LA VIE COLLEGIENNE LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1924 VOLUME 86, NO. 8 | MARCH 28, 2019
Politics department adds unique program to its curriculum Huntre Keip ’20 ASSISTANT EDITOR Lebanon Valley College’s politics department recently announced its latest dual program with the University of London. This partnership acknowledges LVC as the first accredited college in the United States where students may earn their undergraduate degree and a University of London Certificate in Higher Education in the Common Law in three years. The accelerated program will involve the same general education courses and major courses at LVC, but will replace some general electives with four additional modules with the material provided by the University of London. The four modules will revolve around legal systems and methods, public law, criminal law and contract law. Each module is worth nine credits. “We hope the new program will enable driven students, who
successfully complete the four modules, to graduate in three years,” Dr. Philip Benesch, associate professor of politics and director of pre-law and external scholarships and fellowships, said. “As many of the same common law principles apply in American and British legal systems, this University of London certificate program may well help students develop skills that will benefit them in law school.” Interested students will be able to take LAW 150, Introduction to Law course, in Fall 2019 which will examine different aspects of the legal system and offer insight into what the new program will involve. Then, students will begin the registration process that includes additional fees. The program will cost approximately $2,500, phased over the four modules but still creates tremendous savings by not having a fourth year of college. “Our goal is for students to save time and money without compromising
quality,” Benesch said. The program will consist of work both in and out of the classroom. There will be some preparatory coursework at LVC but much of the preparation will be in the hands of each student working independently with material sent by the University of London together with online resources provided by the University. Independent work is essential, especially over the summer months, to complete the program in three years. To earn the Certificate in the Common Law, students will need to complete and pass a University of London exam in each module. The process of creating the dual program was not a simple task. During the summer of 2018, Dr. Benesch wrote and edited the program proposal on behalf of LVC. Then, in October, several committees at the University of London vetted the proposal. The University’s Board
of Trustees approved the program in November, and LVC received the official confirmation letter at the beginning of this year. “Providing the politics and prelaw students with this experience shows how hard the faculty in the department work to provide their students with even more opportunities that few other schools can offer,” Tristian Ferguson, a junior politics major, said. The program will be available in the fall semester of 2019. For more information, contact Philip Benesch at benesch@lvc.edu.
Logo provided by: Politics department
Spring break trip serves up lifetime opportunities CASSANDRA BARRETT ’19 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Fifteen LVC students embarked on a service trip to the Dominican Republic over spring break, but they never could have imagined the lifechanging experience that awaited them more than 1,500 miles away. The jewel of the northwest, the rural fishing town of Monte Cristi, served as the students’ home for the week. These 15 LVC students represented different years, majors, Spanish language proficiency, backgrounds, hometowns and more,
but came together and served with the common goal of impacting the lives of children in the Dominican Republic. They stayed with Outreach360, an organization which provides educational opportunities to underserved children in Monte Cristi. Three other college groups also spent spring break serving with Outreach360 in the Dominican Republic, working side-by-side with LVC students. Each day the volunteers would teach English in the morning at public schools in Monte Cristi and in
the afternoons they would teach in an English learning center and Spanish literacy center, both developed by Outreach360. Madison Dietz, a junior physical therapy major, says that serving in the Dominican Republic has given her a new appreciation for her education. “Serving in the Dominican Republic gave me a fresh new look at how I live my life every day, especially as a college student,” Dietz said. “The joy that the children in the schools shared reminded me of what it means to take a step back and truly appreciate life and the education
that we are able to receive.” Sophomore global studies and politics double major Nicole Flohr was one of several students on the trip who spoke Spanish fluently and used that proficiency to teach at the Spanish literacy center. Flohr also recognized the value of education in her reflection of the trip. “Creating personal connections with students was really special,” Flohr said. “At the Spanish literacy center, there was one boy who was Service trip continued on Page 3
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