Andrew Velnoskey
Staff Reporter
Jan Term is a special time at McDaniel College. It allows students to explore things outside what regular semester classes teach. This year, the school offered an assortment of on-campus classes, plus opportunities to go abroad to such places as China and Europe. For those who do not take classes, Jan Term can be a time for employment or just relaxing.
The people that I talked to all decided to stay on campus for Jan Term, but were here to do very different things. All enjoyed their Jan Term time, both for the classes that they took, and the more relaxed atmosphere that taking just one class created.
Junior Ryan Hahn said, “I liked Jan Term because I only took one class. So it was easy to focus on the class material. I also enjoyed it because it gave me free time to work out at the gym or do other things around campus.” Here is what some other people had to say about their Jan Term: Senior Denise Adams took the Hap Ki Do class saying, “It was a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend it to others. I can’t say I’ve put it to much practical use, but the defense moves have greatly come in handy during tickle fights with my boyfriend.”
Senior Stacy Knight took “Latinos in Hollywood” saying, “It was a film class that looked at how Latinos are cast in films, stereotyping, and also at films that were directed and produced by Mexican and Anglo crews.” Stacy also said that she enjoyed going to the men’s and women’s basketball games for fun, and spent time on duty as an RA.
Junior Tiffany Roberson took the class “Images of Women in Law Enforcement,” taught by a former FBI agent who was one of the first female agents. Tiffany added, “Jan Term gave me the opportunity to catch up with friends, especially those who I wasn’t able to see during the past semester because we were all so busy. We went to Basketball games, saw a few movies, and went shopping. Unfortunately, I’m a broke college kid, so I still had to work.”
Junior Val Hudson spent her Jan Term doing an internship at the Unseld School in Baltimore. She said, “There were eight of us who went down to the school every day for the three weeks and spent time getting to know the school and its amazing students. I think that we were all sad to leave.”
While Jan term is often seen as a time where it is best to get off campus or just extend winter break, these stories show that McDaniel offers very unique Jan Term programs right here in Westminster.