New and improved May Experience

Are you interested in volunteering to help rebuild hurricane-torn New Orleans? Or exploring Hispanic culture with your taste buds? What about using computer simulations to virtually explore historical communities?These are just three of the over 40 May Experience courses that will be offered this year. The courses will be posted with full descriptions on the May Experience website on Nov. 20 and registration will begin on a first-come, first-served basis on Nov. 30.

May Experience is a product of Furman's new semester system and was first offered in spring 2009, when over 300 students participated. Nearly double that many students are expected to participate this year and benefit from the lessons learned from that path-breaking trial.

One change is that May Experience will be pushed back three days, so that it ends at approximately the same time as the trimester schedule did.

"We learned that you really ought not to start [May Experience] 36 hours after graduation," said Lloyd Benson, the Chair of the Ad-Hoc Faculty May Experience Committee and a history professor. "We had academic term whiplash."

The housing and dining policy for May Experience are also undergoing major changes because of the feedback garnered last year. For starters, students will not remain in their original rooms. Students participating in May Experience only will be moved to the residence halls, while students staying for May and summer will be consolidated in North Village A, B or C.

Although there were no problems, Benson said that some people felt uncomfortable being the only person on their hall or floor. Having everyone live in the dorms will address these safety concerns, be slightly cheaper, and hopefully build a sense of community.

Students who are moved to the residence halls from North Village for May Experience will not be assigned roommates and will be provided bed linens.

Unlike last year, when only the Pala Den was open, this year students will be able to eat meals in the Dining Hall. The comprehensive housing and meal plan rate for May Experience will cost $658.

Another change being ushered in this year is the offering of the first student-inspired course. "Mediation and Conflict Resolution" is a course that was created by a student group interested in mediation that collaborated with a political science professor.

Benson said the committee is trying to create a process for how to solicit student ideas and connect them with the right faculty. "We're really excited about the potential for having students come up with course ideas," he said.

Anyone with an idea for a May Experience course should contact a member of the committee. If a course proposal is completed by the second week of January, it could be offered this May.

This year's May Experience will also feature ten study away trips: eight foreign study, one to California and one to New Orleans.

Kailash Khandke, the Assistant Academic Dean for Study Away and International Education, said that the cost of all study away programs is the actual cost of travel.

"We are trying to get a little more scholarship money compared to last year," he said. Students who meet the criteria of financial need may receive a study away award of up to $600.

Khandke said there was a debate about whether a three-week study away had the same benefits as a longer trip, but that last year proved that there was a demand for these experiences.

"It's an opportunity for students who might not have been able to consider study away," he said.

Those interested in learning more about the May Experience options available should visit eweb.furman.edu/dept/mayx. Information about the study away trips can be found on the website for the Office of Study Away at www.furman.edu/international.