Johns Hopkins European Horizons, a new student think tank started last month on campus, aims to foster and promote student interest in European affairs. The group plans to bring in speakers and provide networking opportunities for students with a desire to engage with issues in Europe.
Freshman Lucas Feuser, executive president of European Horizons, described what the group wants from its speakers. Feuser said they are planning on bringing Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a prominent Greek center-right politician of the New Democracy party, to campus in the fall.
“It’s incredible that he’s coming because he’s a really big name in Greek politics. He’s the leader of the opposition party, and this opposition party has gained immense power, so he’s actually lined up to be the next Prime Minister of Greece,” Feuser said. “He’s coming to Hopkins to come speak with us, and I think that’s really an incredible opportunity.”
Feuser also elaborated on the group’s plans to cultivate an interest in European affairs on campus through networking opportunities.
“I think what’s going to be really important is having a framework for people who are interested or even remotely interested in European affairs to have somewhere to go to either learn more or further that interest,” Feuser said. “What European Horizons offers is more than just events, discussions and speakers — they have connections with internships and study abroad programs.”
Freshman Alexandra Marksteiner, vice president of European Horizons, explained the group’s origins and founding at Yale University.
“European Horizons was founded at Yale University in February 2015 at the European Student Conference,” Marksteiner wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “[It] was founded as a think tank to promote discourse on transatlantic relations and to advance a credible plan for the future of the European Union.”
Feuser described the process of how the organization came to Homewood.
“I went to a student conference at Yale about European issues, and it was hosted by European Horizons, which is an international organization. I was inspired by how active, engaged and passionate people were by European affairs,” Feuser said. “I knew people at Hopkins who were as passionate about European affairs. I’m sure there were other students who I didn’t know about who were equally as passionate, and I wanted to bring that back to Baltimore.”
Feuser also explained the importance of bringing wider attention to European issues.
“European affairs have always been brushed under the rug in terms of who gets the headlines, especially when you consider the prevalence of Chinese affairs and Middle Eastern affairs, and at the same time what’s going on Europe right now is incredibly volatile. You have the European Union facing its biggest challenges yet, which include the refugee crisis, which include the rise of right-wing nationalism, which include even the threat to end the EU as it is,” Feuser said. “What’s going on Europe, it’s huge stuff, and it’s going to determine the future of Europe as we know it.”
Marksteiner wrote about how she had a personal connection with European issues and that discussions on the matters were important to her.
“As a German citizen myself, I have a personal interest in promoting discourse on European issues on this campus,” Marksteiner wrote. “I joined European Horizons because I thought it would be nice to be able to discuss the problems my home country faces with people interested in European affairs. Topics such as the refugee crisis or the Schengen breakdown are very close to my heart, as I see the effects of these issues when I go home.”
Nicolas Jabko, an associate professor of political science, expanded on his role as the organization’s faculty advisor and described the need for more dialogue on campus about European affairs.
“I sometimes feel that Europe as a region of the world is a bit neglected at Hopkins. Despite all its problems, Europe remains a very important region of the world and the European Union is a critical partner to the United States,” Jabko wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “A new student group would therefore be a very welcome venue for discussing European affairs and their broader relevance beyond Europe’s borders.”
Jabko also explained how this student group would strengthen students’ knowledge of Europe.
“My experience as a teacher at Hopkins is that this knowledge can often be a little superficial,” Jabko wrote. “A student group for discussing European affairs on campus would greatly help deepen students’ knowledge of and curiosity about Europe.”
Freshman Brianna So supports the group’s endeavors to spread awareness about European affairs on campus.
“I think it’s good that they’re doing this because on campus right now we don’t really have a group solely for European issues,” she said. “We actually haven’t had many speakers from Europe or any group to promote their issues. I think it’s good to make students more aware.”
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