Summer opportunities for students plentiful
There are a variety of opportunities available to Utah State University students sticking around campus for the summer and for many who are going home.
But program coordinators say students are often unaware of their options.
Summer workshops offered through the university are among the options.
“Students can be here for three to four years and not know about summer workshops,” said Sonya Warner, program specialist for USU Extension.
USU is offering more than 40 workshops in a wide variety of subjects this summer, Warner said. Workshops typically last five days and are held during the weeks of June 2 to 6 and August 4 to 8.
There are workshops available in the colleges of Business; Education; Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; and Natural Resources.
The idea behind workshops, Warner said, is to offer special courses that allow instructors to select topics they aren’t able to cover during a semester or to invite guest lecturers or professors to contribute to the class.
One workshop offered this summer will teach students to build their own personal computers. Another is geared toward elementary and secondary education majors and is called The First Day of School and Valuing Managing and Diversity, a course that can give students a variety of credits, Warner said.
Most workshops are two to three credits, and all are upper-division courses. Most are level 5000 courses or higher, Warner said. She said classes usually give students elective credit, though some may count toward a student’s major.
Extension recommends students check with their advisers before signing up for workshops.
Regular tuition and fees apply to summer workshops. Students registered for summer semester will include workshop tuition with their semester tuition.
Warner said student experience with workshops has been positive, and in some cases workshops have allowed students to graduate early.
“I think it’s worth their time,” she said.
More information is available at http://extension.usu.edu/workshops.
The 20th annual conference on Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence: Current Directions in Theory, Research and Application will be held May 12 through 16 at the Eccles Conference Center. It will also be broadcast to USU Extension centers.
Registration for the event starts at $75 for one day and $250 for the entire week. Students may attend the conference for undergraduate or graduate credit. Credit registration is extra, and full-time students are eligible for discount pricing.
For registration or more information, call 797-0423 or visit www.ext.usu.edu/confer/infancy>extension.usu.edu/confer/infancy.
Students can also participate in outdoor events this summer.
USU’s Outdoor Recreation Center is coordinating a Desolation Canyon whitewater rafting trip May 4 to 11 for students, and spaces are still available, ORC student employee Leah Ronnow said.
“The Deso trip will be an awesome experience and is a really good deal, but we still need more people to make it go,” Ronnow said.
She said the cost of the trip is $250, while hiring a guide would run anywhere from $600 to $800.
The ORC will be open throughout the summer and will offer day trips including hiking and rock climbing. The ORC also has canoeing and kayaking demonstrations. Ronnow said students should check with the ORC for dates and times. Canoes and Kayaks are available to rent.
Starting this summer, the ORC will also have mountain bikes available to rent for use in Cache Valley, Ronnow said.
New Associated Students of USU Activities Vice President Tara Bradshaw said ASUSU doesn’t start planning events until the Week of Welcome in the fall.
-katrich@cc.usu.edu