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Show 8 On Campus Chill-pro- FORUMFORTNIGHTLY.COM chickens and bundled of Up bGGS stay warm during these cold months, the chickens molt during the winter, losing old feathers so new ones can grow in. One of the chickens, named Waffle, is in the midst of molting. Her covering of feathers is noticeably thinner than those of the other chickens. Despite molting in the winter, the chickens are content to stay in the coop, which has a roof to keep out the snow. Dalrymple said it is important to keep snow out because the chickens take dirt baths to get rid of oil that builds up in their feathers. The chickens also spend time outside the coop, wandering in the snow-covergarden, scratching at exposed soil in search of insects and plucking greens that have survived the cold. Volunteers let the chickens out about once a week. The garden itself is dormant, the soil hidden beneath a crusty layer of snow, but garden activities continue. Winter is the time for planning, seed selecting and deciding on projects and renovations. While the garden sleeps, coordinators and volunteers continue to offer cooking classes each month throughout the winter. The next cooking class wall be at 4 Photos by Hillary Fowler p.m. on Jan. 31, during which Associate Professor Nina Vought will be teaching wants them to be able to survive in this the class to cook Mexican dishes. Those interested in attending are area. on the organic garThough the bees are struggling this asked to den page on the Westminster website. winter, the chickens are thriving. Reeder and the garden coordinators According to Katy Dalrymple, coordinator for the organic garden, the new organize activities and events throughflock of seven are cold hardy, meaning out the year. Reeder leads workshops about beekeeping. Last year he teamed they can stay outside all winter. with the gardening crew for an activA warming platform keeps the wawith beeswax and ter in the coop from freezing, but the ity of candle-makichickens themselves withstand the cold honey. unaided. Dalrymple and the gardeners plan to Adult chickens are super easy to take lead workshops on herbal medicine and fermentation in the future in addition to care of, Dalrymple said. The chickens eat and drink more durcooking classes and other activities. Announcements about upcoming ing the winter, but, like the bees, they events and workshops can be found on tend to move less and more slowly. While humans are piling on layers to the organic gardens Facebook page. ed Chickens find ways to stay warm in the Grijfin Coop. Visit them in the organic garden. The organic garden hibematingfor winter. The beehive can befound on the south side ofcampus by the Giovale Library. Jorie Page Contributing Writer Winter slows life down in the beehive, chicken coop and organic garden at Westminster. But activity continues, despite the cold, especially for the people planning future changes and activities. According to campus beekeeper Cody Reeder, bees spend the winter huddled together inside the hive in a big fuzzy ball of bees. The bees shiver or vibrate to stay warm and, though the rest of the hive might be freezing, the internal temperature of the bundle of bees is around 85 degrees. The cuddled-u- p colony moves through the hive eating the honey col Get a Michelle Woodard C- -, lected during the warmer months, rotating positions so all of the bees can spend time in the middle of the ball. They are hibernating as a whole, Reeder said. Reeder said the bees did well throughout the winter, but the population recently diminished suddenly. According to Reeder, the decline maybe due to parasites or pesticides that have gotten into the honey. He said the ball of bees in the Westminster hive is right now. It is normally the fist-siz- ed size of a basketball. Theyre not likely to survive until spring, he said. He plans to breed the bees that do survive with stronger bees because he ter pre-regis- ng save your GPA Staff Reporter The last day for undergraduate students to elect the creditno credit option for Spring semester is March 7. According to the Westminster College website, a student who chooses creditno credit for a course can get as low as a C- - and receive credit for the class without having the grade affect his or her overall GPA. However, students are only allowed to take a class for creditno credit twice and the classes cant be applied to his or her major or minor. That means this option can potentially be used for courses that go towards the elective credits or Liberal Education requirements needed to graduate. Junior Jarrell James missed his midterm for environmental biology, so he decided to do creditno credit. It was really cool because I got to talk to the professor about what I was really interested in because I wasnt actually worried about a grade, James said. Students dont need to immediately know they are electing the creditno credit option. The deadline is not until about halfway through the semester. The Westminster website said because students have nine weeks to make this decision, there are no exceptions to the deadline. Students have elected this option for many different reasons. Junior Will Gies-Bartsaid he hasnt had the need to elect this option. Its like putting credit into a savings account, so that if I need it, Ill have it. Senior year I can take something Im interested in, but not have to put forth much effort because the last year can be because of my professor and the class structure, Meland said. The grading wasnt explained very well. Even when I asked questions I was still confused. So I didnt want to go to class. Creditno credit allowed me to not fail the class for so busy. In hindsight, I wish I had tried to go to class, but I would have been miserable, Meland said. Boyle .also had some insight for the on Student Jess Meland, chose creditno credit for an Intro to Film class. I honestly chose creditno credit not going. Devin Boyle, senior biology major, took an introductory course his junior year and used the creditno credit option as well. I felt that it would be more beneficial to spend time on courses required for my major as opposed to general Liberal Education requirements, Boyle said. These students bring up reasons that others can consider when weighing their options for creditno credit courses. However, some had regrets about doing so. creditno credit option. , I put even less effort into the class than I usually would have and I came really close to that C- - line, Boyle said. I thought to myself I actually do need to do some work. According to the Westminster website, if a student has taken a class for creditrio credit and afterwards declared 3. new major or minor that the class was a requirement for, he or she might have to retake the class for a letter grade. Regardless of a students reasoning for choosing to take a class as creditno credit, all that matters on the record is that the paper work is filled out on time and the student received a letter grade of a C- - or higher. To learn more about the creditno credit option or to sign up, visit the Registrars Office on the second floor of Bamberger Hall and fill out the necessary form. |