New study abroad courses available

STEVE MARTINI
DM Senior Staff Writer

The American Universities International Program (AUIP) has coupled with the University of Mississippi to offer two study abroad programs to Ole Miss students.

One program will take students to Belize while another flies students to participate in a program in Edinburgh, Scotland. These 10-week courses have been offered by the AUIP for more than 30 years and provide 15 transferable credit hours to students for one semester of international study.

Unlike other programs, AUIP accepts financial aid and scholarship funding as methods of payment for the semester abroad.

Students remain enrolled at the Ole Miss while studying abroad, which is why credit hours earned apply towards a student's degree and why financial aid and scholarships can be utilized.

"It's cool as far as students who are interested in going and pursuing an experience overseas because everything is going to be easily transferred," said Tammie Kaufman, leisure management professor at Ole Miss. "My background is in heritage tourism, so this (opportunity) is very exciting for me."

Both trips are scheduled to take place during the 2001 spring semester. Each is divided into two sessions. The first semester lasts from Jan. 3 to March 30, and the second begins at the end of March and continues to the first week of June.

"This time frame allows students to work and earn extra money they might need on the trip," said Tim Wakefield, marketing director for AUIP.

Wakefield believes the study abroad program will enrich all the lives of students at Ole Miss.

"When you go to a university, there are so many opportunities made available to you. I know that the universities feel that after a student has returned from a study abroad program, they have built self-confidence, their grades are better, and they add an international flavor to the campus," Wakefield said.

Each trip involves instructed courses similar to those taught at Ole Miss. The Belize trip focuses on study in the field, ranging on topics from tropical forest ecology and marine biology to coral reef geology. Students set up tents and move around from site to site, spending a few weeks in the Central American jungle studying the forests and then a few more weeks on an island off the coast of Belize researching marine life.

"It's really great to go somewhere jaguars are still roaming free; crocodiles are in the water, iguanas are in the trees, and you can see parrots and toucans flying in the evening," Wakefield said. "When you come up behind a (Mayan) temple, you feel like you're the first one to discover it. In the trees, you can hear the screams of howler monkeys and you really feel like you're in the jungle. And that's because you are."

Various instructors, including some professors from Ole Miss, lead courses. Kim Beason and Jim Gilbert have both participated in previous years with the Belize trip.

The Edinburgh trip represents the first time Ole Miss has sent students to Scotland. In previous years, only the Belize program was made available under the coverage of student scholarships and financial aid. Students heading to Scotland will stay at a guesthouse and attend classes at the University of Edinburgh. Scottish professors teach courses to trip participants, and students are blended with the Scottish student populace, as opposed to the secluded setting of the Belize program. Courses taught include Scottish history, business in the European Union and art and literature.

One week of the few months spent in Scotland involves a trip to the Highlands where students participate in rock climbing, kayaking and sailing among Scotland's recreational outdoors.

Students need not know a second language to visit either country because English is spoken fluently in both. Positions are open to "anyone interested with a G.P.A. higher than 2.0 and who has stayed out of trouble," Wakefield said.

Applications may be picked up at the Study Abroad Office at the George Street House on campus. The office can be contacted by phone at 915-1508 or 915-1509.

Application deadlines for the Brazil trip are Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 for the Scotland program. For more information regarding these programs, visit AUIP at www.auip.com or call toll-free at 1-888-730-AUIP (2847).