celebrations, Leningrad, Russia, 1973"
by Henri Cartier-Bresson

"After nineteen years since the first trip, I longed to go back and revisit Russia. There is nothing more revealing than comparing a country with itself by grasping its differences and trying to discover the thread of its continuity." Henri Cartier-Bresson (About Russia: Photographs, 1973)

In 1954, Henri Cartier-Bresson boarded a train headed for Moscow. His photography had taken him around the world, but he would become the first foreign photographer allowed into the closed society of the post-war Soviet Union. He took enough photographs of the ordinary lives of Russians to fill up an entire book, About Russia: Photographs.

The image shows a portrait of Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the USSR, towering over the facade of the Winter Palace for the May Day celebrations (May 9, 1973) that commemorate the defeat of the Nazis and the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War (June 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945). It has become known as Victory Day and has been celebrated as a national holiday in Russia since its formation in 1991. The large poster of Lenin looming over the two Russian pedestrians suggests the "larger than life" affect Lenin had over the Soviet Union and its people.

Since Lenin's portrait is on the Winter Palace (former home of the tsars) it is likely an allusion to the 1917 Bolshevik storming of the Winter Palace which ultimately placed Lenin and the Soviets in power. The words behind his head are partly hidden, but likely say something along the lines of "The Great Unbreakable Unity..." until it is cut off by the end of the photograph. This kind of image would undoubtedly stir up the strong emotions of Russian nationalism current at the time of the photograph.

(News values: emotion, prominence)




"Portraits of Communist Party leaders lay abandoned in Pripryat
 inside the Chernobyl Zone" from Chernobyl--The Invisible War (2006)
by James Hill

"Even though these instants may be frozen visually many remain for me emotionally unresolved, still demanding my attention years after I first witnessed them." James Hill (Somewhere Between War and Peace, 2014)

On April 26, 1986, nuclear reactor no. 4 in the Chernobyl power plant exploded in Pripryat, Ukraine (then-SSR). The city of Pripryat was built specifically to house some of the most highly skilled and intelligent people in the Soviet Union who worked for the plant. It was built in the latest modern architecture and was supposed to symbolize the forward-thinking of the Soviet Union. For several months after the explosion it was attempted to stop the radiation and waste leakage, but the damage had spread throughout Europe. Despite the damaged reactor, nuclear energy was produced in Chernobyl until December 2000 using reactors no. 1, 2, and 3. The radiation levels have dropped low enough that short visits to the site are safe. There was supposed to be a project completed in October 2015 for rebuilding the structure of no. 4 so it would not collapse and leak more harmful fumes into the environment, but the current Ukraine unrest has pushed the project aside until 2017. (For more information, see website.)

British photographer James Hill has been photographing Russia for over 20 years. Through his photography, Hill wants to capture the emotion of the event as he had first witnessed it. He approaches the images of Chernobyl in color, demonstrating the full disarray of the once-glorious, modern city that was home to some of the Soviet Union's most educated minds. The image presents one testament of the tragedy, a city overtaken by decay and crumbling from years of neglect.

Taken after the fall of the Soviet empire, it is interesting to note the displaced portraits of the communist leaders among the wreckage. Perhaps Hill is posing a larger question: what have we learned? Part of the reason the incident was so destructive laid in the silence of the Soviet leaders. Because they had waited too long to ask the world for help, it was too late to contain the harmful effects of radiation when they finally did.

(News values: emotion, prominence)




"A Memorial for the victims of School No. 1" from School No. 1 (2014)
by Diana Markosian

"I am constantly searching for a moment of silence between myself and whatever it is I am photographing. It's an emotional process, which transcends anything else I've experienced. It is ultimately an expression of myself: all my feelings revealed in a moment, in an image." Diana Markosian (interview with American Society of Media Photographers, 2014)

From winning numerous photography awards and being published in a variety of news outlets, Diana Markosian is an emerging photographer in documenting post-Soviet life through images, as well as healing loss and trauma with the use of photography. One of her collections she has named School No. 1 was created to commemorate the Chechen terrorist attack that killed more than 300 people in the Beslan school. Marksonian explores the relationship between memory and place, and how a terrible tragedy has defined this small town.

Children and their parents crowded into the small School No. 1 on September 1, 2004. It was the first day of the Russian school year known as Knowledge Day, and would host a variety of activities for students and parents to begin the new year. However, this school year would begin with the worst school massacre in the world. Two groups of Chechen separatists held a three day siege at this Beslan school, killing 334 hostages with 186 of them being children.

Marksonian's photo is part of the memorial to the victims of the siege that hangs on the walls of the abandoned school. (The school was never reopened and a new one was built opposite of it.) "I don't think that it will ever really do justice to what happened to them," Marksonian says as she explains to GUP magazine her School No. 1 project, "but I do think that photography can help bridge that gap that arises when you lost something important." Taken 10 years after the tragedy, her image pays homage to the victims while reminding the rest of the world the lives that were lost.

(News value: emotion, prominence)




"In the Underworld" from Drunken Bride (2008) by Donald Weber

"This new society is glamorous in the way blood is red and money is green...Some like their jobs--or at least, they flaunt the perks of the underworld. They say: 'Life is a prison from which it is sometimes possible to break out. But only temporarily.'" Donald Weber (from blog, 2008)

Donald Weber, a two-time winner of the World Press Photo, is a Canadian photographer who became interested in photographing Russia and Ukraine during the Orange Revolution (Nov. 2004 - Jan. 2005). He wanted to understand the people of the era and of their place. In his interview with Eugene Safonov, Weber claims that he is less interested in photographs than he is with the characters he is representing. In this image, Weber uses his photograph to bring awareness to the growing problem in 21st century Russia.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, organized crime exploded into all areas of Russian life: street crime, government corruption, organized crime, etcetera. The crime can be linked to the failure of socialism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union into republics. The absence of a central government left freedom to the civilians but also to the criminals. Boris Yeltsin referred to Russia as "the biggest mafia state in the world, the superpower of crime" in 1994. By the time President Vladimir Putin came into power in 1999, the oligarchs and the world of organized crime was seriously threatening the Russian State. The problem with crime continues to be a topic in 2015 as the new government forms a justice system capable of dealing with the arrested criminals.

Although it has become somewhat cliché with images and headlines of gang warfare, assassins, Chechen terrorists, Weber captures in this photograph the subtle crime that lurks in Russia today: drug and alcohol abuse. The men in Weber's photo can be seen smoking cigarettes and presumably making a concoction of "krokodil," or a codeine mixture that competes with heroin on the streets. According to the Council of Europe information on Russia, Russia has become one of the world's largest heroin consumers with an estimated 90% of the 2.5 million Russian drug addicts using heroin.

Despite the pervasive drug problem, alcohol--typically vodka which has high levels of ethanol--remains the top killer. It does not come as a surprise that the average life expectancy of a Russian male is 64, with 25% dying before the age of 55; but it does speak volumes of the culture and political stability after the collapse of the Soviet Union (where there was an abrupt decline from 65 years in 1987 to 57 years in 1994).

(News value: impact, emotion, conflict)




"Kiss in: From Russia with Love" on Sept. 8, 2013,
by Kevin Van den Panhuyzen


"We do not have a ban on non-traditional sexual relationships. We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia. I want to underline this...We are not forbidding anything and nobody is being grabbed off the street, and there is no punishment for such kinds of relations. You can feel relaxed and calm [in Russia], but leave the children alone, please." President Vladimir Putin at Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

Kevin Van den Panhuyzen is a Belgium-based photographer who often captures political movements in European and surrounding countries. His images aim to bring awareness to the protests citizens have against their governments.

Gay rights in Russia has been a hot topic in the last few years. A recent demonstration that received international press was the protest at the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi. While homosexuality does exist in Russia, the general public tends to be some of the most hostile. Social conservatism is in fact growing in Russia; a state-ran poll in 2005 showed 59% of Russians were against same-sex marriage and has grown to 80% in the last decade. It is interesting that while Russia re-emerges as a global leader, it also becomes more conservative towards gay rights.

This photo was taken in early September 2013 outside of the Russian Embassy as some 200 openly gay people gathered for a "kiss-in"--or a dedication to the victims of President Vladimir Putin's anti-gay policies. It shows three lesbian couples participating in the "kiss-in" action and sporting the gay pride colors with their attire.

(News value: emotion, conflict)



EDITORIAL Russia or the United States: who should resolve the Syrian conflict?

Nov 13, 2015

Currently the Syrian conflict has been making the headlines with everything from the displaced refugees to political disagreements between world powers on how to handle the ongoing crisis.

One of the two major players in the current conflict is the United States, who has struggled to decide upon what the least terrible faction in Syria will receive its support. In 2014, the Obama administration publicly backed a small group of anti-Assad, anti-ISIS rebel forces by supplying small arms, air support, and "military advisors;" the US's reluctant support has proven largely ineffective. On the other hand, the Russian Federation headed by President Vladimir Putin, has been more aggressive in both its diplomatic interactions and military operations. Beginning this fall, Russia has already deployed more than 50 combat aircraft to Syria, along with over 4,000 troops--half of which are ground forces.

Formerly as the Soviet Union, Russia was closely allied with her southwestern neighbor the Arab country of Syria (previously under the control of President Hafez Assad). Because the Assad regime stands as one of Russia's longest and most dependable allies in the Middle East, the Russian stance has been supportive of the current Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russia insists President Assad is part of the solution, while the US charges he is the core problem and opts instead to support certain rebels. While Russia is interested in taking out terroristic extremists, the US goal is to instigate a democratic revolution by ousting the current leader. One has to wonder--especially considering the past failures of this strategy in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan--how this would help the Syrian nation and not completely crumble it.


President Bashar Assad (left) and President Vladimir Putin (right),
October 21, 2015

In his speech to the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in late September 2015, Putin contended, "Instead of bringing about reforms, aggressive intervention rashly destroyed government institutions and the local way of life...The only way to solve this problem for good is to restore statehood where it has been destroyed."

Fiona Hill, the leading "Putinologist" at Brookings Institute, reported to Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times, "There shouldn't be so much mystification about what the Russians are doing. They've been very consistent and very direct. They've been asking: If not Assad, who? They want to see a strongman in place who can keep order."

While several theories have sprouted in the last couple months on Russia's involvement, one only has to look at a map to understand why Russia, a state re-emerging as a major player in international policy, is interested in resolving the Syrian conflict. Russia has been fighting Islamic extremists for decades, and unstable states on her southern border have been hotbeds for extremist activity. Propping up friendly regimes in the region is a proactive form of self-defense, and is more practical than trying to police the entire southern Russia border. For example, the Kazakhstan border with Russia alone extends longer than the distance from New York City to London by almost 1,000 miles. The US can hardly handle its own border with Mexico that stands at a whopping 1,954 miles in length. As well as losing over an estimated 2,000 citizens within the past year to Islamic terrorists groups, the problem has become a domestic one for Russia.

It should not come as a surprise that President Putin's goals for Syria are practical and even defensive, not merely a power play. If there is any country best suited for handling the Syrian conflict, it would seem to be Russia.

Dalton Hutton Senior Vocal Recital at University of the Cumberlands

W H A T

University of the Cumberland's former winner and host of musical "Spotlight," senior music major, and active member of the community Dalton Hutton will take the stage at a senior vocal recital on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, for a live performance at the Nell Moore Recital Hall on campus.

Dalton Hutton at Prism Concert 2014

W H O

Hutton is in his senior year at UC. He is from Mount Vernon, Kentucky, and graduated from Rockcastle Country High School in 2011. In 2012, he won season 5 "Spotlight" (or "Cumberland Idol" as it was known as then), and began working around the campus as a resident assistant in the men's dorms, for CAB, and Choral Librarian for the Music Department. His previous experience in music has included: UC's chamber/Show Choir, performances for the annual Madrigal Dinners, member of UC's Chorale, intern at Hawk Creek church in London, member of the traveling quartet "His Heart," and auditioned for NBC's "The Voice," making it past the first round of off-screen auditions. Besides vocal abilities, he also plays the saxophone and piano.

S O U N D S

His recital will be approximately one hour in length with a 15 minute intermission halfway through. "He will perform a variety of pieces from several eras and genres," informs Kristin Disney, administrative assistant of the Music Department, "including numerous foreign language selections in German, French, etc." Some pieces he will sing include: "Turn Thee to Me" by Antonin Dvorak, "Du bist wie eine Blume" by Anton Rubinstein, "As Ever I Saw" by Peter Warlock, "Le Papillon" by Felix Fourdrain, "Lonely House" by Kurt Weil, among many more. His vocal solos will be accompanied by piano and his accompanist Mrs. Sharon McGinley.

W H E R E   &   W H E N

Guests are invited to the performance in the Nell Moore Recital Hall of the Mary McGaw Music Building. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m.

About the UC Music Department:
Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, the UC music department offers a variety of education opportunities to students interested in music, including: four degrees and three minors. Students have the opportunity to study with outstanding music professionals. Ensembles are offered to all UC students without required auditions (music major does include audition to assess performance skill and keyboard proficiency). The faculty of the music department offer lively and stimulating courses to help students develop their talents. 

Contact:
Andee Schuck
aschuck3353@ucumberlands.edu
(612) 987-6281

UC hosts Dr. Gary Gregg for convocation on Wednesday

Dr. Gary Gregg

Dr. Gary Gregg was invited by Dr. Nathan Coleman, associate professor of the University of the Cumberlands history department and the Phi Alpha Theta society to speak on "George Washington, the Newburg Conspiracy, and Civil-Military Relations."

At 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, Dr. Gregg gave his lecture in the Gatliff Chapel on the UC campus. Dr. Gregg leads and directs the Mitch McConnell Chair in Leadership at the University of Louisville. He is an award-winning political science teacher. He has written several books including, Securing Democracy: Why We Have an Electoral College.

Matthew Kelly, leader of the Phi Alpha Theta honor society, introduced Dr. Gregg, "We are honored to have this lecture presented by Dr. Gregg who has come all the way from Louisville . . . He is well known around the United States for the topic being discussed tonight."

Dr. Gregg began his lecture praising the American Constitution as "more than words on a page." He moved into the central idea of his lecture and the significance of Article 2 of the Constitution, which states the duties of the President. "The American presidency was inspired by George Washington, and then written in such a way that it would allow that George Washington to create the office while he enacted it."

The convocation sold-out of tickets but many students without tickets were able to find seating or standing in the back to make it a full house. The convocation lasted over an hour. Matthew Chinedu, a junior and criminal justice major at UC, said, "It was long but very interesting." Originally from Nigeria, Africa, Chinedu found the convocation enlightening.

UC holds opening convocation for students and community

Rush of Fools

University of the Cumberlands brought in the new semester with opening convocation on Sept. 1, 2015, by hosting Christian band Rush of Fools and speaker Brent Gambrell.

At 7:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, the University of the Cumberlands opened their gym to students and community for their first convocation of the semester. Students are required so many appearances at these events per semester. Opening convocations usually host the largest number of students; in fact, students sometimes attend the opening convocation by choice. Lauren Leever, a UC student who is no longer required to attend as a senior said, "I'm not required to go to convocations as a senior, but all my friends were going."

Rush of Fools, a Christian band from Alabama, opened and closed the convocation with popular Christian songs. Students stood singing and dancing along to familiar songs. Some students moved from their seats in the bleachers to the bottom of the stage to participate in song and worship. A group of freshman at the convocation all agreed they enjoyed the music and it was their favorite part of the convocation.

Dr. Larry Cockrum spoke to the students, introducing himself as the new president of the university and giving them the same advice he gave to his children when they began college, "You need discipline in order to make progress." After Dr. Cockrum introduced himself, new employees hired at the university over the summer were announced and applauded. A short video clip on the past year at the University of the Cumberlands was also shown, reminded the older students of the past year and introducing the incoming students with a new school year.

Brent Gambrell

Speaker Brent Gambrell, president of a non-profit ministry and a motivational speaker from Nashville, Tennessee, gave a sermon on breaking conformity with the sinful world and finding complete fulfillment in the Lord alone. He referenced several Bible passages (Ephesians 3:20-21; Matthew 2:12, 10:39; John 15:5) to conclude the central message of his sermon, "Do the will of the Father. Finish the work."

Junior Brooke Greene, double majoring in fitness & sports management and business administration, reflected on the sermon the next day and said, "The message was inspiring. It's exactly what I needed to hear before I started this semester."