Professors have a life outside the classroom
As summer rolled to an end, students were torn from their summer jobs and thrown back into the grind of college and homework. But, students weren’t the only ones.
Professors also must be hauled from their adventures and thrust back to teaching.
Professors at Utah State University are involved in numerous activities during the summer months, including traveling the world, invading the libraries, and rampaging through the wilderness.
Mark Brunson, a professor from the department of environment and society, was one of several professors who accompanied a number of students to Yanamono, Peru, a small city nestled in the Amazon jungle. As part of Youthlink, the students were there on a service mission, Brunson said. The group was there to help build a school and a playground and to teach the children, he said.
The group was there through the end of June and the first of July. He said on July 4, they had a cultural exchange day of singing, dancing and fireworks.
“It was one of the peak experiences of my life,” Brunson said. “I have come to really appreciate these folks, and it’s hard to explain what that is like.”
Charles Romesburg, also from the department of environment and society, said he spent his summer researching, golfing and playing squash. He said he also spent time with his cats, and traveled to Pittsburgh, Pa.
Romesburg said he was researching the purposes of art and wilderness. He spent six hours a day reading art journals and essays.
“I am amazed, myself, at what a person can devote themselves to doing,” Romesburg said.
Romesburg said he wants to write a book when his research is done and he has developed a conclusion. He said he wants to help people use art and wild nature to remake their lives.
Bonnie Glass-Coffin, department of anthropology, said she spent her summer with a group of students in Haumchaco, Peru, doing research on culture and globalization. She said she has been going back and forth since 1982 to do her own research.
This is her second year with students. She said they spend a lot of time building relationships as the students prepare to write papers on their own research.
Glass-Coffin said they learn from the people there and provide them a voice and resources to help them meet their needs and goals.
“I am hoping over time that it will build friendships and contribute to the economy,” she said.
There must be enough students to sign up for the program in order for a group to return, Glass-Coffin said.
“It is definitely worth the money,” Glass-Coffin said.
-kellynn@cc.usu.edu