OCR Text |
Show A "T FORUMFORTNIGHTLY.COM Becca Rettenberger Stiff Reporter Nazi sciences, golfing and a gender utopia. These are just a few trip options for May term 2014. While these topics grab the eye, statistically, only two of the trips will proceed as planned. The reality of trips being cancelled directly affects only a small number of But, in the long students, usually 10-1- 5. run, a cancelled trip can have lasting effects. When a May term course is requested by faculty or staff, it is brought before a committee. The committee then reviews the course and decides whether it should be offered. A cancelled course is recorded and remembered when the committee meets. For some, there is no fear that their trip will be cancelled. In fact, some trips reached their maximum capacity before the registration deadline was even over. For others, the hope that 15 students showed an interest plagued their plans for May. Since I started in 2008, there has been a steady drop of courses, usually two or three a term, said Sara Demko, assistant provost for international services. Demko provides registration forms and collects the registration data for May term each year. Another factor is the rotating schedule of the courses. Most options are offered either every other year or every four years. There are a few exceptions, such as Service Learning in Thailand, which reached its full capacity long before the deadline. A course that could receive a cancellation this term is Communication and Golf, offered by professor James Hedges and Associate Provost for Student Development and Dean of Students Mark Feme. Feme said it will be hard work to get 15 students registered. If any student is remotely interested, they should contact me before the dead line, Feme said. The course would allow students to travel to Scotland, golf on several professional courses and learn about professional communication and business. Currently, the trip has 10 of the 15 required students. They have until Jan. 31 to recruit the final five. Id be disappointed if it were cancelled, said Sean McKenzie, junior and an avid golfer. This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Despite being one of the first students to register for the trip, McKenzie could still spend his May term on campus. There is no science to why some trips fill up and others disappear. If I had to guess, I would say location and price are the two biggest factors for students, Demko said. The trips in Europe and Thailand fill up every year, so theyre offered every year. This term there were four trips that drew in students so quickly they had to turn down applicants. The trips were Misperceptions of Cuba, Service Learning in Thailand, Service Learning in Columbia: Perspecitves on Culture, Global Health and Spanish, and Norway and Sweden: A Real World Gender Utopia. These four trips have a wide range in dates, anywhere from 15-2- 5 days and prices from $3,300-14,50- 0. A new option for summer 2014 is the SISL (Summer International Service Learning) trip, which focuses on science and education in India. This opportunity is offered as a way for students to use their May term credit to travel in the summer months. This particular trip is scheduled for July 29 to Aug. 12. However, students must attend regular meetings during July for eligibility. The appeal of May term trips has been present at Westminster for at least a decade, offering students the chance to travel and earn credits at the same time. Why certain trips dont draw students is unknown. The harsh reality is if trips dont register enough students, they may never be offered again. r id I'd be disappointed if it were cancelled; this trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity fn Sean McKenzie T f H & 3 t 35' ' p if, ) 4 4 $ if Js - s - |