Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Living and learning at Furman
Next fall some freshmen will live in a new type of Furman community - one that stresses emotional and physical health as much as academic success.
During the summer, freshmen may apply for one of 26 spots in either Poteat (male) or Haynsworth (female) "Living/Learning Community" halls. If accepted into the pilot program, students will automatically be enrolled in Health and Exercise Science 10 for fall term. The class will meet at 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday for the traditional Health and Exercise Science curriculum, as well as Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m. for specialized lectures.
Topics covered in these 10 extra sessions will focus on social, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional topics. As part of the program students will be required to read books and view movies that emphasize self-discovery and personal relationships, including the selections Tuesdays with Morrie and How Reading Changed My Life, and the films "Dead Poets Society" and "October Sky."
Living/Learning Community members will also plan a campus event on a wellness-related topic, cook a meal for classmates using specific nutritional guidelines, and plan a day trip. In order to continue the health focus after the completion of the fall-term course, these events are scheduled to occur throughout the winter and spring terms.
Over the last decade, Living/Learning Communities at other universities have shown that the students involved are more academically successful, more connected to the university and more committed to their living environment.
Beau Seagraves, South Housing area coordinator, and Assistant Academic Dean Si Pearman are coordinating the program. Seagraves approached Pearman in the fall with the idea.
"Our goal is to provide a solid academic program that embodies the engaged learning philosophy while promoting strong community," says Seagraves.
Pearman will lead the HES class. His objective is to have students "engaged in a way that's not possible in a normal, 50-minute, day-to-day class."
By exposing students to
wellness ideals early in their college careers, Furman hopes they will incorporate
what they learn into their everyday lives, both throughout their years at
Furman and beyond.
-- by Katie Dickens