University of Virginia Library

Assaulting The Ever - Present Ennui...

Michael Lynn

"When does your next poster come
out?" "When can I sign up for a course?"

Entering its sixth semester, the
Experimental University is no longer an
innovation. By the second year of operation,
participation with the E.U. had doubled: in
one semester nearly 700 people were
registered for about 60 courses.

During its two and one-half years, the
character of the E.U. has changed both in the
types of courses offered and the response to
them. The number of courses with a
teacher-student format has decreased: the
most popular courses are seminars with a
"group leader" rather than a teacher, and
"applied" courses, such as Bartending and
Flute.

The participants this fall were still, for the
most part, people involved with the
University itself, although the E.U. is open to
and encourages participation by the
Charlottesville community.

Last December, the coordinating
committee of the E.U. retreated for a
weekend to Blandy Experimental Farm in
Boyce, Virginia, in order to reexamine the
structure and goals of the E.U. and to plan for
spring semester.

According to Mike Morgan, co-chairman of
the E.U., the committee came up with several
ideas to change the nature of the E.U. Some
of these ideas will be carried out this spring.

One is an effort to reach the students of
Charlottesville's High Schools. The committee
members are working to make a channel for a
student at Lane or Albemarle High School to
do independent study at the University with a
professor or perhaps a University student.
Opening up E.U. courses to high school
students or developing courses especially for
them is another plan being considered.

In order to widen participation from the
Charlottesville community, the committee is
working to spread publicity outside the
University grounds, especially in the Barracks
Road Shopping Center.

Another plan is for "non-course" courses.
In addition to the six-to-eight week seminars
that are usually offered, several new types of
"classes" will be given.

Included are a series of evenings where a
student can meet visiting professor of Ethic
Joseph Fletcher, participate in a panel
discussion of Kate Millett's Sexual Politics at
the Prism Coffee House, or get introduced to
a basic Encounter Group.

The nature of the courses offered, too, has
changed. Several are described in the
catalogue as "rap sessions;" some are
practical; many are playful - just to be
enjoyed. Among the newer titles are
Surfboard Construction, Problems of
Communal Living, and Sailboat Racing

The E.U. itself will undergo examination
in a seminar called Experimental University:
Theory and Practice. The Monday evening
discussion, led by the committee members,
will try to determine the direction the E.U.
should take.