September 9, 2011 – Montemorelos, Monterrey, Mexico… IAD Staff
Three months after the shooting death of a Montemorelos University student, the new school year at the Adventist-owned institution has begun with tightened security and a full student body of nearly 1,900.
With only 34 less students enrolled this year compared to last, university leaders are thankful to have full classrooms and dormitories once again.
“The influx of students constitutes a true miracle each semester,” said Ismael Castillo, president of Montemorelos University. “It is a testimony of the reality of the God’s promises and the faith of students, parents and teachers.”
The Adventist community in Montemorelos were shocked when Yoselin Perez Ramirez, a student at the university, was the victim of an apparent attempted kidnapping last May in Montemorelos (see full story). Her death is still under investigation.
“Our campus has been designed and organized so that the students whose parents live far from the university can have the safety, attention and education that they need,” said Raquel Korniejczuk, academic vice president of Montemorelos University in a statement.
Since the incident and with “the increase of insecurity in the country, the university has taken some additional security measures to the traditional structure of its educational model to reduce the possibility of exposure to dangerous situations,” stated Korniejczuk.
The schedule for night-time activities has been reduced so students and staff can return to their homes before dark and additional access to the campus has been restricted. Security orientation and education have been conducted on the 49-acre campus for students, faculty, and staff.
In addition, a special hotline has been set up for students to dial in case of emergencies and trips outside of campus have been reduced or eliminated. Additional videos and precautionary measures have been placed on the university’s website.
For Jediael Hernandez, passing the admission exam for the medical program and being admitted into the School of Medicine at the university is like a dream come true. He is part of a record-high group of 102 students who began their career in medicine this school year.
Yara Yeimy Viruel, who returned to study communication after leaving the institution for more than two years, said she returned because of a “strong impression that the course of her life needs to be led by God.”
“This has been a miraculous registration and it will be a year of miracles,” said Ekel Collins, vice president for student affairs of Montemorelos University, as he went over some registration statistics of previous years. “The four dormitories have a capacity of housing 715 dorm students and at the moment we have 728 who have been accommodated well after certain adjustments,” he added.
Noemi Soutullo, originally from Spain and an alumni of La Plata Adventist University in Argentina, teaches physical therapy at Montemorelos University. She made the decision to teach classes regardless of the safety concerns her family had.
“If I don’t go, someone else will go in my place,” she said. “God will use someone else and I would rather have him use me here since He has given me this opportunity. I want to live this experience, enjoy it and learn what this opportunity offers me.”
Montemorelos University leaders look to the future with great hope and expectations.
“There is another school that claims us all as their own–the school beyond the sun-that includes a study program for eternity,” said Castillo to this year’s 1,890 registered students. “In the meantime, we thank God for preserving our institution with His protection and His tender care.”
Montemorelos University is an Adventist institution accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association and the second of three Adventist universities worldwide which grants degrees in medicine in addition to Loma Linda University in the United States and La Plata Adventist University in Argentina. Located in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and established in 1942. Montemorelos University offers dozens of undergraduate and graduate degrees to thousands of students every year.
For more information on Montemorelos University and its programs, visit www.um.edu.mx
Ana Elisa Mena contributed to this report
