Check your emails for the account number.  I don’t want that information available on the web….money links are nothing to mess around with.  So, put your $200 down now, or if you want lay the total $500 down.  If you didn’t get my email, call me or email me and I’ll give you the number.  The money is given to the Bursar and you will need to take the account number with you….trust me.

Linda

ONLY 5 PEOPLE SHOWED TODAY - NOT GOOD, BUT I KNOW YOU ARE ALL RIDICULOUSLY BUSY.  HERE’S THE DEAL.  NOW IS THE TIME FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET BAKED OR HELPED TO GET WITH THE PROGRAM.  PLAN ON BAKING SOMETHING, SEVERAL SOMETHINGS FOR THIS LAST PUSH TO MAKE MONEY. 

 ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE OVER 75 WA WA HOAGIE TICKETS TO SELL:  YOU CONVINCED ME WE’D MAKE MONEY - NOW YOU NEED TO SELL THESE.  OTHERWISE WE CANNOT GET BACK THE $325 WE SPENT ON THESE. DON’T LET ME DOWN.  AMANDA BARR IS SELLING 20 OF THESE ON HER OWN. 

 IF YOU CAN’T BAKE AND THERE ARE ALREADY PEOPLE AT THE TABLE, REMEMBER THAT IS IS BEST TO HAVE 2 PEOPLE AT THE TABLE; SET UP AT 8:15 IS HARD WITH JUST ONE PERSON, AND FINALLY, WE WILL USE THIS DAY, WEATHER WILLING TO SET UP THE TENTS AND WATERPROOF/SEAMSEAL THEM.  SO COME AND HELP OR RISK MY DECISION TO NOT ALLOW YOU TO GO ON THE TRIP.  PROVE TO ME THAT YOU WILL BE PART OF THE GROUP AND NOT JUST BENEFIT FROM A FEW PEOPLE’S EFFORTS.  I’M SERIOUS, OK?  I HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE RESPONSE TO MY PLEAS FOR HELP AND THAT SUCKS!  SUCKS! SUCKS!  I WILL NOT BE DOING THE WORK ON THE TRIP FOR YOU AND IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO SHOW ME THAT YOU ARE NOT EXPECTING THE REST OF US TO TAKE CARE OF ALL COOKING CLEANING LOADING CAMPFIRE BUILDING, ETC ON THIS TRIP.  CAN YOU TELL I’M PEEVED?  I’M GOING TO TRY EMAIL AND FACEBOOK WITH THIS.  NOT ONE PERSON VOLUNTEERED SINCE THE LAST MEETING TO HELP WITH THE BAKE SALE OR SELLING WAWA TICKETS.  NOT GOOD AND IT WILL BE A LONG ARDUOUS BORING TRIP IF THIS KIND OF VOLUNTEERISM DOESN’T IMPROVE.  I WILL NOT LET THE SAME 5 PEOPLE SAVE YOUR ASS WITH DUTY CALLS.

One last time:  bake sale and WaWa Hoagie Ticket sales next Thursday 8-6:15.  Please bake stuff for the sale!  Let your imagination (or love of particular goodies guide you).  Even a little helps a lot.  Volunteer to make WaWa ticket sales signs, man the bake sale table for a while….Get your paperwork in ASAP.  Start working on your paper and get an outline, detailed, to me BY NEXT MONDAY.

For those that have been coming regularly and that I know well enough, I have given POIs.  So, you can go ahead and register if you would like to.  Michelle T??? I cannot find you on Banner, so I can’t give POI.  Do I have the spelling correct?  Michelle Tacconelli

Hi Everyone.

Thanks for coming in for class today. We didn’t check out all the tents, but we’ll get there. I wish it had been sunny so we could have really set them up and sealed them. Michelle T? Did you two take off or did I imagine it? I am not sure that I got a reference to you for your paper….The rest of you need a reference or two to start your paper with.

To reassure those of you who may be worried, I don’t think any more than 3 people need to take the class for less than 6 credits. Please tell me now if you are bothered, and I won’t be upset about this, and I won’t tell anyone of your feelings. The whole group is splitting the fees evening, however. And it does make a difference.

Cheers!

SyllabusGNM 2420 The Geology of National Parks (6 credits).Summer Session A, 2008 

The National Parks Seminar (GNM 2421) is the only prerequisite for this course.  It may be waived in some cases.  You must have Permission of Instructor to take this course (2420).

During our time out west we will be in and will study the spectacular geology of selected National Parks. 

We will travel in vans, camping in the National Parks.  Thus, you will need a sleeping bag and a tent.  I must approve the sleeping bags.  Sharing tents is highly advisable for warmth and space considerations.  We will share cooking stoves, pots, utensils and food coolers.  You will need hiking boots and clothes for both very hot weather, potentially cold weather and perhaps, wet weather.  We will provide our recommendations for what to bring before the end of the Spring semester.  See my weblog. 

The cost to students will be 6-credit hours of tuition + food + ~ $500 which will cover all camping and entrance fees.  The “$500” will depend upon how many people are signed up for the class.  We do not know about the cost of gas yet.  The upfront fee is an estimate, and any that we do not use will be refunded to you (though I can say that the refund is not timely).

We must have a $200 deposit by April 12^th.  This will confirm your intention of going on the trip.  If we do not receive this fee by that time, then we will give away your “seat” in the class and you will not be able to go on the trip.  This $200 deposit will only be returned under the direst of conditions, which will be decided by the Dean at the recommendation of faculty.  So, consider that $200 non-refundable. 

We will depart from the Arts and Sciences building in two 15-passenger vans and one carry-all.  We will rotate drivers and passengers, so that no one sits in the navigator’s seat the whole time and so that no one is relegated to the back seat in a cramped position for too long.  Safety while driving is EMPHASIZED!

Once we begin the trip we will be in the field or traveling every day.  You will be ready to go at 8 am each day, and will work until evening.  If, on a regular basis, you are not ready in the am when the group is, you will be warned early on and if your behavior does not improve you will be sent home at your own expense.  Much of our work will be in rather remote areas, thus there will be no towns or cities nearby.  Some days we will be mapping and examining outcrops to determine geologic processes, many days hiking, some days looking at road cuts or overlooks, and some days we will be driving for many, many hours.  You will occasionally get days or half days off, but you may not be near cities during this time, and these days off are subject to change.  We will work in times for you to do laundry, etc.  We will schedule a night at a motel every 7 days or so.  Unless you want to pay the cost of a room by yourself, you will share rooms (3-4 people per room).

We will expect you to abide by the laws of whatever state we are in.  We need to be particularly careful when we are near the borders of Canada and Mexico, as we will be in remote border country and may very possibly be searched.  Thus I will ask each of you to sign a form that states that you are not bringing drugs or firearms.  PLEASE NOTE:  WE WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH SEVERAL BORDER CHECKS IN TEXAS, NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA.  THEY HAVE DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS, AND EMPLOYEES WITH SOMEWHAT OF A SIXTH-SENSE ABOUT ILLEGAL ITEMS.   

IF YOU HAVE DRUGS ON YOU, YOU WILL ENDANGER THE ENTIRE GROUP AND THE FUTURE OF THESE TYPES OF CLASSES OFFERED AT RSCNJ!  YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TALK YOUR WAY OUT OF THESE BORDER SEARCHES.  THEY ARE SCARY FOR ME, AND I HAVE NEVER ONCE HAD CONTRABAND WHEN SEARCHED OR QUESTIONED.  IF YOU HAVE SEEDS ON YOU, AND OUR VEHICLES ARE SEARCHED, THE DOGS WILL BE ABLE TO SMELL THEM. 

SafetyWe will be outside almost everyday for four weeks in high altitudes where the sun’s UV rays are much more severe than at the elevation of the coast.   One must be ever mindful that the field is not as safe as the classroom. We will be at much higher elevations, and UV rays from the sun will be much more damaging.  You will burn more easily.  The humidity will be drastically lower than you are used to; so much so that your mucus membranes in your nose will dry up and may bleed.  Keeping hydrated will be a number one priority.  See the booklet on safety that will be distributed during the last few weeks before we leave on the trip. 

Grades

Most assignments will entail describing rocks on the outcrop or rocks in hand specimen, drawing/sketching rocks, and evaluations of geologic processes.  We may have additional quizzes or other assignments due as we see fit. 

Honor system:In this class, you are not to use any materials, notes, or tests from any previous geology class. Nor are you to provide any materials, notes, or tests for future students to see or use. If you are given an area to map, you are not to look at any previously published map of the area until the assignment is finished.  You will often be working in small teams, but most assignments will be turned in individually. In particular, you are not to look at other teams’ maps once you are finished with being in the field.  We will make it clear when what work is to be done individually, besides the obvious test times.  Make certain you know the difference between working together and plagiarism and cheating.  Ask questions for each assignment if you are unclear on this. 

General Info on the trip

Field trips of this sort do not require you to look good, or have many of the amenities that you normally have.  We are basically trying to maximize our time enjoying the general geology.  See the TAs, students who have taken the class before, or me for a list of recommended things for you to bring.  Students invariably bring too much stuff.  I am not real big on buying all the latest outdoor gear, but you must have hiking boots, a raincoat and a hat.  If you do not have these yet it is time for you to buy them.  Do not leave for the trip without these.  Think hard about buying used gear:  there are numerous good websites and there are always gear swaps (e.g. REI and such places hold annual meets).

As for money, we will often times be in places that do not accept credit cards or where there are no automatic tellers.  Thus you should plan on having money for food with you (travelers checks are still a very good idea for many).  I would plan on about $15-20/day for food.  You will want a little extra money for books, posters, trinkets, but we really won’t be near many cities.  I am pretty sure we will be able to hit an ATM once a week when in the remotest parts of the trip.

As for communicating with the outside world, cell phones may or may not work.  We will be in some areas where they will not work, especially out in the field.  I recommend you tell your parents that you will call home.  It may be difficult for your parents to call you on your cell.  Likewise they may have trouble calling you at the motels because most motels will not keep a list of who is in each room.  If your parents need to call you at the motel room they can try, of course, as you have given them the itinerary, right?  Note that the rooms may be just in my name.  They can always call my room (at a decent hour; but if an emergency, then at any time) and I will come and find you.  NOTE:  I detest the use of cell phones for chit chat.  Try your best to relieve your addiction, if you have one.  I truly will not put up with cell phones ringing all the time on a field trip in the wilds.  In the evening, we will enjoy each other’s company and WE WILL NOT call our pals/boyfriends/girlfriends/parents every blasted day! 

Podcasting and homework on the road: An iPod will be used heavily (?) on this trip.  Note the assignments given to you in the schedule, which will help you learn as we drive and will enable us to spend more time on the outcrops and on hikes – and so I won’t have to lecture as much while semis are driving by.

Park contact numbers (they can take a message, but likely won’t be able to deliver it):  Let your parents know that it can be very difficult getting hold of a person at the Parks, especially after hours or on weekends.

Big Bend Ranch State Park:  432-229-3416

Carlsbad Caverns:  505-785-2232

Bauer’s Canyon Ranch RV Park:  888-648-2564

Zion National Park 1-435-772-3256

Grand Canyon:  928-638-7814

Yellowstone – we’re at Bridge Bay Campsite: 1-307-344-7311

Glacier:  406-888-7800

Rocky Mountain National Park:  970-586-1206

My cell phone:  have to purchase one yet…

Hello Everyone:

 I just was given the breakdown on the cost of the class for last year, which includes all of the many fees you normally pay, plus our $500.  I’ll copy that below.  This year, the tuition is $198/credit hour.  On top of this, it seems that the school isn’t going to allow me to let you take the class as an Ind. Study, unless you take it for 6 credit hours.  I know that this will really affect the decision of some of you.  I apologize for the change in my knowledge of the costs.  If I could change it, I would.  Please let me know if this means that you won’t be coming on the trip.  I will need to find others to replace you if you decide not to come.  Please let me know as soon as you can.

 Prof. Linda L. Davis

Fee list follows:

FCAF College Activity Fee

$15.00

FCAH College Act WellnessCenter Fee

$30.00

FCCM Sum College Center Fee

$180.00

FCNM Sum Facilities Fee

$96.00

FDEF Deferred Payment Plan Fee

$45.00

FGNM Sum General Services Fee

$186.00

FLAP Late Payment Fee

$50.00

FRCM Sum Recreation Fee

$30.00

FTHM Sum Technology Fee

$48.00

GEOL Geology of National Parks Trip

$500.00

TIUM Sum Tuition In State Undergrad

$1,113.30

Term Charges:

$2,293.30

Term Credits and Payments:

$3,353.20

Besides me, your fearless and ultra-experienced professor, we are very fortunate to have the following three people as teaching assistants/outdoor experts/helpers on this trip: Steve Nerney, Keith Reineke, and Rob Rounds (in alphabetical order - no way to use a hierarchy here). They will help with logistics, preparation, general advice, group leading, map interpretation, wilderness first aid, nutrition, decision-making, and advising me. Again, we are really lucky to have them on the trip - it will make our time less stressful and more enjoyable. Please read over the blurbs about hiking rim to rim at the G. Canyon. If anyone knows right now that they are not going to attempt this 27 mile hike in extreme heat with a 20-50 lb back pack, let me know. It will help with planning how we do this hike.