A Semester in Barbados? You'll Need More Than Sunscreen By Jeremy Lane

I didn’t wake up this morning thinking about going to Barbados. I rarely do. That is, until talking with Professor Morgan Broadhead about the Barbados Student Exchange Program. The program gives Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) students the opportunity to live and learn a semester at Barbados Community College, for JCTC rates. Two students will fly over, and live with one of 65 host families the Barbados College have listed, and take classes during a time frame similar to JCTC’s. The island, surrounded almost entirely by beaches, is used to resort temperatures, mostly between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, to be one of the two students privileged to go to Barbados, one should not be thinking about the beaches. Barbados Community College, in the English educational tradition (Barbados became an English commonwealth state in 1966), has a high standard for its classes and its students. Professor Broadhead chuckles, “Their B and C students come over here, and usually get all A’s easily.” Likewise, JCTC students are often surprised by the standard of education there. “Most the Barbados students are taking seven courses, getting 21 credit hours per semester.” The JCTC students typically take four courses with some difficulty. Most classes at Barbados Community College have a comprehensive exam, covering the whole semester’s work that counts for fifty to sixty percent of one’s grade. This can be a bit intimidating for JCTC students.

The classes JCTC students can take in Barbados fall mostly under general education requirements, but many with a Caribbean twist. A class required by the program is Caribbean Politics in Society, which Professor Broadhead feels is an immersive class. Where better to take this course, I ask? Another suggestion from Broadhead is Historical Methods, a “very hands-on class”, where students will find themselves outside often, learning about archaeological techniques. They will also learn to handle old documents, aside from the field work. “We tell Barbados [college] a range of courses the students would like to take.” Mostly the available courses fall under general education requirements.
“The homes are generally older couples with some extra space for a student.” Most Barbados students live at home, due to the high rates for housing, and a lack of space on the small island. A visiting student’s host family receives a stipend for the student, which guarantees a visiting student at least a bed to sleep in and food to eat. “I ask the students to help as much as they can… to give their host twenty or thirty dollars for groceries, or if they can, cook a special meal for them.” The students pay JCTC rates to attend the school, so no foreign tuition rates apply. The other primary expense is the round trip ticket, which could range from $400 to $900.

Professor Broadhead is an advisor for the program. His wife, Ann, is the director, “but she works from home, so all the questions come to me,” says Broadhead. The actual exchange program has been running since fall 2007, but between 1997 and 2005, 135 students accompanied Morgan and Ann Broadhead to Barbados for a fifteen day period (receiving three credit hours) for a short period of total immersion into Barbados.

JCTC students can look for posters for the program that should be popping up shortly. Applications won’t start until the fall semester, but the information will be building up. Of this year’s applicants, four of the nineteen are still in consideration. Four interviews take place initially in the fall semester, and then four more occur in the following spring semester. “We stress maturity. If you say [during the interviews] ‘Ooh, The drinking age is sixteen there!’ or just ask about how to get to the beaches, then your head’s in the wrong place.” The final interview involves a panel with at least one person from the Barbados school, which can be “nerve wracking for students who have never done that sort of thing before,” explains Broadhead.

On the other hand, two Barbados students visit JCTC for a semester. Unlike Barbados’ list of 65 family homes, however, the Broadheads have a lot of difficulty finding a place for the exchange students to stay. “We spent all last summer digging. We found them, though!” This, of course, would also be a great way to get some cultural diversity in your life. One host family from last year’s is taking a year off, “just to see what an empty nest is like,” says Broadhead. So, if you’re interested in travel, experiencing some Calypso culture, college credit, plus resort temperature and countless beaches, check your JCTC walls for coming information, or visit Professor Morgan Broadhead in the Seminary building- west wing.

Communication Interns Get Hands On Experience By Malaika Catching

College is hard for many students. Long lectures, 10-20 page papers, and exams are just some of the struggles that go along with college life. There is however a shining light (besides graduating) that appeals to many students and it is interning. Interning can change or confirm your career choices.
Jefferson Community and Technical College’s Department of Communication has an internship program. This semester there are four students involved in the program. These students are interning at Adhawks Advertising and Public Relations, Brain Injury Association of Kentucky, and Main Line Broadcasting.

Professor Mona Leonard is the internship director and chair of the communication department. According to Leonard, “Jefferson Community and Technical College had the internship program in place, but the program languished for sometime. There were also no guidelines set.” She established guidelines and marketed the program. The existing guidelines are you must be approved by the internship director, have a minimum GPA of 2.0 and it is recommended that you have taken COM 101, COM 181, JOU 101, ENG 101 and ENG 102 before enrolling. Even then you are not guaranteed placement into the program. The program only has five students interning at a time. After placement, she requires that students maintain a work log, portfolio of their work, and write an academic paper.

Leonard says “the most challenging thing in the program is matching students with the internship opportunity they’re most interested in.” Placement is also affected by the nearby universities. Some media outlets that accept interns are more likely to take students from a university rather than a two-year college. Despite that Leonard says, “JCTC’s communication internship program is very successful. Since 2006, the communication internship program is at 80 -100 percent enrollment. We’ve placed students at Public Radio Partnership, Creative Alliance Advertising, WDRB TV Fox 41, and Clear Channel Radio. These media outlets had never accepted JCTC communication students before.”

Tianna Thompson is a communication major and is enrolled in the internship program. She is working at Adhawks Advertising and Public Relations. She received an email from professor Leonard about the program and she emailed right back because she was interested. Thompson says, “I didn’t intend on working for the Adhawks Agency in the beginning. However, working at Adhawks Advertising and Public Relations has been all that I’d expected.” Thompson previously interned at the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky in public relations and enjoyed it so she was interested in interning again. Thompson prepares press releases and does proof reading, editing and setting up events. Thompson is now working on an event called the Cross Cultural Summit. She says,” I definitely believe that working at Adhawks is a helpful experience for the future.” Thompson believes that “interning at JCTC is a very positive thing and I hope more students will get involved in the program.” The internship program has confirmed Thompson’s career choice. Thompson says, “The hardest thing to do there is just learning the ins and outs of the business but the easiest is writing. Writing comes easy to me.”

Fallon Tinney is another student in the internship program working at the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky. She heard about the internship program from professor Leonard. She says she didn’t have a specific request for placement. Tinney says, “Working at the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky is a different experience, but I’m learning a lot.” Tinney started in her internship in public relations in February. She enjoys her placement because its gives her valuable public relations experience for her future. “I believe this is a helpful experience because I get to network, get my name out there and get hands on experience in communication and business” she explains. Tinney is going to school full time and working so one of the difficult things for her is getting the number of hours required completed for the semester. She says, “The easiest thing is they don’t judge me. They just want to teach me.”

Main Line Broadcasting has been accepting interns from JCTC since 2006. Prima Moorman and Tiana Middleton are two communication majors who are interning there now. Moorman began in the previous fall semester working at Main Line Broadcasting and has been hooked ever since. Moorman got started by replying to Leonard's email to communication majors. She wants a career in urban radio so she preferred working at the local station B96.5, which is owned by Main Line Broadcasting.

Moorman says, “I didn’t know what to expect but I thought it was going to be more challenging.” Moorman loves this program because it has boosted her confidence in her career plan of radio. Her work consists of updating the entertainment and community calendar for two stations, doing various filing and on air experience. Moorman states, “It’s not hard for me because communicating comes easy. The hardest thing is not being able to ride with them to events.” Tiana Middleton has just recently been accepted into Main Line Broadcasting and has wanted to be a part of this program for a long time. Middleton says, “I’m excited to be there. The only difficult thing for me is getting to know different aspects about the business.”

I participated in the internship program in 2008 and can say that I loved every minute of it. I also had the fortunate opportunity to intern at Main Line Broadcasting’s B96.5. I learned so much of the radio business that’s behind the microphone. I reported to Valerie Sickles (her photograph is inserted), director of community and urban affairs at Main Line Broadcasting and she was a great teacher. I learned everything from sound set up, on air production, promotion, and public affairs. I couldn’t have asked for a better program.

Communication majors should take advantage of the internship program at JCTC. The guidelines are not impossible and if you are a focused person this would be a great opportunity. When you intern you get to learn a lot of things about a field that you didn’t know before.

Portrait of a Winner By Tiffany Beeler

And the contest winner is…Terry Thomas! On April 17, Jefferson Community and Technical College’s department of communication’s faculty chose Thomas as the winner of the annual Graduation Speaker Contest. Thomas delivers the graduation speech at JCTC’s Graduation on May 11. She receives $100 and the 2009 Maria B. Miller Speech award.

Thomas was born in Louisville, Kentucky but moved to Southern Illinois in 1980. She returned to Louisville in 2004 with her husband and daughter. Her husband died in 2005. A year later she decided to pursue her dream of an education at Jefferson Community and Technical College. She was accepted into the Nuclear Medicine program in 2007. “The reason I chose the Nuclear Medicine program was due to the fact my husband had many Nuclear Stress Tests and I was fascinated by the procedure. I felt I could be a benefit since I knew what it was like from both sides as a family member of a patient and a technologist,” explains Thomas. She graduates with a 4.0 GPA with an associate degree as a Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist.

Thomas has also won other awards such as, the Paul Cole Scholarship from the Society of Nuclear Medicine (2009), the Norton Healthcare Scholarship (2007, 2008, and 2009), The Samantha Ann McDonald Scholarship (2008) and the Professional Business Women’s Scholarship (2008).

Pura Fe Brings World Music to JCTC By Matt Marshall

As Pura Fe was adjusting her slide guitar during sound-check, the Jefferson Community and Technical College student body and faculty gathered in the lobby of the Hartford building. Fe, an award-winning Native American musician, took the stage on April 16 before a large crowd for the annual JCTC Cultural Arts festival. The theme for the 2009 event was Native American culture, and offered a variety of performances, exhibits, and teaching lessons. But the event that caught the eye of many was Pura Fe’s performance. Students and teachers crowded the lobby of the Hartford building to listen to Fe’s Native American contemporary music, which has brought her to the forefront of mainstream music.

“This has been a great turnout and a spectacular event for me to perform in. The students and school have created a great Native American vibe in presenting the festival to the people,” Fe said.

Taking time out of her schedule, the students at JCTC got a rare glimpse at Fe and her musical act, as it is not too often that one witnesses an award winning musician in JCTC’s backyard. Fe, a winner of a French Grammy for her “Tuscarora Nation Blues” album in 2006, showcases some of her tracks from that album such as the popular “Rise of Tuscarora Nation,” and others such as “Great Grandpa’s Banjo,” “You Still Take,” and her newest song called “Red, Black, and Blues.”

Fe said, “I wanted to give the campus a little flavor of what Native American blues and folk music can be like, and how I transformed it into something more contemporary for them to follow.”

Many of the students in attendance enjoyed what Fe came to do, and that was listening to great Native American music while receiving a bit of education at the same time. Fe provided the student body and faculty with tracks that can identify her native roots and culture as still being alive and relevant in today’s society.

“The goal today is for me to bring world music and rhythm to Louisville and for the campus of Jefferson Community and Technical College’s Cultural Arts Festival. I also wanted the people to get a hint of where I come from, such as my Tuscarora roots in North Carolina,” Fe explained.

Fe explained that her music is more of a blues and shuffle-rhythm genre, with touches of gospel and its modulation of what Indian’s call “Stomp Dance.”

In Fe’s well-known and award-winning song, “Rise up Tuscarora Nation,” she mentioned to the crowd that she wrote the song for her nation and what happened to them in the past, such as being key escorts to the slaves in providing safe passage in the Underground Railroad. “Many people do not know that the Native American’s had influence and had been a great help to those in passage on the Underground Railroad,” Fe said.

Fe also portrayed some of her most intimate childhood roots and stories in the song, “Grandpa’s Banjo”, which she wrote for her great uncle. She said that the song is based on the many songs her grandma used to write and sing to her as a young girl. The vocal loops in the track gave a great contemporary vibe to the crowd, which they loved.

During the course of her next song, “You Still Take,” Fe takes more of a political approach in the meaning of her song and what she wanted it to represent.“This song is about the world and its natural resources, and how they have diminished so greatly before our eyes. The vocals are a bit more eco-political and preaching-like,” Fe said.

After performing “You Still Take” Fe decided to drop the newest of her songs that is yet to be released. The song called “Red, Black, and Blues,” is a song filtered with her vocals and the layering of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Deer Clan singers, exploring the contemporary and Gospel side of Fe’s talent. “This song is not only new to me, but obviously to my fans and the crowd today. I just wanted to have fun and cap the day off well,” Fe said.

It seemed as if the crowd at JCTC agreed fully with Fe on that. After her forty-five minute performance the crowd generously applauded.

The Quadrangle for Nearly Half a Century By Jeremy Lane

The Quadrangle has had many different faces, both the people involved, and the very style of the newspaper. Each new student staff led to new styles of writing, new ideas, new politics and new skills. This was the point stressed by Mary Anne Wood-Thompson, who had been the head of the newspaper for 25 years. All in all, Mary Anne was the only constant of the Quadrangle, along with the integrity and professionalism that she demanded of the newspaper.
Her office in the Seminary building appears cold now, boxes all over the place, in correspondence with her near retirement. “I’ve been running into a lot of history lately.” She says, waving. And there is a lot of history, as the Quadrangle began in 1968, though Wood-Thompson started a few years later. “I think we were in debt $300 when I got here, so I went into Rick Pitino mode.” The student run paper’s biggest problems were financial. Students involved were by nature green to the way of newspapers, so selling ads was very difficult.

“[The students] would try to sell ads, and everyone thought we were the Jewish Community Center.” Wood-Thompson smiles as she tells this story. Of course, later advertising endeavors would use the full name of the school instead of the moniker of JCC. “[We were] selling food to pay for it. We had to throw out stories because it sometimes took us so long to sell ads.” Only if a student who was skilled in advertising or business came along would the paper be able to sell ads regularly. One business major came back and had “sold $1000 in ads in one week” Wood-Thompson recalls.

This was not always the case. “Some wonderful writers would come, and the newspaper would take on that feel, and the next group would be great newspaper editors, and I’d get used to that.” Each year would bring “wonderful blessings”, but also “serious problems-mostly money.” Editing was important, with “a tremendous amount of rewrites” One time a story was put up that Wood-Thompson considered to be bordering on libel. Wood-Thompson set up a conference call with the humanities department, herself, and a DC lawyer, who explained the legal ramifications of said piece (which could mean a lawsuit for false information that damages a person’s reputation). “If I had told them, it would have taken everything I had to hold them back, and they still might not have believed me, but they listened to the lawyer. They found out you can’t just print anything.”

This integrity was on a strong basis. In the early years, Wood-Thompson would pack a few students into her car, and drive up north for the National Convention of College Newspapers. Pat Shannon, a former feature editor in the early seventies, remembers one in Chicago.“Suddenly this little paper in Louisville’s rubbing elbows with some of the biggest [college] papers in America.” This was one of the “many adventures” (in Wood-Thompson’s words) the Quadrangle would face to create the professional feel of the paper.

Claudia Hendricks, another former editor and current LG&E public relations worker, spoke of the rewriting involved. Working out of Wood-Thompson’s apartment, often past midnight. “[The writing] would get torn up, and then we’d rewrite it, and then we’d tear it up again.” Articles went through a writer’s circle first, or maybe better named a gauntlet. The piece would be read, and “if anyone had a problem with any of it, they’d rewrite it,” Wood-Thompson recalls. “If you know your history, I was editor during Watergate.” Pat Shannon recalls. “Everybody, everybody wanted to impeach Nixon, and I happened to be a Nixon fan.” As editor, he had the final say, which led to the Quadrangle being one of the few newspapers not calling for a Nixon impeachment, a point of pride, according to Shannon. “Of course, looking back, we probably should have.” Shannon says, chuckling.

So, despite the many people who came and went, and the ever changing style of the Quadrangle, it seems to its former students/editors, that the constant, the brain of the Quadrangle was Mary Anne Wood Thompson. The newspaper won awards throughout its time “all because of Mary Anne Thompson” according to Claudia Hendricks. Pat Shannon seems to agree, “…of all the relationships from that time, my strongest one is with Mary Anne.” Both further went on to say that the paper was a “great experience.” Mary Anne’s opinion? “That [the paper was student run] to me meant more than anything… I sometimes advised very strongly, but I did advise.”

Mary Anne Wood-Thompson advised the Quadrangle for 27 years, from 1972 to 1999. The newspaper is now on hiatus, though many hope to see its return soon. Of course, the most constant piece of the paper’s history will be missing: Mary Anne Wood-Thompson.

Intercultural Communication Connects Students to Outside World By Fallon Tinney

Eighty-five percent of all refugees arriving in Kentucky are resettled to Metro Louisville. The Arcadia Apartments located on Taylor Boulevard in Louisville consist of 85 percent Somali-Bantu families. The community center at Arcadia hosts an after school program for these children, and this is where students of Jefferson Community and Technical College decided to complete the hours needed for professor Mona Leonard’s community service learning project for the Introduction to Intercultural Communication course.
The Arcadia Community Center, established in 2001, partners with refugee and immigrant groups and additional community organizations to provide holistic services that offer educational and social support for new families adjusting to life in the United States. “The kids of The Arcadia Community Center are trying to bridge together two different cultures along with just normal kid and teenager issues on top of all that,” says Emily Sadler, director of the after school and summer camp program for the elementary children. Sadler is part of the AmeriCorps VISTA Program which is designed specifically to helping others fight poverty. Sadler came to Arcadia nine months ago and will continue to be employed there for another 15 months. At the end of her time at Arcadia, Sadler will be eligible to win an Education Award presented by AmeriCorps, an award of a small cash prize or a larger amount to pay off her school loans.
In addition to those duties, Sadler organizes a project plan to better the Arcadia Community center by recruiting volunteers. “We depend a lot on our community volunteers,” she says. The center has 150 kids enrolled in the after school program and only a few full time staff members. “The center needs volunteers to conduct workshops, clean, help organize the food pantry and clothing closet, and to tutor the kids,” says Sadler. Leonard invited Sadler to speak to the Intercultural Communication class at Jefferson Community and Technical College. The students of this class are required to do five community service hours for a community service learning project. The project is intended to help the students experience different cultural situations and use intercultural communication skills to deal with the situations properly.

“People that volunteer here can get experience with children of the international population,” says Sadler after being asked about how the students can connect the center with the intercultural class. “Service learning hours are truly beneficial in becoming more aware of other cultures. Working with the youth at Arcadia helped me to understand their culture. You never really understand what a person has been through unless you walk a mile in their shoes. However, working with them may allow one to have a better understanding of their culture,” says April Rouson, a student who volunteered at the Arcadia Community Center for the service learning project. Rouson also says, “The Arcadia center connected to my intercultural class because I was able to take into account the cultural differences by using empathy as a way to connect with the youth.”

Although the volunteer work at Arcadia is rewarding, it can also be challenging. “The kids at Arcadia have recently arrived in a new country so they are learning a new language, learning to write, and many refugee families escape whatever situation they are in with very little, so poverty,” says Sadler. Sadler along with all of the other volunteers tries to make the arrival of the refugees and their stay in Louisville as rewarding and comfortable as possible. Laura Darnell, another student involved with the project explains what she took with her after working with the kids from Arcadia, “I took with me the importance of treating those from other countries with respect and making them feel welcome in the United States.” The focus of the project is to learn to communicate effectively with those who are culturally different. Darnell thinks that volunteering is a great experience for anybody studying intercultural communication. “I think service learning is a great way to get students in to the community and around those with different cultures. If these hours were not required, most students would not experience the things that they are learning about in their intercultural communication class. Community service learning is an excellent way for students to learn how to relate to the terms they are learning in the classroom and how to act in intercultural communications situations.”
Sadler goes on to say, “The children need to be exposed to different kinds of people, and need the volunteer’s undivided attention.” She also states, “Our philosophy here at Arcadia is we cannot fix the issues the children are facing alone. We have to work with our ethnic community leaders to get their input on ideas for bettering the center. We need volunteers to help create programs that work for the communities we are serving.”

Chemistry Students Discover Formula to Teaching By Eric Prater

Chemistry students at the Southwest Campus of Jefferson Community and Technical College tackled a new and exciting challenge. For a change they became teachers instead of students. General Chemistry II students recently completed a community service project. The project’s goal was for students to teach chemistry subjects to a group of either students or coworkers.

Kaya Muller, Instructor of Chemistry, presented this project to students during her 5 years teaching at the Southwest Campus. “By teaching the material to others, students learn the material far better than if they didn’t have to teach it,” she said.

The project was inspired by similar projects presented by Charlie Purvis, Microbiology Instructor. Muller claims most students enjoy it because it takes chemistry to a personal level. “You are able to take a topic, and personalize it.” This makes students more interested in the project.

Student Jonathan Buckman’s project is an example of this. He talked about the use of radioactive iodine for medical purposes. “It’s a good chance to go over material,” Buckman said. “Basically, just get up there and relax, be comfortable answering questions.” His audience consisted of 15 coworkers from Jewish Hospital.

Brandon Ward, another student, also showed his excitement for the project. “I wanted to go back to my old school.” Ward graduated from Holy Cross in Shively in 2008. He planned to give his presentation on gas laws to students there. He is a major in pre-pharmacy, just like Buckman. This is one of the many types of majors students working on this project have pursued.

Many of the students in Muller’s class study for a health-related degree or are working in the field. She says this influenced the topics they chose. “[They] are very relevant for their coworkers. It’s a nice professional development for them.” Other topics chosen were because of their prominence. Popular topics include the periodic table and equilibrium. “Some form of equilibrium is always picked, equilibrium is everywhere.”

Unfortunately, not all the students enjoy the project. A small group of students just treat it as another assignment. Muller expressed their opinions, “They claimed that because they had no desire to be a teacher that forcing them to teach material to people was a waste of time. They could have used that time studying.” However, she believes that teaching the material forces you to look at your subject in a different light. “When you go to teach, you must be prepared to answer questions that you don’t intend to cover,” Muller explained.

Students usually perform well on these projects. In the five years students completed this project, the results were spectacular. Every project has received an A from the supervisor in the audience except for one. “They are all positive,” she said about the evaluations. She has been surprised at the amount of work some students put in them. “The first time, there were students that were spending 50 to 60 hours on it.” There were only a small number of those people. She tells students they can do a good job with only ten hours. “They don’t have to be a work of art.”

Muller enjoys solving puzzles, which led to her teaching chemistry. “A lot of chemistry problems are simply puzzles, I just always thought it was fascinating, how do these chemicals react.” She lets the students create puzzles of their own with the project exam. The project exam is created by students. A project requirement is to create five questions based on their presentation. The questions are then adjusted by Muller if necessary.

She admits that this can be one of the more difficult parts of the project, “It’s difficult to write a good question.” It is usually the student’s first time at attempting to write questions. The students admit how tough writing the questions can be. This leads to a deeper understanding of what a teacher has to go through, another learning experience.

Muller believes that her class requires a level of dedication. “It is doable, but it’s a challenging course.” Her students share the same viewpoint. Ward said, “The class is demanding, you have to dedicate yourself.”

Students pursuing chemistry aren't sure what they need to do sometimes. Muller stresses the point that understanding the material is more important than grades. “You have to understand the branch that you want to go in.” She admits that teaching never even crossed her mind until she was in college. “Quite frankly, through elementary school and high school I’d thought I’d never be a teacher, that it’d be too much work.” Ultimately, students end up appreciating teaching more after completing this project.

French in France By Shareka Alexander

In June 2009 the 2nd annual Jefferson Community and Technical College French in France Study Abroad Program will begin. Students and visitors will travel by plane to Montpellier, France with French Professor Marie-Pierre Good and Language Department Head Ed Wong for a month-long opportunity to study French language and culture. Students will visit museums, marketplaces, cafés, parks, shopping venues, bus and train stations, banks and post offices, and a host of other sites.

“You’re not just learning from a source such as a book, you’re getting hands on experience,” said professor Good. “It’s more challenging but more interesting. What happens when you miss the tram or have to order off a menu?”

The program is offered to students who are interested in French. People who are not students can apply as visitors but need to have had some French in the past. “We prefer that students have had French 101 & 102, and visitor’s some French,” said professor Good. “You will benefit more if you’ve had some French.”


Much like the 2008 program students will stay at the “La Colombiere” college dormitory complex. All rooms have private bath, there are laundry and cooking facilities in each dorm building and security is 24/7. Students will have the opportunity to take two accelerated French classes beginning from 101 to advanced 202 to quickly advance their knowledge of the French language. Students can earn up to 8 credit hours in French. Class room instruction is held Monday-Friday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. “Everything that is expected here in a classroom is expected there,” said professor Good.

“I believe as a teacher and a person that language makes sense only if you can experience it in real life,” said professor Good. “The experience affects how you view the world and how you view yourself. You’re putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, to be a minority opens compassion. It changes you completely.”

The estimated cost is currently at $3,750, which includes airfare, lodging, an 8 credit hour course load, a tram pass, and a $30.00, a day meal budget. “If eligible students can use aid to pay for class credit and left over aid for trip expenses, once aid is disbursed,” said Lisa Schrenger, Assistant Director of Student Financial Aid. “The student should check with the financial aid office for eligibility.” A $500.00 per student or visitor grant is also available.

On average the program has between 13-14 participants, those who apply are likely to be accepted. “The program is not competitive, if you’ve had French before the only problem may be finances and getting time off,” said professor Good. “Not difficult in competition but in practical senses”.

“It’s worth the time and money. Budget extra money to travel while you are there because you will want to go to different cities,” said Zinsious. “You will also want to eat out a lot.”

Montpellier, France is a beautiful city filled with architecture and history. It’s lined with boutiques and sidewalk café’s with proximity to the beach and numerous universities.
“Montpellier is right on the Mediterranean which has amazing beaches,” said Brandon Zinsious, former program participant.

“I would encourage everyone who is interested in learning French to not only learn it in the classroom, but also learn it by visiting, if their means allow them to do it, places where French is the native language and also meeting people in their communities whose first language is French,” remarked Guillermo Lopez, future program participant.

“I loved the program as a whole. It gave the students the chance to have structured classroom learning environments but also the chance to learn by experience. I liked that we took group trips to different areas in southern France and that we had a capable and caring teacher to guide us,” said Zinsious.

“Future participants should expect a great trip. The teacher (Marie Good) cares about the students and the program. She loves France and that will rub off onto you. Expect great architecture, great food and good time with the people that go with you. Be prepared to really focus learning the language and don’t just rely on formal instruction. You will get so much more out of the program and the experience itself if you take learning into your own hands and get out there and talk to the locals,” Zinsious continued.

The program plans to expand to include other departments. “I would like to see the program grow to as many courses as possible, Languages, Art, Philosophy, Homeland Security, Communications, Public Speaking, and other courses could tie into this program,” said professor Good. “I almost wish a part of education requirements were to take people to foreign countries.”