Vol. 20, No. 19 |
Aug. 16, 2001 |
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Diverse summer offerings attract
Basketball camps were held in Delaware Field House and the Bob Carpenter Center (above).
Each summer UD is home to a variety of active learners. Adults, matriculated and graduate students take an assortment of college courses, and youngsters receive coaching in sports camps and exposure to cultural offerings and enrichment classes. Groups of fall freshman take advantage of mentoring programs, and teachers enhance their skills or pursue advanced degrees. While college students are involved in internships and research projects, talented high school juniors from throughout the state participate in the Governor's School for Excellence. Here is an overview of some of the opportunities offered by UD during the summer months. Summer sessions UD's campus gets busier as overall enrollments in summer programs are gradually increasing, according to Allan Fanjoy, special sessions, whose primary responsibility is coordinating summer and winter sessions college credit courses. Matriculated graduate student enrollment, he said, doubled from 600 in 1995 to more than 1,200 in 2000, in part due to a change of tax implications. The total summer enrollment of students rose from approximately 5,000 in 1995 to 5,800 in 2000, peaking in 1999 when a record 5,857 enrolled. The number of teachers taking advantage of tuition-free programs through continuing education or in degree programs rose from 950 in 1995 to almost 1,100 in 2000. This summer, some 500 classes have been offered, he said, and, as in other years, the first summer session enrolls twice as many students as the second session. Distance learning courses, which employ a combination of videos, the web and print, also are becoming more popular. In 1996, 475 students were enrolled in such courses, and last year the number rose to 580. This summer, nine overseas and three U.S. travel programs have been offered to students, including a new program on theatre and the performing culture in Cyprus. Other overseas programs include such locations as Grenada, London, Paris and Kobe, Japan. Domestic programs include a nutrition and dietetics course in Hawaii, studying the foods and rituals in the fusion of the different cultures in the area, and two sections of "Westward Bound," an entomology course focusing on wildlife photography. During Winter Session, overseas courses are primarily filled with UD students because other colleges have different schedules. But in the summer, more students from other schools participate, Fanjoy said. A new innovation this summer was the syllabus bank, where 100 faculty members offered specific information online about the courses they are teaching. "This is a useful service to prospective students, and I hope other faculty will take advantage of this opportunity," Fanjoy said. In addition to their coursework, those enrolled in classes and other programs have the use of the University's academic and recreational facilities, such as the gymnasium and library, providing even more opportunities for learning and making the most of and enjoying their summer at UD. Camps for kids What do magicians, music makers and aspiring football talents all have in common? They all are participants in a series of summer camps at UD that offer a diverse array of activities for young people of all ages and interests–from musical development and the performing arts to field trips and instruction in sports such as football, basketball, tennis, lacrosse and soccer. Although the sports camps are independently run and not UD-sponsored programs, they do feature instruction from many of the University's most successful and respected coaches. Here's a sampling of just some of these summer experiences. Tubby Raymond's Football Camp Among the most popular of the summer sports camps at UD is Tubby Raymond's Wing-T Football Camp, a limited physical contact program that offers instruction in football skills and techniques. With 296 wins in 35 years as UD's head coach, Harold R. "Tubby" Raymond is one of only 11 coaches in college football history to reach the 275 win level. "We have had a camp in some format for 25 years," Raymond said. "It has been held in different places, but we have always had a Wing-T camp of some sort." This year Raymond was assisted by a staff of 54 coaches who helped to provide instruction to 450 participants. For the players and the coaches, the camp is a learning experience as they prepare for the kickoff of the fall football season. "The kids like the hard work," Raymond said. "Most of the coaches run our offense in their high schools, so this gives the players and the coaches a firsthand tutoring experience regarding the type of plays they will be using in the fall." The camp also is an opportunity for Raymond to look over some promising football talent while generating goodwill through personal contact with players and coaches. "Some great football players have been through our camp, and many of them went on to play at UD," Raymond said. "We enjoy the camp and the kids. It's just a special time of year for us." Nature Trails Drawing on the environment outside the home and classroom, Nature Trails presents children ages 4-1/2 to 6 years with a chance to learn about natural phenomena while using their creative energies to interpret the sound of crickets, frogs and mockingbirds. According to camp director Cheri Astolfi, a member of the UD Community Music School's early childhood faculty, the camp favorite was "Weather Day," where the class of four boys and four girls got the chance to create their own version of The Perfect Storm. After listening to real thunder, the children were invited to use a variety of musical instruments to mimic the fury of the natural elements. "We used drums for thunder and cymbals to represent the force of the lightning," Astolfi said. "The children used maracas to simulate the sound of the rain and matched the motion of the clouds with a series of graceful movements." The camp, now in its fifth year, also provided children with an opportunity to acquire rudimentary musical skills, such as pitch making, where students learn to match the pitch of the teacher while singing favorite songs. Other classes focused on beat competency, instrument playing and ensemble development. "It was a lot of fun and every day was a different experience," Astolfi said. "I like having the kids here for more than a half hour because you can do a lot more with them musically." 4-H Clover Bud While the Nature Trails camp brought the sounds of the outdoors into the classroom, the 81 participants in this summer's Clover Bud camp enjoyed a variety of goings-on that included swimming, arts and crafts and a train ride on the Wilmington & Western Railroad. "The kids had a blast on that one," Heather Kirk, assistant camp director, said. "They also saw a lot of historical sites along the way." Now in its 10th year, the Clover Bud Camp for children ages 5-7, is sponsored by UD's Cooperative Extension 4-H Program. Arts and crafts classes included making flowerpots with fabric swatches and plaster of Paris. Children also had a chance to listen to storyteller and New Castle County librarian Elizabeth Simmons read a book about going to the circus. Clover Bud campers also had a good time setting off rockets made from empty film containers, and each day there was an assembly where the children learned new songs, Kirk said. The most popular attraction proved to be magician Larry Denburg, who added to the fun by using counselors and children from the audience as part of his act. "He did tricks which the kids could understand," Kirk said. "He had the total attention of the children during the time he performed." Kirk said the most satisfying aspect of the camp for counselors is seeing the change that takes place in the children as a result of the total camp experience. "I enjoy seeing the difference in the kids after they have been in camp," Kirk said. "They are shy on Monday, but by the time the week is over, they don't want to go home." –Sue Moncure and Jerry Rhodes Photos by Kathy Flickinger
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