Intent of the Cultural Life Program:

The intent of the Cultural Life Program is to encourage students to attend high quality events that provide enriching, challenging cultural experiences. Events carrying CLP credit should engage students in a spectrum of issues, ideas, or artistic expressions from various disciplines. CLP events should introduce undergraduates to many aspects of culture, and, at the same time, foster a sense of community. Ideally, students should leave a CLP event understanding its value.

The intent of the program is not to enhance attendance at events, nor merely to provide entertainment or develop skills.

The awarding of CLP credit does not constitute the university's endorsement of the views expressed at the event.

CLP Events:

1. A CLP event will increase its audience's understanding of the world, its people, their history and beliefs, or the forms of art or forms of government that they have created. Its topic will be a serious one and a significant one, with implications reaching beyond the immediate world of Furman University. Its spirit will be harmonious with the mission of Furman University in inviting consideration and discussion, in assuming that the members of its audience hold various beliefs and honoring those differences of belief, and in insisting on fundamental respect for all of humanity.
    
2. The following types of events are generally acceptable for CLP credit:
    
   1. Lectures: The event will be presented by a person or people qualified toward their topic by virtue of formal credentials, extraordinary experience, notable accomplishment or positions of prominence. The cultural significance of the event should be embedded within the lecture.
   2. Performances. Performances will be accepted upon the basis of the piece, the qualifications of the director/conductor, and the skill of the performers. The cultural importance of an idea or work of art clear of the event should be conveyed through introductions and concluding statements, program notes, or annotations (oral or written).
   3. Films and Documentaries. These events will be accepted based on the film or documentary and the qualifications of the presenter or panel. The cultural significance of the film or documentary will be conveyed through introductions and concluding statements or a panel discussion.
   4. Panel discussions and debates. These events will be accepted based on the topic and the qualifications of the panel. An introduction and a concluding statement will communicate the cultural significance.
   5. OTHER FORMATS WILL BE CONSIDERED AS LONG AS THE CULTURAL SIGNIFANCE IS DESCRIBED AND CONSISTENT WITH THE FORMAT.
       
3. The following types of events are generally NOT accepted for CLP credit:
    
   1. Events of a public service, self-help, or "how to" nature, including workshops.
   2. Events that promote or primarily focus on an organization or company.
   3. Poster presentations of student research projects and other student work produced as part of a class requirement.
   
   Events that deal with vocational development, practical skills, or personal health or safety are not eligible for the Cultural Life Program. Events treating such things in a broad cultural, political, sociological, artistic, or scientific context may be eligible. The CLP Committee would suggest that "on American campuses today" does not constitute a sufficiently broad context.
   Here are some examples:
    
   • An event that teaches cooking techniques in support of a low-fat diet would not be eligible. This would be primarily practical, and focused on personal health.
   • An event that features a discussion of Basque cuisine and its contribution to European exploration of North America, and that includes a hands-on lesson in how to prepare salted cod, would be eligible. This would be an excellent example of engaged learning, in the tradition of the liberal arts.
   • An event on binge drinking as a significant problem on American college campuses would not be eligible. This focuses on personal health and safety in a narrowly defined segment of society, one which Furman students inhabit.
   • An event on acquaintance-rape as a problem endemic to American society, crossing boundaries of economic class, race, and levels of education, would be eligible, since it takes a broad view of a social problem in a context beyond that in which our students live.
   • An event on the history of medical education in America, the demographics and economics of medical education today, and their societal consequences would be eligible. If, however, that same event offered advice on how to prepare oneself for entering medical school, even if that advice were only a portion of the program, the CLP Committee would conclude that the personal, practical, and vocational element made it ineligible as a CLP event.
   
   The CLP Committee would emphasize that practical events and events encouraging health and safety are valuable additions to the life of the Furman community, even if they do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the Cultural Life Program.
   
   Event organizers should remember that students will not receive credit for mutliple performances of an event or for the same event that is held within a student's four year graduation cycle, i.e. students may not attend the same event twice and receive double credit.
    
4. Music and theatre performances, art installations, the showing of films and other similar events should include a culturally significant lecture and question and answer session, program notes or spoken comments or other such information.
    
5. Sponsors of CLP events should attempt to keep admission costs for students to a minimum. If an event’s price for Furman students exceeds $10, sponsors should explain in their proposal the reason for the added cost. Events that seem to focus primarily on fund-raising, rather than on offering cultural content, are unlikely to be approved for CLP credit.
    
6. Events must be generally accessible to the university community:
    
   1. Intellectually accessible: The subject matter and cultural significance of the CLP event should be readily understood by a general audience. One should not have to be an expert in a subject to understand a CLP event.
   2. Physically accessible: The event should take place at a time and in a location that does not preclude attendance. Students must have a reasonable opportunity to attend. However, it is understood that student schedules differ and that all students will not be able to attend all events.
   3. Generally, events should not be held during typical class hours (8AM - 3PM) and should normally range from 1 - 2 hours.
       
7. Off campus events may be held ONLY if sponsored by a Furman University Sponsored Organization and meet the other CLP guidelines. Organizations will provide their own staff for CLP card distribution and collection as no CLP workers will be asked to staff off campus events.
    
8. Events occurring during summer sessions may be proposed for CLP credit.
    
9. CLP events run concurrently with classes, but not during examination periods.  One CLP event may be held each year during Orientation week which will serve as a sample program to introduce new students to the the CLP requirement. Other students on campus at this time are welcome to attend the event. The provision for an orientation event does NOT imply that other events should be proposed for times outside of the normal academic sessions, i.e. spring break, exam periods, interims between terms, etc.
    
10. Any member of the faculty, staff, administration or student body may propose a CLP event. However, since CLP events are part of University requirements, each event must be sponsored by either a member of the faculty or a designated staff member. The role of sponsor should not be taken lightly:
     
    • The sponsor should either write or approve the supporting statement.
    • The sponsor is responsible for coordinating arrangements and logistics.
    • The sponsor should have a clear understanding of the nature of the event, usually (though not necessarily) through direct involvement with its planning.
    • The sponsor shall normally attend an event he or she proposes.
    • The sponsor should try to ensure that the event accurately reflects the proposed content. Questions about the event will be directed to the sponsor.
    • Sponsors or their representatives have the responsibility to ensure that the conduct of the audience at the event is appropriate. (All members of the faculty and administration have the authority to withdraw CLP credit from students whose behavior is inappropriate by asking them to leave, claiming their CLP ticket and expunging their name from the sign-in sheet.)
    • The sponsor shall promptly notify the Office of the Assistant Academic Dean if an event is canceled or if its time and/or location are changed.

Proposal Requirements:

1. Each proposal must include a description of the event, credentials of the speaker or performer, and a statement about why the event should be part of the Cultural Life Program. This statement should provide a detailed, thoughtful justification of the cultural relevance, stated in non-technical terms, and should help educate the committee about the importance of the event to the cultural life of the university. The credentials should illustrate each speaker or performer's qualifications with regard to the topic. Thus if an event is to be presented in a specific area of expertise of a professor, the credential information should include that area of expertise specifically. Consider, for example, a presentation on public discourse about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. A statement of credentials might read, "Professor Martin teaches at Bell Tower University in the Department of Communication Studies. He has taught courses in political rhetoric and published articles on the civil rights movement and its perception as a political force."
    
2. Proposals must be submitted at least four weeks before the date of the event.  Four weeks are defined as four weeks during which Furman is in session.  When Furman is on break, the four weeks are in addition to the length of the break.  The CLP Committee evaluates proposals each Thursday.  Proposals must be submitted by noon on Wednesday to be considered on Thursday.  A date for an outstanding proposal cannot be changed unless the event would be moved to a later date in the term, and only if the CLP manager is given two weeks notice in order to staff the event.  Proposals that are late submissions require a vote of two-thirds of the CLP Committee membership in order to be considered for approval.
    
3. Proposals must be submitted electronically using the CLP form on the Web site. Please review your proposal for accuracy in grammar and content. Poorly written proposals will not be accepted..  If your proposal has been successfully submitted you will receive a copy of the proposal in your electronic mailbox.  If you do not receive a copy of your proposal, an error has occurred and your proposal has not been successfully submitted.
    
4. Proposals should take into account the capacity of the hall or room for which an event is scheduled. No one will be permitted to enter an event once room capacity has been reached. Events that have not received room approval through R25 (the Furman Events Calendar) and/or the appropriate space coordinator will not be reviewed. The committee does not reserve venues.
    
5. Any person or group contemplating a proposal is welcome to discuss the event with the CLP committee chair or the Assistant Dean. Proposal authors are also welcome to meet with the committee prior to their consideration of an event to discuss why the proposed event merits approval.
    
6. On occasion, the CLP committee may request additional information from proposal authors or sponsors. This should not be construed as implicit rejection. Rather, this is an attempt merely to collect information the committee needs to attempt a well-reasoned decision.
    
7. In the event that a proposal is rejected, the CLP committee will provide its author with both an explanation for the proposal's rejection and/or a request for specific changes to bring the event into compliance with the guidelines. If rejected, the proposal may be re-submitted to the committee, provided the four-week time period is observed. Proposals that must be corrected for grammar errors must be returned to the CLP Manager within 48 hours, or no credit will be granted for the program.

last updated 08/08