March 19-24, 2000
  Hello I am Clare Burnum.  I am a sophomore in University Exploratory Studies Program.  I was enrolled in The Ethnic Studies course here at OSU over Spring Break 2000.  In the six days that this class was organized I learned a lot about many things.  The biggest reason I signed up to take this course was to get four credits in six days.  Granted it was during Spring Break, but I knew I wouldn't have anything planned so I enrolled.  Since I am not in a major yet I was hoping that taking this course might give me a little idea of what I might end up wanting to major in. A lot of the students in this class were undergraduate students or they were about to graduate.  Not only am I far from graduating I was the youngest student in the class.  Which is understandable since I am only 19.  KNowing this, at first I was a little tentative to even open my mouth during class.  I originally entered the classroom in Stag Hall  on Sunday knowing no one.  But I left the classroom in Stag, on Friday with many new friends.

(Pictured above: Clare Burnum; Dr. Cal Henry; Libby TenPas-Hunter)          (Pictured above: One side of the Visual Aid for final class presentation)

   Twenty different kinds of people enrolled in this course.  So we also were blessed with twenty different opinions for the duration. Each day we discussed our personal views and the views of stake holders on many issues. This class was a great way to open my eyes and learn a lot about many things that I never may of sat down and considered.
   I learned how to be an active listener (thanks to Dr. Janice McMurray). She taught us that listening creates speaking; We all have the ability to listen; That listening is the key interpersonal skill.  This course helped us emphasize and work on our inter-personal skills.  We rode together in Vans 30 minutes at times.  We slept in the same building, saw each other in our pajamas.  Saw how each persons mood changed as the day grew longer and later, and how moods changed as people got hungry, tired, and irritated.
   A big issue dealt with in this class was how to brainstorm, facilitate, and take notes.  At one point in this course each of the twenty students had their chance to do each of those jobs. I was noticeably easier for some people to do certain jobs and harder for some others.
   We also got some tips and aid in how to interview someone, and how to conduct it.  As a group we were interviewers.  we came up with this basis to go by: Prepare questions ahead of time, yet leave room to ask random questions that come up. shake interviewees hand. Be sensitive to the fact that the person being interviewed may not know where we are coming from.  Finally to develop a rapport with each interviewee.

   I couldn't help but notice a feeling of all around good-ness on the last day of class when our group was giving the final presentation. I opted not to actually have a verbal role in it, but more of a visual.  I made the visual aid in the shape of Oregon covering our four main themes we decided to cover.  They were, Voice, Culture, Support, and Relationship Building.  I shaped the aid into like I said the shape of Oregon yet made it look like puzzle pieces. the final product was the other side of the board which read, Cross Cultural Issues in Oregon.   I think Our Visual Aid is much like the course. In that we weren't really sure what to make of it until it was finished. Now we all know what we got out of it and are pleased.  At sometimes during the course our frustrations showed and when it felt like a hopeless thing (working patiently with one another), we all prevailed and came together to hold the pieces in place for one another, for just a couple more hours.  I am very glad I took this course, it was not only informative, but productive.  And on the last day the other members of the class touched my heart.  It was as if the whole week we couldn't wait to leave the classroom, then when it was indeed time to go, no one really wanted to.  I started of before we left by telling the group how cool I thought it was to see people who 6 days prior i did not now, but I now considered my friends, present the final product that we as a group worked on.  It almost brought a tear to my eye. I triggered Something, many other students spoke and said sweet things and it was just a calming end to our turbulence throughout out the week.