A quick glance at Winter Term

Lesley Tkaczyk  / Reporter

In 1969, when Elon switched to a 4-1-4 academic calendar, administrators foresaw this month as a mere “mini-term.” Contrary to those expectations, the Winter Term that we know is an opportunity to take distinctive classes and study abroad.

“Over the years, I have seen many improvements to our academic programs,” Registrar and assistant to the Provost
Mark Albertson said. “But none more striking than the evolution of our Winter Term from just a regular mini-term in the beginning to an academic experience now considered one of Elon’s premier
programs.”

Winter Term’s enrollment has nearly tripled since 1980 and is currently at 4,418 students. About 700 of those students are currently abroad traveling with one of 26 different classes. The 3,718 others remain on Elon’s campus where 141 classes are offered on topics including “Harry Potter” and quilting.

In 2000, Elon started giving the short term a theme, beginning with “The Millennium.” “Globalization,” the current theme, incorporates classes like The U.S. and Iraq and Alien Cultures, which offer students a change of pace from traditional classes.

Winter Term also propels Elon’s popularity apart from its students. It offers students a change of pace but has also brought national recognition to the university. Every major newspaper within North Carolina has featured the unique program, adding to the university’s current hype.

One of the most recent additions to Winter Term, the “Burst the Bubble” workshops, could increase its popularity
even more.

“It’s really just driven by interest,” senior Christopher Weitzen said. “I was really pleased to see people show up to classes.”

With such a positive response, Elon plans to continue workshops next year with new topics and new teachers.

Winter Term is certainly a time to introduce new ideas on campus. Sociology Professor Thomas Arcaro is hoping that the term’s unique atmosphere will be a welcoming environment to launch what is being tentatively titled a “Current Events Slam” on campus. The “Slam” was held Wednesday. Students ate a bag lunch and discussed topics that included the crisis in Darfur and reactions to the recent presidential address.

“The end goal is to institutionalize a mechanism to let people get together and talk about current events in a non-classroom setting that addresses the whole student body,” Arcaro said. He envisions this becoming a monthly event.