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BY ANDREW SMITHSTAFF WRITER

Founded one summer ago,Gifted Education CertificateProgram (GECP) provides teach-ers who do not know how to dealwith gifted and exceptionally moti-vated students with in-depth train-ing on how to overcome this issue.

The program, which will startits new series on June 29th,includes five different coursestaught by experts in the field ofgifted education, said Joyce VanTassel-Baska, the instructor forthe “Social and EmotionalDevelopment of Gifted Children”class at GECP.

Each course serves a differentpurpose, Van Tassel-Baska said.

“The first [course] is focusedon the cognitive nature and needsof gifted students and the second isfocused on the social and emotion-al development [and necessarycounseling] of the gifted,” she said.

Meanwhile, the third courseis on curriculum and instructionto help teachers become better atworking with gifted learners inthe classroom, Van Tassel-Baskasaid. The fourth and fifth coursesdemonstrate how to developappropriate programs for giftedstudents and how teachers canpractically apply their newfoundskills, respectively.

As of now, the graduating classfeatures 15 individuals who aremostly educators, said ElizabethBeasley, director of the NewBrunswick Summer Session andSpecial Projects. Each individualwill receive his or her certificate atthe completion of the fifth course.

Despite popular misconcep-tion, Beasley stressed that thiscertificate is not a general educa-tion certification.

“People get confused betweencertificates and certification,” shesaid. “[This is] a graduate creditintensive certificate program thatRutgers offers. It doesn’t certifyyou to teach you anything, but itdoes provide a strong back-ground in gifted education.”

Despite this fact, LorettaKumpf, a student of the program,said she was pleased with thepractices she learned so far.

“I think what the program isdoing is going in-depth,” said

9 This is the last day for registration without a late fee forSession I.

12 Term bills are due for all students for Session I today.

31 Session I classes begin today.

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Educators to learn skillsin teaching gifted pupils

3 This is the last day for registration without a late fee forSession II.

JUNE

8 Term bills are due for all students for Session II today.

22 This is the last day for registration without a late fee forSession III. Term bills are due for all students for Session III.

27 Session II classes begin today.

Kumpf, who also serves as co-vice president of programs at theNew Jersey Association forGifted Children. “Our summercourse was on the social andemotional needs of the gifted,and that’s one of the areas that isreally important in accommodat-ing these students.”

Other factors also contributedto the program’s creation,Beasley said.

There existed a structural gapbetween state-mandated giftedprograms in K-12 schools in NewJersey and the actual guidelinesfor how they should be run, shesaid. Consequently, many giftedstudents were unchallenged andlimited in their education.

On top of this issue, Beasleywas inspired by the University’sSummer Scholars Program, inwhich 16-year-old students areallowed to take college levelcourses in order to further chal-lenge themselves.

With these issues in mind, aswell as the fact that no such pro-gram existed yet, Beasley assem-bled the GECP and contacted edu-cators to join the program’s faculty.

Van Tassel-Baska, writer ofthe curriculum for the program,and Jeanne Purcell-Vautour, edu-cational specialist at regionaleducational service centerEASTCONN, are a few of thenew professors.

With the success of the pro-gram so far, Kumpf said she andher organization, New JerseyAssociation for Gifted Children,lauded Beasley for her effort increating GECP.

In response to her efforts,Beasley would be receiving theTrailblazer award, a newly creat-ed distinction that acknowledgesthe importance of the creation ofthe program, she said.

Kumpf said the award, whichhas never been given before andmight not be given again, is anespecially unique distinction.

“Everyone agreed this was alandmark program and that shedefinitely should be recognizedfor achievement,” she said. “Thiswas such a unique situation thatwe needed to actually createsomething to acknowledge[Beasley] — that’s how impor-tant we think this program is.”

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Broadway course blends performing arts, history

BY ANKITA PANDAMETRO EDITOR

The University will offer thecourse, “Broadway: TheAmerican Musical” which comesthis summer to University stu-dents interested in learning thehistory of Broadway culture.

Jason Goldstein, the classinstructor and University alumnus,describes the course as a combina-tion of history and performing arts.

“[It’s] an overview of the great-est contribution to the Americantheatre, which is the musical,”said Goldstein, who founded theLivingston Theatre Company. “Wecombine lecture and multimediaand attending shows and class dis-cussion and projects.”

Goldstein said the courseresembles “Theater Appreciation,”but is different because it applies toother University departments.

“While it’s in the theater depart-ment, it could easily be in anotherdepartment, like sociology,” hesaid. “We look at it from all differ-ent elements. It could even be busi-ness from how it’s financed.”

Students will have the oppor-tunity to attend multipleBroadway shows like West SideStory, watch video clips, archives,documentaries and learn aboutcomposers who are all related toBroadway, Goldstein said.

“It’s very hands-on. [There are] alot of presentations and class discus-sion,” he said. “It’s very exciting.”

Goldstein said he likes to runthe class as a show so studentscan be inspired to act and per-form in a group.

“I want them to have fun andlearn something,” he said. “Iwant the students to feel excitedand inspired to go out and dosomething like get involved withmusicals and have a better appre-ciation and understanding of howmusicals are created.”

Although Goldstein encouragesall students to sign up for the course,only a few attended last summer.

“The theater department did-n’t push it enough,” he said.“We’re getting out there.”

Carol Thompson, head of theStage Management Program atthe Mason Gross School of theArts, said the course runs duringthe summer session mainlybecause the University does nothave a sufficient budget to offer itduring the school year.

“Resources are a little limitedduring the academic year … bybudget constraints,” she said.

If students generate enoughinterest in the course, theUniversity might consider offer-ing it to students during theschool year, Thompson said.

In response to the lack of stu-dents who signed up for lastyear’s class, Thompson admittedthat the University did not marketthe course well, but hopes theproblem will not repeat this year.

Similar to “Theatre Appreciation,” students in the “Broadway: TheAmerican Musical” course will watch shows like “West Side Story.”

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“I think we have [the prob-lem] solved,” she said. “Jason ispreparing a webpage. He’s a pre-entrepreneurial guy.”

Alumna Kelly Dougherty andSchool of Arts and Sciences sen-ior Erin Leder, who both took thecourse last summer, went intoGoldstein’s class not knowingwhat to expect.

“It’s the summer and my timewas limited and a lot of the moreadvanced and academic [cours-es] were during the day and withmy work schedule, there wasn’tan option at all to do anythingother than this,” Leder said.

Leder, who has a musical back-ground herself after performingin cabaret theaters, said she wentinto class thinking she kneweverything there was to knowabout theater but was pleasantlysurprised to be proven wrong.

“I went into it thinking I couldteach this class because I knowso much about it, but there werea lot of [things] I didn’t knowabout,” she said.

Dougherty, who graduated fromthe University two months ago,agreed with Leder and said stu-dents who take the class often comeout of it knowing so much more.

“After we came back from theshows we discussed what we likedand what we didn’t liked, we talkedabout everything — from the actingto the set design, the costume, tocritiquing what we saw,” she said.

Goldstein said students whotake his class should be preparedto expand their imaginationstoward Broadway.

“They’re going to learn a lotabout shows they’ve probablynever heard of,” he said. “I thinkthey’re just going to find showsthey don’t like and shows thatthey do like.”

Although Goldstein believes allstudents should join, he believesthe class can be improved for theupcoming session.

“I think we’re going to tightenup the syllabus,” he said. “I was abit overzealous of my expectations.I would say just revaluating assign-ments, figuring out how broad tomake the material [is the first stepto making this class better].”

Both Leder and Doughertybelieve the class was difficult tounderstand at times.

“I think had there been moretime, a longer period, we could’vegone into [Broadway] morespecifically,” Leder said. “It was-n’t a beginner class and it went alittle too fast.”

Dougherty believes the classcan cover more information at amore reasonable pace if offeredduring the school year.

At the end of the day,Goldstein said Broadway is moreto him than just a play.

“Musical theatre is very muchan American art form because it’svery interdisciplinary and it tellsa story,” he said.

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ANDREW ADAMSSEBS SENIOR

“They are easier. I took a summerclass and it was easier.”

JOHN BENDERSAS SENIOR

“I feel like summer sessions are a great way to supplement courses that you might have missed during the academic year.”

DANIEL TICKERSAS JUNIOR

“They are great. You can fulfill any requirements that you need for creditsthat may be required for a certain major. I am going to take summer classes for planning and public policy because I ama double major and that is a quick way to get out in a year.”

GABRIELLA REYNALDOSAS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT

“I haven’t taken one yet but I think it is unfair that I can’t take one … closer to home at [Rutgers-Newark].”

How do you feel about summer sessions?Q:

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mount of courses will offer students ummer

$145The minimum student fee

for summer classes

200Source: summersession.rutgers.edu

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MAKSIM ZORICHSAS JUNIOR

“I was obligated to [take them] becauseI didn’t do so well last semester so I amgoing to retry in the summer.”

BRITTANY GURNEYSAS SOPHOMORE

“I have never taken one but I took a winter session that was pretty intense. I wouldn’t take a summer session because I don’t need the credits but I hear they are good.”

BRIANA GLANTZSAS SOPHOMORE

“[Summer sessions] are convenient.You get your credits up. Probablygoing to [take a summer sessioncourse] to get my credits up.”

LIRIDON CAMISCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

FIRST-YEAR STUDENT

“I have never taken a summer sessionbecause it is poorly advertised. I have neverheard about anything or any good classesduring the summer and none of my friends have ever taken any.”

SAMI NAJIBSAS SOPHOMORE

“I have never taken a summer session… I would consider it if I was toldmore about it and was provided moreinformation.”

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BY REENA DIAMANTEUNIVERSITY EDITOR

Through “Summer Institutefor Diversity in Philosophy,” stu-dents will have the opportunity tograpple over ideas and connectwith faculty members as well asprofessors with philosophy back-grounds from across the country.

“[The program] would be agood forum to get studentsinvolved to learn more about [phi-losophy]” said Mercedes Diaz, anadministrative assistant in theDepartment of Philosophy.

In the past, the institute dedicat-ed one day to discussion sessions,Diaz said.

“[Students can ask] any ques-tions … or even for advice from thefaculty currently,” she said. “It’s kindof like a little bit more informal thatthey have a chance to actually get toknow the professor a little bit more.”

Diaz said because the applica-tion deadline is not until May 5,she does not have a confirmed listof potential topics or presenters.

The University-sponsoredprogram was launched in themid-1990s, when philosophy fac-ulty members noticed there werenot a lot of minority studentsstudying the subject, Diaz said.

School of Arts and Sciencessophomore Jorge Casalins said itwould be fascinating to witness howthis forum can lead to understand-ing why people, including minoritygroups, think the way they do.

Students to expandphilosophy interests

“Philosophy is a lot aboutthought,” said Casalins, whostudies philosophy and politicalscience. “Seeing that peoplecome from different back-grounds shapes our thoughts dif-ferently. My philosophy is differ-ent from an African-Americanmale’s philosophy.”

Casalins believes theUniversity has a great philosophydepartment, but having professorsjoin from across the country bene-fits students even more.

Professors come from otheruniversities throughout the nationsuch as Yale University, HarvardUniversity and DePauw University,Diaz said.

“It might be a little troublesometo put that many philosophers inone room together,” Casalins said.

Dave Colaco, a School of Artsand Sciences junior, said sincethe University has an establishedDepartment of Philosophy, itmakes sense to have a summerinstitution such as this.

“I’ve almost consistently hadabove-average teachers whowere engaging,” said Colaco, aphilosophy major

Casalins said the Universityphilosophy professors are very professional.

“I think it’s been an eye-open-ing experience ever since I’vestudied philosophy, especiallyhere at Rutgers,” he said. “If thereis goal to any higher educationinstitution, it’s to make you think.”