SITA Center & Staff
SITA gave me a chance to explore, understand, and fall in love with a culture completely different to what I’m used to. I will never forget my experience here and I hope to come back to India soon! I really recommend this program if you are looking for an opportunity to be fully immersed in Indian culture. You will have a great support system and you won’t ever regret your decision.  - Bates student, 2011

Draw on the cultural and academic resources of Madurai through the SITA Center, located near two colleges.

South India Term Abroad students take classes at the SITA Center.  Located in a residential area, the SITA Center offers students a comfortable home-base and access to the cultural and academic resources of Madurai. It is adjacent to Lady Doak College (a women’s college) and a short bicycle ride to American College (co-ed college). Students can visit both campuses to attend events, use libraries, and meet with faculty and students. Faculty members from these, and other colleges and universities in Madurai, come to the SITA Center to hold classes. The two-building center houses classrooms, staff offices, a state-of-the-art library, a computer center, and social gathering spaces for students. Host families live an easy walk, bicycle, or bus ride from the Center. It is a 10 minute bus ride from the center of the city.

In addition to faculty members and your host families, there are many people who will help you prepare for your journey to Madurai and adjust to the cultural and academic demands of South India Term Abroad. Our staff members have remarkable travel, volunteer, and academic credentials in India and years of experience in study abroad. They understand the unique experience of studying and living in Madurai as a U.S. undergraduate student. They create a culturally supportive and intellectually challenging environment for you to thrive as a SITA student. As a cultural immersion and language study program, SITA has a core staff with exceptional academic qualifications.

The U.S.-based EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DR. CONNIE ETTER, is responsible for overall program operations, manages the admission and pre-departure process, and oversees staff in Madurai. Connie holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Syracuse University. Her dissertation research explored themes of belonging and community in a social rehabilitation shelter for women outside of patriarchal family structures in Madurai. Connie first visited South India as an undergraduate study abroad student in 2000. Since then, Madurai has become a second home. Before becoming SITA ED, Connie visited Madurai every year for research trips and Tamil language study. She also lived in Madurai for over two years beginning in June 2007. Connie joined South India Term Abroad in August 2010. She is currently based in Salt Lake City, UT and visits Madurai at least twice a year. Site visits always include shopping for new clothes, bindis, and bangles, multiple meals at Murugan Idli, trips to see Tamil films with Nirmala, ridiculously hot treadmill running, and now: bowling at the local mall.

 

laurah for website-1The RESIDENT DIRECTOR, LAURAH KLEPINGER-MATHEW, manages program operations in India, teaches the Ethnography course and supervises students’ field research projects, advises students on cultural adjustment, and assists students in integrating their personal experiences into an academic framework. Laurah is a doctoral candidate in Anthropology at Syracuse University. Her dissertation is a study of working lives and relations in the South Indian branches of an international yoga organization. Through the lens of one well-established spiritual institution with high ideals and a long-standing international community, the project explores some of the limits and possibilities of communication across difference, in the context of contemporary globalization. Laurah is proficient in both Tamil and Malayalam language and was twice a language fellow with the American Institute of Indian Studies. She holds the MA degree in dance (performance and culture) and MFA in dance (choreography) from UCLA. Laurah has been a yoga teacher since 1997 and a mom since 2011. She and her family will join the SITA community in Madurai in the fall 2013 semester.

 

The FINANCE & PROGRAMS MANAGER, DR. ARUN RAJA SELVAN, is responsible for all program logistics and travel arrangements, faculty relations, and budget and finances. He is also SITA’s Tamil language professor. Dr. Arun earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Madurai Kamaraj University. His dissertation was entitled “Problems in Translating English into Tamil.” He has been with South India Term Abroad since 1993. During the summer of 2012, Dr. Arun is Tamil Professor at SASLI: South Asia Summer Language Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

The OUTREACH & OPERATIONS MANAGER, MS. NIRMALA CHRISTINA, is responsible for host family relations, student health and adjustment, and facilities and staff management at the SITA Center. Her first position with South India Term Abroad was librarian, when she had the huge task of organizing the  wonderful and large SITA book collection. She has been with South India Term Abroad since August 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program assistants impart pre-departure information and advice, help students deal with cultural issues in India, and facilitate students’ well-being during the program. As recently-graduated South India Term Abroad alumni, program assistants are particularly conscious of and well-suited to address the sorts of issues and challenges that SITA students face. Bill, Julie, and Meredith are South India Term Abroad Program Assistants for the 2013-2014 academic year. 

 

PROGRAM ASSISTANT, BILL MOGAVERO, was a SITA student during fall 2010. He will be a program assistant in Madurai during fall 2012, spring 2013, & fall 2013. Bill graduated from Grinnell College in 2012. While studying with South India Term Abroad, Bill researched male perceptions of skin color and some of the effects of these perceptions. Some of the highlights of his semester abroad (and some things you can definitely look forward to as a SITA student) were exploring the many food options in Madurai, celebrating Deepavali with his host family, and getting surprise visits from the local blessing elephant at the SITA Center. These experiences along with many others made studying abroad with SITA a high point in Bill’s college career, and he looks forward to being a part of 2012 & 2013 SITA students’ adventures in Madurai.

 

PROGRAM ASSISTANT, JULIE EDELSTEIN, was a SITA student during the 2009-2010 academic year. She will be a program assistant in the US during fall 2012 with the primary responsibility of representing South India Term Abroad at study abroad fairs. She will be a program assistant in Madurai during the spring 2013, fall 2013, and spring 2014 semester programs. Julie graduated from Temple University in 2011 as a religious studies major. She has had a deep passion for Indian culture since she was in preschool! Since then, she has been led to pursue a lifetime of learning about (and living in!) the diverse environment of India. As a year-long student, Julie had the opportunity to explore Madurai in greater depth and with more independence. Since leaving the SITA program, she has returned to India twice, and lived in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata, West Bengal for about four months. Having the chance to live and travel in various parts of India, both within the context of a study abroad program, and independently, has greatly enriched her life. Julie hopes to pursue a lifetime of living in India, studying Indian religions, and working closely to promote cross-cultural interactions and understanding. She also loves to read, write in her journal, listen to music, and dance. Julie is extremely excited to be a part of the upcoming SITA semesters! Her time with SITA was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life and she is confident that it is bound to have a similarly deep impact on incoming students!