December
17, 2004
January
Term 2005 to Offer Something for Everyone
Photo
by: Todd M. LeMieux
“Chef Jeff” takes
a break from his kitchen at Blanchard Campus Center |
For seniors heading out to live
in the “real world,” figuring out what to do in their
kitchens besides stashing takeout menus is not always easy. To
address this perpetual challenge, January Term offerings will
include a course taught by Mount Holyoke’s own “Chef
Jeff” Sadowski explaining the basics of healthy, budget-minded
food shopping and cooking. “I’d like to take the
mystique out of it a little bit,” said Sadowski, who has
managed the kitchen at Blanchard Campus Center for the past eight
years. “It’s not like a cooking show, where so much
detail is cut out along the way. I want the students to say, ‘Hey,
this isn’t so hard.’”
Cooking Like Chef Jeff is part of the popular “Passport to Reality” series
that was introduced last year. In addition to workshops on car care and personal
finance, the series also includes A Touch of Class: Dining Etiquette, taught
by Jesse Lytle, assistant to MHC President Joanne Creighton, and David Machowski,
director of recruiting and employer relations at the College’s Career Development
Center (CDC), and Dressing Smart in the Workplace, taught by Azanda Seymour,
assistant director of internships at the CDC.
Associate director of student programs Beth Gibney Boulden, who coordinates the
noncredit courses, activities, and “Passport to Reality” series,
is excited about this year’s program. “We have more offerings than
ever before, approximately 36 credit and 30 noncredit courses. Our aim was to
create a broad palette of experiences for the students.” For example, Robyn
Marie Nedelcu ’07 will teach Sh-Sh-Shake It, a course in Hawaiian and Tahitian
dance; members of the handbell choir will introduce the art of handbell playing
in How to Be a Ding-a-Ling; and Nancy Apple, director of safety and environmental
affairs, will teach a course about global warming and Mount Holyoke.
Popular perennial noncredit offerings include making stained glass and juggling,
and The Sky for a Winter Night, a stargazing course at the College’s observatory.
Other noncredit courses range from cardio-kickboxing to creating chocolate concoctions. “We
do hope that students take time to ‘explore, restore, create, and enjoy,’ our
theme for the month,” said Gibney Boulden. “We believe it’s
important to do something different, which may mean taking a new class, learning
a new hobby, or taking care of yourself with rest, exercise, and rejuvenation.”
Not all J-Term courses are taught by College students, faculty, or staff. Robert
McNealy, director of the Johnson & Johnson Marketing and Advertising College,
whose daughter graduated from MHC in 2004, will return for his third year to
teach Advertising Leadership Process, the actual course required for all members
of J & J marketing personnel. Linda J. Melconian ’70, state senator
and majority leader emerita, will teach a for-credit class, Extending Rights
in the Public Policy Arena.
Students seeking academic credit may enroll in a wide array of classes, including
an introduction to architectural design, water politics of the Nile basin, reflections
of war, and introduction to modern Hebrew. Back by popular demand are Gods and
Monsters, an examination of how science fiction movies depict science, taught
by Donnie Cotter, associate professor and chair of chemistry, and athletic director
Laurie Priest’s weeklong course on snowshoeing and dogsledding.
For those wishing to slow down the pace of their hectic lives, J-Term also offers
more contemplative classes, such as Beginning Yoga and a noncredit course titled
Self-Care in a Culture of Overwork: Assessment and Reflection as Tools in Building
Balance.
The J-Term calendar of activities has also expanded this year. In addition to
trips to Providence and New York City, there will be visits to the Eric Carle
Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst; the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown,
Massachusetts; and Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Students can also look forward to “Chillbuster,” a weekly gathering
for hot drinks and snacks on Thursday afternoons at 3 pm by the new Blanchard
lantern. Weather permitting, there will be ice skating on the rink just below
the lantern. In any event, the J-Term activities also include an evening of skating
at Forest Park in Springfield.
J-Term registration began December 1. For more information, go to www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/student-programs/jterm2005.
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