The temps were below freezing this past February 17, but that didn’t stop students in ELI 592 Culture and Communication in the US from braving the elements to cheer the Michigan Women's Lacrosse team on to an 8-4 victory over #4 ranked Denver. In ELI 592 (which will be renumbered to ELI 541 starting in Fall 2024) U-M graduate students from around the world learn about the cultural foundations of everyday conversations in the US and develop strategies for confidently communicating across cultures. Students explore DEI topics, humor and jokes, as well as how cultural values are reflected in college sports, which students then experience first hand in outings like this trip to the lacrosse stadium. “The best thing about this class is that students become more engaged in the UM community," says co-teacher ELI Lecturer Trisha Dowling, who led the outing on Saturday. "We even ran into a former ELI 592 student at the Lacrosse game!"