Short Term Requirements

All students must complete one Short Term course for each of three years of full-time Berea College enrollment. Students in attendance at Berea College fewer than three years must complete one Short Term course for each two regular terms of attendance. As stated in the Short Term definition (above), all students are required to take their first Short Term course on campus in January except for students who enter in Spring Term and have achieved sophomore standing by the beginning of the next Fall Term.

Credit

All courses described in this Catalog are offered for one course credit unless indicated otherwise. Non-credit courses have been given a course number beginning with zero. Non-credit courses would meet the Short Term requirement, but would not count in the minimum of 33 (35 for Nursing majors) earned course credits needed to graduate.

Time Commitment

The number of hours of class meetings per week is no indication of the amount of time to be spent in the course. Each course and project is designed to be a full-time experience for the month of January, with maximum opportunity to work independently and on a one-to-one or small-group basis with an instructor. The scheduled class hours indicate only the minimum number of meetings for the class as a whole. It is expected that each student will spend a minimum of 120 hours in class and in preparation time for classes or projects. For more information about a specific course, check with the instructor.

Convocation

For information on the January Convocation, go to Convocations.

Short Term Labor Program

Students are expected to adhere to their labor contracts while enrolled in a Short Term course, maintaining a weekly schedule of 10-15 hours as required by the position and arranged with the supervisor. In most cases, this represents a continuation of work performed during the Fall Term, but some students may need to seek an alternative position if their department is closed in January. The Labor Program has established a probationary cut-off of 40 hours for Short Term, and students falling below that level will be subject to labor probation.

For students enrolled in Short Term 2009, the following specific conditions will apply:

1. The labor status form signed in September is effective for the entire academic year, and will apply to Short Term except in cases where a student’s job is not available in January. Students who must secure an alternative placement for Short Term are responsible for locating a position and submitting a new status form to Student Payroll by December 12. The Labor Program Office can assist in this process as needed.
2. Students are responsible for notifying their labor supervisors if they will be enrolled in a course that meets off campus for all or part of the Short Term period. Students involved in international travel who will meet on campus for a brief orientation period are not required to work during that period. Students whose courses include domestic excursions are required to work, but may be excused from labor as follows: the requirement may be reduced by two hours for each excursion day for up to ten (10) hours per week. Work is required throughout the Short Term period, even in cases where the course ends early. All of these factors will be taken into consideration for students whose hours fall below the probationary cut-off.
3. Fall Term pay rates will apply for all students enrolled during the Short Term period.

Students who are not enrolled in a Short Term 2009 course are not eligible to work in the Labor Program during that session. Furthermore, students must be enrolled in a January Short Term course in order to participate in the Labor Program during the Christmas break.