American students have many countries to choose from when they are deciding where to spend a semester abroad. Wherever they go, it’s sure to be a rewarding experience. Alicia Goettemoeller asked exchange students at DEREE College what they got from their time in Greece.

College libraries give students the books and databases they need to do research for papers. But studies suggest that many students plagiarize their assignments.
Stefanos Christopoulos and Tina Papadaki asked professors how they students can be encouraged to do their own work.

The Internet has made it easier for students to learn about the world. It has also made it easier for them to plagiarize. And that, say professors, makes it more important than ever to make students aware of the importance of citing their sources. Markela Danou and Eva Manakidou report.

The wealth of resources available on the Internet can be a boon to students who thirst for knowledge, but it can also make plagiarism more tempting. When students use online sources to cheat, the result is an education drought. Vassiliki Plevritis and Stephania Vlachou report.

Kosmas Memmos, 28, is closing up his car shop in Halandri for the day. He turns the alarm on and we are ready to go. Kosmas opened Pit Stop Center – where you can change tires and brake pads and get your suspension fixed – in 2006.

Although most high school graduates dream of an office job, and many parents insist that their child gets a degree of some kind, neither Kosmas nor his family cared for the traditional route.

Over the last several decades, Greek parents have pushed their children into attending universities in Greece or foreign countries. They often spend their family savings to get a degree from a public or private university – in Greece or abroad… Continue reading →

Melissa Padgett points to Wilmington, North Carolina on the atlas. Her finger slides across the Atlantic Ocean and past Spain; it moves over the Mediterranean and across Italy, stopping at Athens, Greece. “I’m 5,300 miles away from my hometown – that’s about 8,590 kilometers for the metric system users to understand,” she said. Padgett is one of the many international students who studies at Deree.

The student body, composed of 54 nationalities, creates a microcosm of world cultures. The students appreciate and embrace the diversity of Deree.

International and Greek students benefit from each other inside and outside the classroom. In class, students express their distinctive world views. Foreign students provide insight into how their countries operate on a governmental,… Continue reading →

The dolphin has darted to the surface. It slips through the air, salt water pouring off its body.

In a splash it will be gone.

But not from the photograph taken by Professor Dimitris Zafiropoulos, who passed away unexpectedly on November 6.

Like the rest of the oceanographic and environmental work he carried out over the course of 35 years, the snapshot of the dolphin unassumingly captures life and holds it up for you to see. Like the rest of his work, too, it ensures that Dr. Zafiropoulos will still be there, just beneath the surface, for those who knew him as colleague, mentor, teacher: friend.

“He took pleasure in sharing his experiences and knowledge with others,” mused Dr. Anastasia… Continue reading →

Deree’s Student Government surveyed students about college life last month, in the context of efforts to improve students’ experience. It was the first time such a survey has been conducted.

The Student Life Committee started designing the survey last year, by asking students about their concerns. The result was 42 questions that refer to the quality of courses, events and facilities at the Aghia Paraskevi and Downtown campuses. The questions start, “How satisfied are you with…,” and the answers provided include four levels of satisfaction ranging from “very satisfied” to “not satisfied at all,” and the “don’t know” option.

During the month of November more than 600 students filled in the questionnaire, said Gerasimos Papandrikopoulos, president of the Student Government.… Continue reading →

Three American scientists were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine, for discovering how chromosomes are protected against degradation and for preparing the ground for a potential cancer treatment.

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak found that telomerase, a DNA sequence located at the ends of DNA strands, forms protective caps called telomeres, which seal the ends of chromosomes, preventing them from sticking together. In addition, they act as a molecular clock for the cells, regulating the ageing process.

In every cell division, the ends of chromosomes get shorter and shorter. If telomeres weren’t there, important genetic material would be lost in every division, causing genetic problems. Instead, telomeres get shorter. When they reach a specific… Continue reading →

The 22nd annual conference of the European Business Ethics Network, hosted by Deree College, discussed ancient Greek moral philosophy in the context of contemporary business environment.

The conference attendees debated “Pathos for Ethics; Leadership, Excellence and the Quest for a Sustainable Future”, a topic closely related to ancient Greek moral philosophy. Every year the EBEN conference takes place in a different European country and since Greece was the host this year, the topic was chosen accordingly, explained Lila Mordochae, associate dean, who brought the conference to Deree.

Dr. Joanna Patsioti, head of the Deree Philosophy Department, was the main speaker at one of the plenaries. Her speech, “Socrates and Business Ethics,” focused on the applicability of Socratic methodology to business… Continue reading →