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Show IPAGE 4 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL CAMPUS HEWS MOH PAY, AUGUST 30, 1999 I Center focu·s es on student service ed.u cation BY MELODY DICKSON JOURNAL STAFF WRITER f I I to SUU faculty and staff. Fisher brought with her Ted Eyring, a chemistry professor from the University of Utah. who related a success story from his classroom. Eyring's students put together a lead-based paint test and volunteered their time to anyone in the community who wished to have paint tested. The students then used the results to advise and educate the people involved. Cox emphasized that this sort of experience, besides being personally rewarding, can introduce opportunities for individual students. Cox gave an example of a student from Brigham Young University who volunteered to assist his department with a research project. This benevolent act opened up unforeseen opportunities. It turned out that the project the student worked on went international, giving him the opportunity to be involved in a prestigious.project in his field. He was also given credit for co-authoring the papers written by one of the researchers. Not only did his volunteer time give him invaluable experience and positive exposure in a competitive field, but also garnered him the offer of a paid position in the lab the following year. This type of centralized , professorguided service will add personality to a ~ student's resume. Along with good ~ grades it shows that the student has ~ academic initiative and social ~ consciousness. The service shows that the student knows how to work with One of the major complaints of employers today is that colleges and universities are graduating people who may be very proficient in their fields of study, but who are not socially conscious or adept. In response to this complaint, SUU has created the Service Learning Center. Marlo lhler, a volunteer for Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), is. the director of the center. She is assisted by the student director Julie Clawson and intern Pam Branin. Located in the Sharwan Smith Center in room 115 G, the Service Leaming Center is here to help SUU faculty and staff implement a relatively new concept in education: service learning. Service learning is .dependent upon individual professors volunteering to add service projects into their curriculum. lhler's job is to find places on campus and in the surrounding area that would be open to volunteer help and then to coordinate between those places and the SUU faculty. lhler is willing to answer any questions and can be reached at 865-8335. By including a volunteer service projects, professors will allow students to get hands-on experience others and that the student is willing to _ ~ put in extra effort. on a project that is specifically related to their field of study. This creates a Besides the personal benefits of this Marlo lhler (left), the VISTA volunteer in charge of the Service Leaming Center discusses sense of connection with, and project for both the student and the community service with Pam Branin, a senior communication major from Cedar City. professors there is also the opportunity understanding of, one's field of study for both the college or university to give back to the community that supports it. by using the concepts taught in the classroom. SUU Public Relations Director Neal Cox points out that through service learning According to Cox, the spirit of t~e Learning Service Project is expressed in poem by students learn to love what they are studying because they can see the applications of Edwin Markham: I built a chfmney for a comrade old; I did the service not for hope or hire; And then traveled on in winter's cold; Yet all the day I glowed before the fire. it in the real world. Cox pointed out that, ironically, this helps the new Center fit nicely into SUU's 1999Two weeks ago, the director of the Bennion Center at the University of Utah , Irene Fisher, was invited to SUU to introduce the concept of the Service Learning Program 2000 theme "Feel the Fire." a ·~~'.:::~~~::!.::!::=t3bL:.1..J~:2~-=---Jrr a ELSC m·e rges, forms lnterNexus BY MARIAM ARTHUR SENIOR STAFF WRITER The parent company of the English Language Study Center at SUU , directed by Bryce Christensen, is merging with an international network. In 1991 , SUU contracted with Excellence in Education to provide English as a Second Language (ESL) services. The directors of this company met with directors of Yazigi, a Brazilian ESL network, and decided to merge forming lnterNexus, headquartered in Salt Lake City. The ESL program at SUU has grown significantly from a handful of students to near one hundred. "There has been a favorable response from Asian countries,· Christensen said. Nearly 90 students each session have been Asian . "Our biggest recruiting success has been from the Pacific Rim but w~ would like to diversify.• According to Christensen, lnterNexus is expected to help broaden student enrollment. A group of Brazilian students is scheduled to attend this fall and the potential is high for students from Eastern European, South American and Middle Eastern countries. "The network allows more choices for students,· said Christensen. "We are following the broad ecqnomic trend of globalization.· While English is taught at SUU , lnterNexus also offers Spanish, German and Portuguese, all taught in countries where the specific language is the native tong·ueJ Students from around the world will find SUU as one option when approaching lnterNexus to learn English. Sylvia, a student from Argentina, had to return home before finishing her program at SUU. Because the center is now linked with more than 240 sister-schools, she was able to transfer and finish the program. In addition to the standard 12-week course, a shortterm recreational/study program is available. Studying is mixed with activities such as sightseeing for a more cultural education. Linking students via the internet is currently being researched. The network i'> discussing the possibility of chat rooms and alumni clubs. Christensen said this would encourage transfers of students seeking to broaden their learning experiences. Of students who attend the center, 70 percent continue their education at SUU. 75-80 percent of all foreign students enrolled at SUU completed courses at the center. "The university and the center mutually benefit each other. They bring the world to SUU," said Christensen. "(Foreign students] enrich the lives of local students by sharing their perspectives.• ESLC helps fund activities through the Muti-Cultural Center. Christensen said he is appreciative of the working relationship that has developed. Changes in the curriculum have not occurred but a committee has been formed to explore new possibilities. Most likely, a pilot program would be initiated before any final decisions are made. Christensen explained that lnterNexus, seeking equality in all countries, decided to make all standard courses consist of three, four-week sessions. Previously at SUU, courses were two, six-week sessions. While Christensen insists it's just "slicing the pie differently,• some people are concerned that it is jeopardizing the quality of the program. Tuition has been adjusted accordingly from $1 ,160 for six weeks to $800 for four weeks. Enrollment is growing and "we're more international than we were," said Christensen. "This new merger will help us do this [grow and diversify] more effectively.· I I• ~ a: ~ :Ji iil z ~ __ L . __ _ _ __ .___. ELSC students Hirbyuki Mochizuki, left, and Akiko Orihashi perform in a production of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' Many students come to SUU from various countries to leam English. Activities such as these help students better. /eam and understand English. |