3 K.U.Leuvens 575th anniversary

weeds against cancernuestra experiencia en la K.U.Leuvencourse on gender studies

December 1999 * international magazine of/revista internacional de la K.U.Leuven

Verschijnt 14-daags,uitgez. juli en aug.

AfgiftekantoorHasselt 1

Belgi-BelqiqueP.B.

3500 Hasselt 112/39

E D I T O R I A L

Dear Alumni,

This is the second issue of Campus-krant International. The response to thefirst one was overwhelmingly positive.Alumni from the four corners of theworld wrote to us, expressing their

pleasant surprise upon finding the premier issue ofthis newspaper in their mailbox.

Twice a year, Campuskrant International will serve asa means to stay in permanent touch with your AlmaMater. In every issue, you will find articles which, wethink, will be of interest to you, wherever you may havelanded up after your studies in Leuven.

K.U.Leuven is proud of its alumni -and of its herita-ge. This will be made abundantly clear during a wholeyear of Jubilee celebrations, some of which will be acade-mic and solemn, while others will be of broad publicinterest, or simply fun. The reason for all this? Exactly575 years ago, this university, your university, was esta-blished by a papal decree, an historic event which willnot pass unmarked. As you will read in this issue, therewill be a whole truckload of festive occasions. Shouldyou feel like visiting Leuven again, maybe this is the yearto do so. It should be clear, however, that in time of Jubi-lee or no, you are always welcome.

Professor Guido Langouche, Vice-rector K.U.L euven

Estimados ex-alumnos

Este es el segundo nmero del Campuskrant Interna-tional. La acogida del primer nmero fue enormementepositiva. Ex-alumnos de todo el mundo nos escribieronpara expresar la agradable sorpresa que les supuso el reci-bir el primer nmero de esta revista en su buzn.

El Campuskrant International es una publicacin bia-nual que te mantiene en contacto permanente con tuAlma Mater. Esperamos que los artculos publicados encada nmero sean de tu inters, donde sea que teencuentres despus de tus estudios en Leuven.

La K.U.L euven se siente orgullosa de sus ex-alumnos-y de su herencia, tal y como se pondr de manifiestodurante un ao repleto de actividades acadmicas ysolemnes, as como tambin de celebraciones populares osimplemente divertidas. La razn de todo ello? Hace aho-ra exactamente 575 aos, un decreto papal fund estauniversidad, tu universidad, y tal e femride no puedepasar inapercebida. En este nmero, puedes comprobarque se organizarn un gran nmero de actividades con-memorativas. Si piensas en volver a visitar L euven, quizste sea el mejor momento. Lo que est claro es que, cono sin festividades, en Leuven sers siempre bienvenido.

Profesor Guido Langouche, Vice-rector K.U.LeuvenCampuskrant

International magazine of K.U.Leu-ven

Editorial Board

Toon Boon, Ine Van Houdenhove(editors-in-chief), Hilde Devoghel,Githa Roelans

Editorial Committee

Amy Crawshaw, Trees Deloddere,Jack Dick, John Hymers, Ludo Mey-vis, Isabel Penne, Marta PertegasSender, Beatrice Navarro de la Torre-Schotsmans, Miles Smit, P aula VanEupen.

Address

Communications OfficeOude Markt 133000 Leuvenphone +32-16-32 40 18fax +32-16-32 40 1 4Ine.VanHoudenhove@dcom.kuleu-ven.ac.be

Also on the Internet

http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/ck/

Steering Committee Campuskrant

Githa Roelans (president), Jan Bau-wens, Jan De Vuy st, Jan Elen, Ber-nard Himpens, Jos Huypens, Step-han Neetens, Isabel Penne, CarlosSteel, Paul Thurman, Jos Vaesen,Frans Van Nieuwenhove, Luc Van-quickenborne, Jan Verhaeghe, MarcWaelkens

Layout

Total Design Belgium

Photographs

Rob Stevens

Cartoon

Joris Snaet

Circulation

5.500 copies

Print

Van In, Lier

Publisher

Githa Roelans, Oude Markt 13, 3000Leuven, Belgium

Copyright articles

Articles from this edition can be u sedonly with permission of the publis-her.

Subscription

Alumni from K.U.L euven can ask fortheir free copy by phoning, faxing,mailing to Vronique Limbourg(address: see above). If you wouldlike to contribute financially to thealumni association Alumni Lova-nienses International, you can trans -fer your gift to bank account 000-0136526-47 of Alumni Lovanienses,Naamsestraat 63, 3000 L euven, Bel-gium.

If you no longer wish to receiveCampuskrant International, pleasenotify the editor.

3 A cake with 575 candl esK.U.Leuvens 575th anniversary

4 Theres no such thing as a free lunchKarel Vinck, president of Alumni Lovanienses

5 On ne nat pas femme, on le devientInterfaculty Course on Gender Studies

5 Weeds in the fight against cancer

6 Nuestra Experiencia en la K.U.L euven

7 Lets go Dutch!CD-Rom Instap!Nederlands

8 Distribution of K.U.Leuvens foreign alumni

CON T E N TSca mpus k ra ntDecember 1999

With this Campuskrant International -named after theDutch university ne wspaper- we wish to inform you twi -ce a year about academic life in Leuven: research, studentactivities, culture, university policy, personnel matters, etcetera.If you have any suggestion for future issues dont hesitateto contact the editorial board. We are looking forward tohearing f rom you soon!2 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N AT I O N A L december 99

Want to study (again) at

K.U.Leuven?

For information and application forms: Trees Deloddere,Office for International Students and Scholars, OudeMarkt 13, 3000 L euven, Belgium, phone +32-16-32 40 2 4,fax +32-16-32 37 73,admission.officer@dsa.kuleuven.ac.be

http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/ck/

N E W SA cake with 575 candles

Anne-Mie Jaspers/Translation Ludo Meyvis

K.U.Leuvens 575th anniversary coincides with the dawnof the new millennium. Even though its impressive herita-ge must not (and wont) be ignored, the Jubilee Year willhave as its main foc us the future of the university, as willbe apparent in a plethora of activities.

Isabel Penne -whom youundoubtedly know as the forcebehind K.U.Leuvens Alumni-will be coordinating the Jubilee.Preparations have been under-way for about a year, she says.And a lot of people have alreadycontributed greatly to the wholeinitiative. Professor Goedseels,the universitys generalmanager, is the overall supervi-sor of the Jubilee. Many newsponsors have come forth tosupport it, which means that alltold, the Jubilee will not cost apenny of the regular universityfinances.

Join in

The organisational committeehas designed a threefold seriesof activities, parallel to the threepillars of the university;

research, education and service to society. Although the-re will be many d ifferent angles in all these events, weare committed to giving them a distinct, shared fla-vour.

The celebration is an all-university project. All stu-dents, faculties, academic, administrative and technicalstaff will join in. The jubilee also transcends K.U. L eu-vens institutional boundaries. As befits history, it goeswithout saying that our French-speaking sister universi-ty, the U.C.L. in Louvain-la-Neuve will also be involved.And, we are also e xtremely glad that other institutionswill be joining in this festive endeavour. Last but notleast, the town of Leuven is participating enthusiasticallyin the preparations.

World premiers

Of course, there are a few top-of-the-bill events. The

opening of the Jubilee will be on February 2nd, K.U.L eu-vens Patronal Saints Day. As has been done for so manyyears, the university will be stow honorary doctorates onpeople who occupy a leading role in science, politics, cul-ture, etc. Rectors and mayors from about twenty ofEuropes oldest universities and university towns will bepresent at this ceremony.But there is much more. There will be about one hun-dred congresses. A huge open-air cantus will be accom-panied by the university librarys carillon. There will be aFeast Week, with a world premier concert featuringpolyphonic music by Jean de Castro and other composersof his time. There will also be an open-air staging of theRedentiner Osterspiel, a medieval play. Although it isseveral hundred years old, in fact its also a world pre-mier, since it was never staged at the time it was written,as it was considered to be too critical of the Church. Itwill be supported by many side-attractions, resembling amedieval circ us, if you will. In 2001, a very moderncounterpart will be staged, in the form of a contempora-ry adaptation of the Uylenspiegel theme.

Buildings and exhibitions

There are many exhibitions to draw attention. Top ofthe bill is Splendour from the Far East, which will beorganized in the Nassau Chapel of the Royal Library inBrussels. Also very special is Panorama of Six Centuriesof University. This is a walking exhibition between Leu-ven and Louvain-la-Neuve, starting from Leuvens townhall, and leading the visitor to a series of university buil-dings -both here and in Louvain-la-Neuve. During theJubilee, the Begijnhof will officially be instated as a Cul-tural Heritage of the World site, a prestigious nominationby UNESCO.

And theres more...

A university celebrating its 575th anniversary withoutmajor scientific events would be unthinkable. Over 100congresses will be organized, from specialized seminarsto real mass events. Some of these require so much space,that they can only be held in the national conference cen-ters in Brussels. There are, for instance, conferences onEurope 2000, on the K of K.U.Leuven, on permanenteducation, distance learning etc.There will be major new publications on variousaspects of the university. We have also applied to issue aspecial commemorative stamp. There will be a flowercarpet with the universitys logo. There will be a sp ecialcelebration of and for our foreign students. The universi-ty will donate a statue to the town of Leuven. There willbe a big party for the university staff. And what I havementioned, barely hints at the multitude of events andcelebrations. One thing is beyond doubt: K.U.L euvens575th anniversary will not go by unnoticed.

Refreshing your memoryK.U.Leuven is the oldest extant Catholic university inthe world. There were, of course, Catholic universitiesestablished prior to K.U.L euven, but they have eitherdisappeared, or merged into other institutions, losingtheir original character. K.U.Leuven is also the oldestuniversity of the Low Countries. It was founded in 1425by a decree, by Pope Martin V. Originally, it had fourfaculties: Arts, Canon and Civil Law, and Medicine.Many world-famous scholars have contributed to Leu-vens prestige. These include, among others, Adrian ofUtrecht -PopeAdrian VI-,Erasmus,Vives, Vesalius,and Mercator.

In 1797,during theFrench occupa-tion, the uni-versity wassuspended.Nineteen yearslater, it opened its doors again as a State University, esta-blished by King W illem I of Holland. The bishops star-ted their own Catholic university in Mechelen, but in1835 this shifted back to Leuven, where the State Univer-sity had in the m eantime been closed.

Split

Linguistic problems play a major part in B elgian politics.In 1911, the process of vernederlandsing, or Netherlandi-sation was started, and some 25 years later, most courseswere taught in Dutch as well as in F rench. In 1968, thebilingual university split into two separate entities: theDutch Katholieke Universiteit Leuven remained in Leu-ven, and the French-speaking Universit Catholique deLouvain moved to Louvain-la-Neuve in Ottignies, in theFrench- speaking part of the countr y.Three years earlier, K.U.L euven had established a juniorcollege campus in Kortrijk, in the province of West-Flan-ders. Today, K.U.L euven has evolved into one of Euro-pes leading universities, with thirteen faculties, spreadover Leuven and Heverlee.

More information, brochu-res etc. can be o btainedfrom K.U.Leuven, AlgemeenBeheer, Krakenstraat 3,3000 Leuven, or on the Website:http://www.kuleuven.ac.be.Have you visited K.U.Leuvens Web site lately? No? Thenits high time that you do, as it has been completelyrevamped and expanded to cater to the needs of non-Dutch speaking students and researchers. Just direct yourbrowser at http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/studeng (or chosethe link Foreign Guests Website from the main homepage);you will find that this site is still under construction, butcontrary to the majority of sites bearing this quite h atedstatement, you will find hundreds of active pages that areof obvious interest to you. Lets take a brief look.

The General Information section tells you what life inLeuven is like. It guides you through the pitfalls of your

You will also find p ages on university development aidhere.

Finally, there is the Research link, which is, at thetime of this writing, still under serious (re)construction.

You will find three buttons at the top of most pages.The first guides you to a very useful search and naviga-tion matrix that presents you with a considerable list ofthe very best general purpose and dedicated search engi-nes. The second button is News and Events, and it provi-des links to just that. This is the place to locate congres-ses, celebrations etc. The third is Newsletter, and it willget you exactly where you started from, i.e. CampuskrantInternational.

As we said at the beginning of this article, K.U.L eu-vens English site is not yet finished and never will be. Itsinformation may change continuously, but whatever bethe current information, it clearly provides you with aquite thorough insight into the heart of K.U.L euven:quality in research, quality in education, quality in infor-mation. What more do you need?

first days: How do you reach Leuven? What about yourmoney? Do you have to register with the town authori-ties? And your insurance?

The link to Academic Programmes is essential for youto find your way through the maze of diplomas, addi-tional programmes, requirements, international exchan-ge possibilities, etc. Are you looking for a particular cour-se? Or are you wondering if there is a course on a certaintopic? Just try the course search engine.

The Admission section explains in thorough detailthe registration process, prerequisite study backgrounds,language requirements, and so on.

University Services provides information regardingsports, social services, computer facilities, the library,etc. These and still many other links are indispensable formaking your life in Leuven easier, and for enabling you toget the most out of your Leuven experience.

International Relations thoroughly explains theSocrates and other exchange programs. These pages arepractically arranged and their information is exhaustive.

K.U.Leuvens English

Web site

Ludo MeyvisDecember 99 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N A T I O N A L 3

http://www.kuleuven.ac.behttp://www.kuleuven.ac.be/studeng

N E W S

umni Record Form

n Alumnus I wish to forward the following information for

records in the Alumni K.U.Leuven - International databa-

r

try:...............................................................................

....................................................................................

onal Data

e:.................................................................................

en Name (if applicable):................................................

of Birth:..........................................Sex:........................

onality/Citizenship:.........................................................

e Address

t:..................................................................................

:.........................................Zip code:............................

try:...............................................................................

e:........................................Fax:...................................

il:.................................................................................

er Studies & School:.......................................................

Studies at K.U.Leuven:...................................................

lty:...............................................................................

artment:.........................................................................

ctor/Staff:.....................................................................

ution:............................................................................

d:................................................................................

ined Degree:................................................................

s Year Graduation:.........................................................

otor:.............................................................................

is/Dissertation Title:........................................................

....................................................................................

loyment & Professional Particulars

nation: ........................................................................

ssion: ...........................................................................

e Adress / Institution / Department

e: ................................................................................

t: .................................................................................

: .................................................................................

ode: ............................................................................

try: ..............................................................................

e: ....................................Fax: .....................................

: ..................................................................................

il: ................................................................................

rest in Alumni Activities

emic: O

ssion: O

l: O

ral: O

Leuven Development: O

r, please specify: ...........................................................

ni K.U.Leuven-International Group in your City/Country:

-existent: O

be formed: O

ent: O

actperson/Secretary: ....................................................

ess: ............................................................................

: .................................................................................

ode: ....................Country: ..........................................

e: .....................................Fax:....................................

il: ...............................................................................

act with Belgian Embassy: OIf something is actually very good, one rarely comesright out with it for fear of stepping on someones toes.This is a f aulty reflex. We should be using our successstories, such as successful research projects, as ways toattract attention. Silencing the best out of some sense ofpeace and a kind of piety for the weaker is a reaction thatI as a corporate leader find very strange. You must dare tospeak out and say that something is good, or also thatsomething isnt good. We dont do enough of this, espe-cially in our communication with the outside world.I hope the Alumni can continue to work successfully asthey have been doing. A lot of good has been achieved,and there is still much to do. The logistical support forAlumni activities can be expanded, and Im willing t owork on that. The points we have to work on in the nextfew years are improving the contacts between the admi-nistration and faculty circles, greater involvement ofalumni in student recruitment, and perhaps a more acti-ve involvement of our graduates in funding.

Best

Alumni activities will succeed or fall fl at, depending onthe kind of contact we maintain with our gradu ates.Practically every week I receive notices, letters, and fol-ders from Cornell University, where I studied. It givestheimpres-sion thatyou arestill reallya part ofthem.Thisdemandsa lot ofeffort onthe partof theuniversi-ty. Youhave tobuild aclose con-nection.TheK.U.Leu-vencould, forexample,send every single issue of the Campuskrant to all of itsalumni. The cost would be negligible in comparison tothe benefits received. I have absolutely no doubts aboutthis. Theres no such thing as a f ree lunch.

The Benefits of Investing in Our Alumni Organization

Theres no such thing as a free lunch

Ludo Meyvis/Translation Jack Dick

Two years ago, when Karel Vinck became president ofAlumni Lovanienses he gave himself a test period to deter-mine whether or not he could find a place for himself inthe structure and see his plans bear fruit. That must havegone well?

Yes, I believe so. I was able to establish that the vision ofthe Alumni Lovanienses and that of the academic admi-nistration are one and the same. Everyone, fortunately,has gradually come to realize how important alumni arefor a university. The most important aspect now is con-crete planning; and that is something I can really getmyself engaged in.

Good

A lot has been done in the last two years. That doesntmean there is no room for improvement. In fact, quitethe opposite is true, not so much within the academicadministration where I find much common agreement,but within the var ious faculties. There are still too manyprofessors who dont know what Alumni Lovaniensesdoes; and they dont have enough interest in it. C ontactwith the faculties, therefore, could be greatly improved. Imention, for example, the creation of communicationcells by which we are striving for coherence and cohesionbetween the umbrella administration, faculties, andfaculty circles. The rector has taken that initiative andIm convinced that these cells can greatly promote com-munication between the university and its alumni.

A lot of people at the university dont realize thatour graduates play a key role in recruitment. As long asthe financing of our university depends significantly onstudent enrollment, one can appreciate the importanceof attracting students. Alumni Lovaniensis has thereforecreated the project K.U.Leuven at your home. In collabo-ration with local gradu ates, some professors, and thelogistical support of central services, we are going todemonstrate throughout Flanders exactly why Leuven isthe best choice for your son or daughter. Once they reali-ze that these activities are directly linked to their jobs,dont you think that some lights will start flashing?What applies to professors applies to the circles as well:they are too often focused on just their own faculty andnot the university.

What has been a bit difficult for me in the l ast twoyears, is the slow and burdensome decision-making pro-cess in our university. It takes forever and ever before adecision is made. Since the chain of command is not clearto everyone, you sometimes end up with the difficultsituation of something being a decision for one party anda matter of advice for another. Naturally this makes it dif-ficult to work. Such a waste of time, and often on trivialmatters. It can be discouraging.What also bothers me is that annoying egalitar ianism.

Al

As a

your

se fo

Coun

City:

Pers

Nam

Maid

Date

Nati

Hom

Stree

Town

Coun

Phon

E-ma

Form

Stay/

-Facu

-Dep

-Dire

-Instit

-Perio

-Obta

-Clas

-Prom

-Thes

.......

Emp

Desig

Profe

Offic

Nam

Stree

Town

Zip c

Coun

Phon

Telex

E-ma

Inte

Acad

Profe

Socia

Cultu

K.U.

Othe

Alum

Non

Will

Exist

Cont

Addr

Town

Zip c

Phon

E-ma

Cont

Isabel Penne and Karel Vinck4 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N AT I ON A L December 99

Additional Information:.........................................................

..........................................................................................

Please send to Mrs. Hilde Devoghel, Atrechtcollege, Naam-

sestraat 63, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium, phone +32-16-32 40 02,

fax +32-16-32 41 90

Copies of this FORM can be used by your friends Fellow-Alumni

N E W SInterfaculty discussion

Prof. Draulans bears the brunt of the work-load with four lectures in whichshe gives an introductory overview of scientific study from the perspectiveof gender, and an overview of the socio-historical development of Womensand Gender Studies. Then six thematic lectures follow which shed light ondistinct domains of science through gender thinking. Prof. Lieve Vandemeu-lebroecke, chair of the Interfaculty Council Woman-Man University, andprof. Koen Matthijs are coordinating the organization. Vandemeulebroucke:Guest lecturers from the social sciences, architecture, psychology, anthro-pology, law, and social policy each illuminate their field of study through thegender problematic. This offers an especially exciting platform for the stu-dents who take part in the lectures, and the more varied are their study pro-grams, all the more interesting can the discussion become. We are thereforeopen to students from every study program. Through this course we hope tospread the results of gender thinking more within the university communityand to offer a thought-framework to students who, for instance, wish to wr i-te a thesis on this area within their own field of study.

Language sensitivity

Some of these issues, for that matter, raise ones consciousness at a personallevel: as soon as y ou have made yourself familiar with thinking from withinthe perspective of gender, you notice enduring examples of gendered thin-king: you meet with these at home, at work, in the use of language, and evenin scientific literature. Even the last sentence of The Second Sex runs: It isnecessary that, beyond their natural differences, men and women affirmtheir fraternity in an unambiguous manner. Draulans: Through languagesensitivity, among other things, we must overcome this thinking that divi-des. Thus,letsexchangefraternitywith someother term,for examp-le humani-ty. Fiftyyears onfrom TheSecondSex, manywomenhave madethemselvessensitive toinclusivelanguage.

Prof. Veerle Draulans is on the staff of TF T-Katholieke Universiteit Brabant,Tilburg, the Netherlands.Information: L. Vleugels, Centrum voor Gezinspedagogiek, Dekenstraat 2. tel:+32.(0)16.32 62 91; fax: +32.(0)16 32 62 11; linda.vleugels@ped.kuleuen.ac.be

Interfaculty Course on Gender Studies

On ne nat pas femme, on le

devient

Anne-Mie Jaspers/Translation John Hymers

Simone De Beauvoir said it already fifty years ago: one is not born a woman;one becomes one. Women, within the soc iety in which they live, will comportthemselves according to a certain pattern, and certain properties are attribu-ted to them which are considered female. These propositions are perfectexamples of thinking f rom a gender perspective.

Science = male?

In 1997, the VAP-workgroup Women and Universityproposed an Interfaculty cour se on gender studies, andthis academic year it has come about that licence stu-dents can opt for Gender Studies as an elective course.A modest concession to students with feminist sensi-bilities? Prof. Veerle Draulans, guest lecturer and cour-se holder of Gender Studies, expressly emphasises thescientific challenge of gender analysis: Through ascientific critique we investigate the origin, force, andconsequences of the thinking which divides, namelythe separation of male and female properties. Fromthis perspective, the question of why the conceptsscience and male are always joined to each other, forexample, is among the chief topics for scientific study.And there are, for that matter, innumerable examples:female emotionality versus male rationality, femaledependence versus male autonomy, female passivityversus male activity, and so on. These are obstinate andsurviving associations which, despite the fact that we

know them to be wrong, are assimilated even by the smallest children in notime. During the lectures we pose the questions of how such thought-formsendure and what is their impact on scientific study.

Sex versus gender

Gender remains a recent term in this debate. Draulans: In English onemakes a distinction between sex and gender. Sex is the biological being ofthe man or woman, whereby the biological sexual differences serve as objectsfor study. The term gender embraces the properties and characteristicswhich, in distinct cultures, are adjudged as what should be male or female.Gender Studies evokes less than does Womens Studies the idea that thecontent has an activist aim explicitly in the service of the womens move-ment. Above all, Womens Studies easily creates the conviction that this ismerely a concern for women, and only for and by them at that. But thisremains an open debate: radical feminists find that the term Gender Studiesagain obscures the mechanisms which exclude women from science andsociety.

Prof. Draulans

Prof. VandemeulebroeckeWeeds in the Fight

Against Cancer

Raf Weverbergh/Translation Miles Smit

You neednt look as far the Ama-zon rain forest to find a potentweapon in the war on cancer.Since the start of the century, ithas been known that cattle withlight coats which are not kept installs and which over-graze inpastures thick with St. JohnsWort can develop a skin conditioncalled hypericism. Common sense

soon led to the conclusion that there must be a linkbetween St.Johns Wort and light. This su ggests that hype-ricin, the chemical in St. Johns Wort responsible for thephenomenon, was the first known photosensitiser.Research now indicates that this substance could be extre-mely useful for spotting and even treating cancer of thebladder.

After prostate cancer, cancer of the bladder is the mostcommon urological malignancy, but in some cases it isvery difficult to detect. Superficial tumors, harmless aslong as they do not grow through the layer of muscle, areeasy to identify with a cytoscopy -an endoscopic inspec-tion of the bladder- since they cause a thickening of thebladder wall. Invasive tumors, on the other hand do notcause a visible growth in their initial phase, and thus can-not be readily identified by a c ytoscopy. As well, suchtumors are dangerous: they grow through the musclelayer and in this manner cause metastases via the blood,and the lymphatic duct. By the time the growth is visible,it is too late to prevent a dangerous spreading.

Xenon lamp

The urologist may suspect an invasive tumor in its initialphase -carcinoma in situ- when a patient presents withthe symptoms of an obstruction of the bladder eventhough the urine is normal, without pus or germ prolife-rations. In this c ase, urine is c hecked for scaled-off cells,of which the malignant cells can easily be distinguished.To find the pockets of carcinoma in situ, the urologistneeds to remove samples of bladder tissue from a num-ber of different places -an invasive and uncertainmethod. The centres are thus often missed, with veryunpleasant consequences for the patient. Within a fewmonths, the carcinoma in situ can grow into invasivetumors, necessitating the removal of the whole bladder.The foremost concern of urologists has been how tomake the centres of growth more readily visible. To thisend, in recent years Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA) has beenused. A solution is instilled in the bladder and is then

continued on page 6

Prof. Peter De WitteDecember 99 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N A T I O N A L 5

P E O P L Enow seems activated hypericin loses 30% of its energy in fluorescing, and70% in photodynamic activity. This is encouraging for the photodynamictherapy upon which our research is currently directed. This therapy startswith three components: intense light, oxygen and a photodynamic substan-ce. If you illuminate a cell containing hypericin with a laser -much strongerthan the illumination necessary to make the d iagnosis- the hypericin mole-cules react sufficiently with the oxygen present in the cell; the reactive oxy-gen molecules cause a burning oxidization of the cell, destroying it. Thushypericins advantage over ALA is that it spares healthy cells, which have notabsorbed any hypericin and remain intact. De Witte c autions that We arenot yet at the point where this technique can be used on human patients. Butfrom tests it already looks as though hypericin probably lives up to theexpectations. We are now searching for the optimal conditions, and the rightintensity of light, so that we do not accidentally damage healthy cells.

Opening

The technique should in principle be fruitful fortreating other forms of cancer, with the restric-tion that light only penetrates half a centimeterinto tissue. As De Witte puts it: Everythingwith an external opening can be considered: thegastrointestinal system, perhaps the lungs. Also,it should be possible to apply the technique tocarcinomas of the skin. E ven blood could be treated, if it were drawn out of the body for illu-mination. But I stress that for the moment weare only dealing with the bladder, an extremelysuitable organ for this technique. Only at a muchlater stage, after we have had satisfactory expe-rience, can an extension be considered.

continuation of page 5

absorbed by the cells, moreso by malign cells than by healthy ones. Once inthe cells, it is then transformed into a fluorescent substance, so that in thebright light of a Xenon lamp -now commercialized- the red pockets canreadily be seen. A big disadvantage however is the low selectivity of ALA:fifty percent of the zones which turn red consist of completely normal, heal-thy tissue.

Interdisciplinary research by the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biologyand Phytopharmacology, the Division of Biochemistry and the UrologyDepartment of the University Hospital of Leuven has shown that hypericinmay offer a solution to this problem. From a study on bio-active substancessome five years ago it became apparent that hypericin was surprisingly effi-cacious. The technique which was then developed is more or less the same asis used with ALA. The big advantages however are the higher selectivity ofhypericin -98%- resulting in drastically fewer false positive results, and thehigh sensitivity -the fluorescence lights up 93% of the malign tissue. Thenew diagnostic technique is already used routinely at the University Hospi-tal, and little stands in the way of its use becoming commonplace. Accordingto Professor Marie-Ange DHallewin of the Urology Department, this ap-proach is expensive, but not moreso than other medical techniques, and thebenefits for the patient are more than worthwhile.

Treatment

Hypericin also has bright prospects for the treatment of tumors. It is one ofthose chemicals with a fluorescent action which also has photodynamic pro-perties, and it is extremely well-balanced in this respect. Says ProfessorPeter De Witte of the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biology: The problem isthat both phenomena are competitive. A combination which loses 90% of itsenergy in fluorescence, has little power remaining for photo dynamism. ItNuestra Experiencia en la

K.U.Leuven

Eduardo Torres Llosa-Villacorta y Ana Cecilia Mostajo cuentan su historia a

Beatrice Schotsmans y Paula Van Eupen.

Tras su llegada al aeropuerto de Luxemburgo en enero de 1992, lo primero quepregunt Ana Cecilia -mi esposa- yendo hacia Leuven en el automvil de unamigo, fue si h aba cerca algn incendio o problema grave de contaminacinque explicara por qu todo estaba tan oscuro a l as 5 de la tarde. Definitiva-mente, el tremendo fro en invierno y el extremo calor en verano fueron losnicos problemas importantes que t uvimos en Blgica, considerando que enLima, la capital de Per, la temperatura mnima es de 13C en invierno y de24C en verano y que, adems, all nunca llueve...

Eso no fue motivo, sin embargo, para que rpidamente nos enamorramos deLeuven. Yo yahaba llegado seismeses antes, paraempezar mis estu-dios en el MBA, y,desde el principio,me impresion laeficiencia de laK.U. Leuven enacoger a los estudi-antes extranjeros:informacin sobrealojamiento, facili-dades mdicas,dnde comprar, etc., adems de la atenciones de mucha gente que hablabaespaol con soltura. Al empezar las clases, la positiva impresin inicial se vioreforzada por la calidad profesional del profesorado, la infraestructura dispo-nible (el MBA se imparta en la D ekenstraat) y la gran variedad de cursosfacultativos. Para m, al trabajar en Lima en un sector altamente especializa-do, la exigencia de un nivel acadmico elevado era un requisito indispensa-ble. De hecho, una vez culminados los estudios, quera poder optar a catedr-tico en la universidad privada ms exigente de mi pas (la Universidad delPacifico, en la que me haba graduado aos antes).

Al comienzo, Ana Cecilia se dedic a pasear por todo Leuven (algo impo-

sible en Lima, que cuenta con ms de 8 millones de habitantes) e hizo ami-stad con gente de todas las partes del mundo. An sin saber mucho ingls, notuvo problemas gracias a la amabilidad de los belgas y al mutuo deseo decomunicarse. Sin embargo, al ser una universitaria que haba estado trabajan-do intensamente en Lima, comenz a aburrirse al cabo de un par de meses.Por eso, durante el segundo ao de nuestra estancia, se decidi a cursar laMatrise en Administr ation et Gestion, con especializacin en marketing,de la U.C. Louvain, en f rancs, un idioma que ella domina. Fue una experien-cia muy enriquecedora, sin olvidar lo duro que fue coger diariamente el trende Leuven a Louvain-la-Neuve... a las 6 de la maana y en invierno...

Ni mi esposa ni yo tuvimos problemas para adaptarnos a nuestra vida deestudiantes en Leuven. De hecho, tuvimos la gran suerte de trabar una pro-funda amistad con una familia p eruano-belga que nos hizo sentir en familiay nos ayud a superar los sentimientos de nostalgia que inevitablemente nosasaltaban de vez en cuando. En cambio, nos cost mucho esfuerzo adaptar-nos al regresar a nuestro pas. A pesar de haber estado slo dos aos en Leu-ven, nos choc profundamente el clima de desorden y desconfianza quenaturalmente se dan en una ciudad grande y peligrosa como Lima. Desdeluego, nos dio mucho gusto volver a ver a la familia (yo tengo siete hermanosy mi esposa tiene dos), pero casi inmediatamente empezamos a extraar laintimidad de nuestra vida en Leuven. Ana Cecilia f ue quien sinti el shock deregreso con mayor intensidad, ya que yo empec a trabajar inmediatamente.A pesar de haber pasado ya casi siete aos desde entonces, todava recorda-mos con mucha nostalgia nuestra estancia en Blgica e incluso, de vez encuando, nos asalta la idea de regresar a Leuven, esta vez con nuestro hijo decuatro aos, a hacer un doctorado en la K.U.Leuven.

Los msters que ambos obtuvimos en Blgica han sido determinantes ennuestro desarrollo profesional. Yo aplico los conceptos financieros queaprend en el MBA prcticamente todos los das, ya que, desde que regres,he estado trabajando en la gestin de inversiones de fondos mutuos y fondosde pensiones. La slida base financiera y gerencial que me proporcionaronmis profesores de la K.U.L euven me permitieron acceder en poco tiempo aun importante puesto de direccin, que combino con la docencia de unactedra en la Escuela de Postgrado de la Universidad del Pacfico (mi almamater). Ana Cecilia trabaja a tiempo parcial en una empresa de consultora encomunicaciones y publicaciones, donde tambin aplica los conocimientosadquiridos en Louvain-la-Neuve.

En resumen, tanto en el plano personal como profesional, nuestra vidaestudiantil en Leuven fue muy gratificante. Seguimos agradecidos al gobier-no belga que, mediante el programa de becas de cooperacin tcnica, posibi-lit una experiencia que no es fcil de describir a quien no ha sido ex-alumnode K.U.L euven. Esperamos poder compensar algn da la am abilidad de tod-as las personas que hicieron de esos dos aos una experiencia inolvidable.6 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N A T I O N A L December 99

N E W SInstap! Nederlands

Lets go dutch!

Anne-Mie Jaspers/Translation Ludo Meyvis

When I took a closer look at the cd-rom Instap! Nederlands, I felt like the guyin a terrible European commercial for a well-known detergent: I was over-whelmed by the mere thought of all the things I could do with it. Sur ely, I

thought, it must have been devastatinglytiresome to get a course like this on track.But professor Lut Baten proved me wrong:she looked very enthusiastic and energe-tic.

Instap! Afrikaans

This is not just another course, to besure. There are a number of remarkableinnovations. Professor Baten, who lectu-res at the ILT and in the Teachers Trai-ning Programme, immediately demon-strates that she has her own vision forteaching and learning. Originally, myintention was to provide people withcertain learning tools, to stimulate them,to make them anxious to know moreabout a language and what is behind it.That was the basic idea for Instap.

The original idea was to make an Ins tap! Afrikaans. In 1992, I was inSouth Africa in order to give some lectures on distance learning. A couple ofpeople turned out to be extremely interested in interactive education withmultimedia support. Three years later, the Flemish government provided thesubsidies that allowed me to design a cd-rom together with Vista Universityin South Africa. The idea was to teach both technological skills and the A fri-kaner academic language. The target audience were South Africans who hadlong been deprived of higher education, but who had now the opportunityto go to university -people in their late twenties who surely did not lackintelligence, but who were not trained in academic skills. The idea was thatour cd-rom would guide these people and teach them how to deal withstructure, abstraction and organisation. Non-white South-Africans are verymuch in tune with l earning by heart -but that is no longer the dominantintellectual requirement. The concept of the cd-roms program and its inter-face have been developed together with South-African colleagues.

From Afrikaans to Dutch

Together with Bert De Cautere and Yves Enkels of the Economics Faculty,professor Baten also needed to design an authoring language. By then,everything was ready to test, but the South-African team was not able toprovide me with data. In the meantime, I had temporary assignments at theMercator Universitt in Duisburg, Germany, and at the UCL, where I taughtlanguage learning methods. My students encouraged me to design a course inDutch for non-native speakers. Bert and I then embarked on Instap! Neder-lands, which meant that we were finally ready to produce the real thing, thescenario, the program itself and the authoring language -but instead of Afri-kaans, we designed it in and for Dutch.

I had to start all over again, but luckily I could rely on some existing mate-rial from the days when I taught Dutch to non-native speakers. Dialogues,sound, image, grammar, exercises etc. had to be added, but at least I was ableto work with materials with which I was already quite familiar. And I w aslucky enough to be able to work with a number of very talented people. First,my colleagues and students helped me with the translations. Second, my sontook care of the sounds, and, together with my daughter and some of theirfriends, also recorded some of the texts. I felt it important not only to rely onprofessional readers. Working with ordinary people demonstrates the reallife in a language and a culture. It is indispensable for establishing an affectivelink with the language. The same goes for some of the songs. Most of themhave been taken from popular cultur e, both old and new. So what if some ofthis leads to funny results? Being able to laugh in a language is very impor-tant to familiarize yourself with the real language.

Starting-up and orientation

Although it may not be appropriate to use the term cosy when referring to ascientifically designed cd-rom, it would equally be wrong to deny it: theresult is cosy. Mrs. Nobel, the lioness who turns up throughout the program,

shows me the way; I pick the figure which most appeals to me and, bingo ,Im registered. I record my answers whenever I wish, and I have a virtualnotepad and a series of markers in order to personalize my course: this ena-bles me to recall at any time exercises which interest me -or which dont. Pro-blematic words are put in a special list. Exercises that I finish correctly are notrepeated. At first sight, there is no translation, but with a simple click I canfollow the dialogues in French, English or German.

Efficient and eclectic

We have used a number of deliberate tricks; for instance, you have to dosome digging in order to find translations. This allows people to decidewhether or not they want to be held by the hand. As well, we purposefullydesigned it so that well-answered questions disappear. The overall idea wasto make a user-friendly and efficient course, not a course which gives you theidea that youre wasting your time, but one to which you love to go back,even if just for a couple of minutes, perhaps as a pastime. We also wanted todesign a course which shows your actual progress. We have opted for quite agood supply of visual and auditory material, and for a series of real-life situ-ations; this applies also in the grammar section. We used a referential ap-proach, not a normative one. This means both that you can look up some-thing, and that you are helped during the learning process. Not all possibleexceptions are listed, but you do get a number of basic insights which helpyou to understand why and how a particular rule is u sed.The course also contains a number of rul es of thumb and frameworksbecause some people obviously need them. This is no problem for me: I dontthink that it is a good idea to stick to one method, especially in connectionwith a self-study course. The main thing is th at we offer approaches andskills. That is why the program contains a good deal of culture with a smallc. It is vital that people understand discussions at the dinner table.Learning a language works like a spiral. The first day everything goessmoothly. Also the second day. The third day, you forget something, and youare facing a wall. T hen, all of a sudden, you hear something which soundsfamiliar, and off you go again. The cd-rom is designed in such a way that itcan follow the study on this spiral.

Info: Instap!Nederlands can be obtained in the Communications Office, OudeMarkt 13. Staff and students pay 1,350 BEF., others pay 1,750 BEF. You can alsoorder a copy from Educa, Hofstraat 10-1 4, 9100 Sint-Niklaas. Dialogues, cul-tural exercises, and songs are also available on a separate cassette.Finally, Instap!Afrikaans has also been published, with translations to Zuluand English, and with a Dutch dictionary. Instap!Afrikaans was produced bythe Multitaal Project, with support by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap, and by theDienst Buitenlands Beleid and K.U.Leuven.December 99 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N A T I O NA L 7

N E W SThis issue of Campuskrant International is sent to all foreign alumni andalumnae who graduated during the l ast 10 years. There are about 3,500 ofthem. This map shows you where they come from.

grey: 0-10 alumnibrown: 10-50 alumnired: 50-100 alumni green: 100-500 alumni yellow: more than 500 alumni

Este nmero del Campuskrant International se manda a todos los ex-alum-nos extranjeros que se graduaron en los ltimos diez aos. Se tr ata aproxima-damente de 3.500 ex-alumnos. Este mapa muestra sus respectivos lugares deorigen.

gris: de 0 a 10 ex-alumnosmarrn: de 10 a 50 ex-alumnosrojo: de 50 a 100 ex-alumnosverde: de 100 a 500 ex-alumnosamarillo: ms de 500 e x-alumnos

Distribution of K.U.Leuvens foreign alumni Distribucin de los ex-alumnos extranjeros

de la K.U.Leuven

Cartoon: Joris Snaet8 C A M P U S K R A N T I N T E R N AT I O N A L D e c em b er 99

CoverContents and ColofonA cake with 575 candlesKULeuven's English Web siteThe benefits of Investing in Our Alumni OrganizationInterfaculty Course on Gender StudiesWeeds in the Fight Against CancerNuestra Experiencia en la KULeuvenInstap! Nederlands : Let's go dutchDistribution of KULeuven's foreign alumni