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Show - --- ~-----.._---------~-~--~--- - - -~~·- - -- Evening School adds flexibility "Taking Geology 101 at night once a week helped me finish up my general ed. without cutting into my daytime schedule," an SUU student has commented. Evening classes, operated though SUU's Division of Continuing Education, offer students a range of credit and non-credit classes. Classes such as Karate, Yoga, Western Swing Dance, Emergency Medical Technician training, and American Sign Language have been very popular with students, says Boydine Daniels, administrative assistant for continuing education. Several general education classes are also available as are upper division classes that are required for elementary education and business administration majors. "Currently, a good share of general education classes can be completed through evening courses throughout the year," says David N yman, assistant dean of continuing education. "The scheduling can be more convenient for those students who have h eavy class and work loads during the day. Evening classes offer an alternative to students when day classes fill more quickly. Evening classes tend to have a smaller class size and are offered once or twice a week rather than daily. This is great for nontraditional students and community members who work during the day but still want to take classes." "We hope to be able to expand our evening classes and offer more general education classes," Nyman says. The magic hours seem to be 6 and 7 p.m. "As we expand to a full-fledged evening school with most of our offerings beginning at 6 p.m. more community members will be able to attend-people are usually home from work by then and have eaten dinner and can participate in a class." Evening classes are not offered during the summer sessions, only during the regular school year, averaging about 25 credit and 15 noncredit classes per quarter. Students can register for the classes through the Registrar's Office in the Administration Building, and more information concerning class offerings can be obtained at the Continuing Education Office in the Haze Hunter Conference Center, 586-1994 or 586-7850. "We appreciate student input on any evening classes they think should be offered," Nyman says. C lasses begin the same week as regular daytime classes do, unless otherwise listed in the catalog. Kenpo Karate is among the most popular evening classes on campus. SUU's museums and galleries augment a student's education The Museum of Southern Utah is a popular campus attraction. SUU's Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery provides a plethora of visual stimulation for students. I The Royden C. Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery at Southern Utah University has been called a haven for art lovers in southern Utah and students at SUU. Offering 16 exhibits during the 1994-95 year for the consumption of the campus and community is but a part of the service the Gallery provides. "Not only do we provide an artistic experience for SUU students, but we try to answer the needs of the general community of this region," said Mandy Brooks, director of museums and galleries. Those needs include, on various occasions, guided tours of the Gallery and related art venues on campus and presentations to local school groups about the exhibits and their artists. SUU's Gallery provides a bright and provocative setting for the study of art and people. "We' re happy to see people here and want them to enjoy the Gallery," Brooks says. "I don' t think art galleries should be morgues where everyone speaks in hushed tones. Galleries should be places that are full of life." Highlights of the exhibitions this year include a selection of western art from the permanent collection, the "Living Book Project: People and the Land," will create a book that will allow students and the community to write how the land has shaped their life, "American Ground Zero," an exhibit of photos and narratives of people who have been affected by the nuclear testing in Nevada, and the annual Southern Utah Artist Invitational. Also included during the course of a year is the student exhibits. In addition to providing aid to and space for the senior portfolios of SUU's senior art students, the Gallery also will refer people to appraisers and restorers, and is currently developing a docent program which will train interested individuals in conducting tours of museums and galleries. "We are responsible for management of the University collection," says Brooks, noting that the collection includes "artwork in campus offices, outdoor sculptures, exhibits in the Randall Theatre and the Gallery, as well as public areas across campus including the Library and Student Center." The Gallery even transcends traditiona l art by sponsoring poetry readings. "The arts are more of a populist enterprise than an elitist enterprise," she says. "We try to afford access to everyone beca use, truly, everyone needs art in their life. Through the poetry readings we attract a lot of people who otherwise might not come to a gallery. Thus, they're exposed to a greater range of art than they might not otherwise be." The Gallery also provides matting and framing services for students, faculty, staff and community. The Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Utah Arts Council and the Friends of the Gallery. Brooks is also director of the Museum of Southern Utah, located in South Hall. The museum includes exhibits in the areas of biology, geology and archeology. According to Brooks, the exhibits have been recently redone to make the museum more informative and more accesible to all people. |