Notre Dame Legislation College hosts two Ukrainian exchange pupils by partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University | News | The Regulation University

When Nazar Dudchak and Ilona Pekar arrived at Notre Dame Law College as exchange pupils from Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) for the spring 2024 semester, they ended up wanting forward to an esteemed academic encounter and the chance to convey important global views to the Notre Dame neighborhood. Minor did they know, they would also participate in a part in deepening and improving the longstanding romantic relationship among the two universities.
For extra than two decades, Notre Dame and UCU have fostered solid educational, religious, and cultural connections, which only deepened pursuing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since that time, Notre Dame has increased its solidarity and assist with UCU via several initiatives. In Could 2022, the universities formalized an arrangement to noticeably extend their relationship. One particular central facet of this collaboration was the institution of an exchange software, enabling UCU undergraduate and graduate pupils to study at Notre Dame.
“The relationship between the law faculty at the Ukrainian Catholic College and at Notre Dame Regulation College is important to us and will be enduring. Along with joint exploration endeavors and ongoing collaborations, the university student exchange is an vital component of our partnership,” stated Paul Miller, affiliate dean for Intercontinental and Graduate Packages and the Robert and Marion Quick Professor of Law. “This system is a terrific example of how the Regulation School’s World wide Lawyering Initiative is effective to forge and deepen connections across borders, improving our mastering environments here on campus, though enabling us to develop neighborhood and to aid the flourishing of college students and school of Notre Dame and of our global partners.”

The software process for the exchange software among the universities is amazingly aggressive but, as soon as approved, Notre Dame minimizes personalized charges for college students in the method in an effort and hard work to assure that all experienced and deserving learners are equipped to take gain of the chance. Miller is an specially solid advocate for the benefit of owning global voices and perspectives on campus–especially these brought by way of Notre Dame’s unique connection with UCU.
“I have been deeply amazed with the good quality and engagement of the learners from UCU and their contributions to discussions at the Law University,” mentioned Miller. “Their existence has enriched the experience of all of our learners.”
Very last spring, the Law University hosted 3 UCU pupils, while numerous far more were hosted by the College of Notre Dame at the undergraduate degree. This year, Pekar and Dudchak are representing UCU in the legislation exchange program, with Dudchak becoming the initially male college student to take part in the trade method.
Dudchak is especially grateful for the possibility to study at Notre Dame, following having confronted significant challenges in obtaining authorization to go away Ukraine. Owing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent, still-raging war, male college students in Ukraine can not fully appreciate tutorial mobility as in advance of. The male college students have to get a exclusive allow from the governing administration to leave the place, and it is commonly a thorny process stuffed with uncertainty.
“I am right here many thanks to the assist of several warmhearted people who considered in this strategy significantly extra than I did,” said Dudchak when asked about the very long and difficult allow software process.
Pekar applied to appear to Notre Dame due to the fact she knew of the robust ties concerning UCU and Notre Dame, and shared the exact target of a lot of of her classmates—to acquire a globe-course instruction and working experience everyday living at Notre Dame. She also understood of alumni from the exchange system who experienced gone on to achieve fantastic factors, and credits their affiliation with Notre Dame with giving them a aggressive advantage.
“The link between Notre Dame and UCU is extremely obvious in the ordeals we have had due to the fact coming in this article,” claimed Pekar. “The Notre Dame local community hears us, and believes in our long run and education and learning, which is very worthwhile to us. We have also been offered this possibility to use Notre Dame as a system from which to explain to our tales and communicate up about the brutality of war.”
Dudchak agreed that the encounter of studying in the United States provided him a new, different perspective on daily life, and helped him think about a existence for himself further than what was expected of and modeled for him at dwelling. He also shared that he was enthusiastic to be at these types of a highly regarded college that had a major affect on the Civil Legal rights Movement and built it a target to be a persuasive Ukrainian voice on campus.
The two Dudchak and Pekar expressed how warmly welcome they have felt in the Notre Dame neighborhood, and the guidance they have obtained from professors and learners alike. They also famous how a great deal they delight in participating in what they look at to be a lively Ukrainian community on campus. Notre Dame is proud to have many various cultures represented on campus, and Dudchak and Pekar reported they are grateful to have an option to celebrate Ukrainian lifestyle and life in a way that transcends the shadow forged by the war.

In March, the two pupils, along with Svitlana Khyliuk, director of the Ukrainian Catholic College School of Legislation, and Diane Desierto, professor of regulation, school director for the LL.M. in Global Human Rights Legislation, and director of the ND Legislation World Human Rights Clinic, introduced to college students and college across campus. They talked about the countrywide working experience of investigating global crimes for the duration of the Russian-Ukrainian War, point out responsibility, recent choices by the Global Courtroom of Justice choices, and ways to help Ukraine from overseas.
Khyliuk frequented Notre Dame as a viewing scholar in the fall of 2021 via the Nanovic Institute for European Experiments. Through her semester at Notre Dame, Khyliuk expended a sizeable amount of time at the Regulation Faculty. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the learners and of the trade application in between UCU and Notre Dame.
Dudchak and Pekar are having courses these kinds of as Worldwide Legislation, Education Law, Gender Troubles and International Regulation, Liberty of Faith, and Employment Discrimination Legislation. They shared that they have found all of their professors to be incredibly welcoming, empathetic, and valuable both equally in and out of the classroom. Both of those pupils are spoken pretty very of by their professors as properly.
![Ukrainian Students Nazar Dudchak and Ilona Pekar in Adjunct Professor Todd Dvorak's Employment Discrimination Law class.]](https://law.nd.edu/assets/565384/img_1171.jpeg)

Todd Dvorak, associate general counsel for the College of Notre Dame and adjunct professor, teaches Dudchak and Pekar in his Work Discrimination Law course.
“I’ve been truly impressed by Ilona and Nazar, both as learners and as people of character. Neither shies absent from utilizing their voice in the classroom or sticking all around following course to dive deeper into the material,” said Dvorak. “Both Ilona and Nazar bravely volunteer for challenging issues, advocate for their positions, and talk to their have queries to assist drive significant dialogue. I think we all reward when they share their exclusive viewpoints and ordeals, and I just feel lucky to have them in course.”

Dudchak and Pekar are each using Gender Challenges and Global Law with Christine Venter, director of the Regulation School’s authorized creating plan.
She commented that having Dudchak and Pekar in the class has made worldwide human legal rights actual in a way that instructing pupils about these concepts in an summary perception could not do.
“Ilona gave a presentation to the course about the gender-based violence Russian soldiers are perpetrating in opposition to Ukrainian gals in the occupied territories. The presentation was incredibly highly effective and led pupils to then discussion irrespective of whether domestic or intercontinental courts had been ideal positioned to prosecute these horrendous crimes,” reported Venter. “Nazar offered on how acquiring women of all ages engage in an lively part in armed service overcome aided to eradicate gender-primarily based stereotypes and resulted in gals becoming viewed as leaders.”
In Ukraine, pupils start off their law scientific studies in an undergraduate method and complete them in a master’s system. Both equally Dudchak and Pekar will comprehensive a remaining calendar year in their undergraduate program at UCU following their semester at Notre Dame. They credit score the strong ties among Notre Dame and UCU and consistencies inside the regulation systems with facilitating a clean changeover back into their curriculum at UCU.
Immediately after finishing her degree, Pekar options to pursue an internship with a Ukrainian law business and take a look at efficient and impactful techniques to implement her U.S. lawful schooling in the Ukrainian context. Dudchak intends to explore prospects to utilize his regulation degree in a nonprofit or federal government location.
“The partnership among Notre Dame and Ukrainian Catholic College is really complete and quite entire,” Dudchak reported. “This relationship has serious and long long lasting effects for the people today of Ukraine–and although Ukraine keeps fighting for its freedom, these connections can be no much less worthwhile than weapons.”
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