I think general sentiment around this campus is that Brown's winter vacation is incredibly long.
Many other colleges and universities offer opportunities for travel and continuing education during the protracted January weeks, yet Brown makes little effort.
The University offers one of the longest winter breaks around, but fails to adequately support its students in finding productive programs to fill that space. Some find productive ways to fill the expanse of time. Others don't.
This school prides itself on having a liberal undergraduate curriculum, which is great. Here, "liberal" translates into "freedom for students." There are no requirements, besides those necessary to complete a concentration; faculty advisors are only required for the first year, after which students can choose to go at their remaining three years alone. As a result of this dedication to liberal policy, students often develop a great deal of personal motivation and resourcefulness in order to navigate their way through their own education.
Motivation and resourcefulness are, of course, wonderful attributes to have. But within Brown's liberal policy, a fine line develops: to what extent should the school interfere by providing guidance to its students, and to what extent should it leave things up to the students to make the best of their time here?
Whatever the answer, it's dangerous to lose sight of the fact that a good school should provide consistent support for its students - support that includes opportunities for education throughout the whole of the academic calendar.
That means January, too.
Here's what an optional January term might look like at Brown. Departments could offer educationally themed abroad trips for two- or three-week stints: Psychology might sponsor animal research in Australia, while Classics could investigate ancient Greece. Or students could set up their own travels through the University - a shorter alternative to a semester abroad.
Domestically, Brown could sponsor one- or two-week-long intensive seminars in special topics. I'm sure there are at least a few professors out there who wouldn't mind instructing a small team of dedicated students on a subject of particular interest. Or students could return in January for short, independent projects of their own creation: a sort of J-term GISP for those who can't fit one into later semesters.
To pay for these events, Brown would have to enact a policy similar to those in place at many other colleges and universities: students would, of course, have to pay to go on a trip abroad, or pay for short-term housing if they were to take a course during January. Ideally, efforts would be made to reduce the price tags on these trips through fund raising, grant proposals or donations. And, of course, scholarships would be made available. Setting up an effective J-term would only be fair if all students had the means to attend.
To be sure, Brown does offer some activities over the January break, but they are not well-publicized and are limited in selection. For example, there is "Winter Break in Hawai'i," a week-and-a-half-long trip to study coral reefs on the Big Island. More locally, the Swearer Center organizes the long-running Breaks Projects, a service and learning week held in Providence.
I took part in the Breaks Project this year for the first time. During the week, I heard many city officials and nonprofit members remark on how dedicated we were, sacrificing free time over winter vacation to engage in such a project. What these people didn't know is that most of us were thinking how good it was to be back from the January abyss. We didn't deserve so much credit for not liking boredom, and finding a way to combat it.
It's up to the students to spend their break the way they want to - Brown shouldn't be a January baby sitter. If all I want to do over January is sit in a dark room and watch old John Cusack comedies for five weeks, I can't hold the University responsible. In the end, that's my choice.
But what I can do is request that this school set up a program to further enrich the educational experience of its students - because that should always be its goal. Winter break currently stands as a wasteland in the midst of formal academic pursuit, and Brown should be taking steps to change that. Ultimately, Brown should not feel obligated to set up an optional J-term program; it should want to.
It's time to make January count.
Joshua Lerner '07 looks like John Cusack.
