The Student Activities Office and I, as coordinator of Frye Street Union, are sponsoring the Experimental College for the current semester. The Experimental College is a non-credit co-curricular or extracurricular atmosphere where students, faculty and staff offer courses for the Bates Community. The Experimental College has traditionally been held only during short term, but we feel that it can be extended into the Fall and Winter semesters with your help. First semester, the Experimental College will run from the week beginning on September 28th until the last week of October. This five week period, we believe, will be an excellent time for this type of programming to occur.

I am writing in order to enlist your support for the Experimental College.As mentioned previously, we hope to offer Experimental College courses this semester. Please consider offering a class on a subject which interests you and in which you have a higher level of expertise. Examples of courses include ballroom dancing, yoga, knitting, basic car mechanics, photography and beer brewing. Instructors for the above courses are gladly welcomed and instructors for other course offerings are encouraged to apply. If you are interested in teaching a course, I ask that you fill out a short course which is available both at the third floor of Frye Street Union and the Student Activities Office on the first floor of Chase Hall. Please return these forms to me either through campus mail (address below) or through the Student Activities Office. The deadline for the course description form is September 19th. Registration for courses will occur the following week.

Another change in the Experimental College is its base of operation. I see Frye Street Union playing a role in these courses, if only as the gathering place (remember the coffee-house will be just across the street). Therefore, I will be coordinating, along with Peter Taylor, the administration of the Experimental College. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at ext. 6756, via e-mail at jhill@bates.edu or via campus mail at Box 206.

Josh Hill '98
Coordinator of Frye Street Union