Interterm, the three-week period between the end of Winter Recess and the start of the spring semester, is supposed to allow students to explore opportunities and interests outside the normal class regimen. Although the College attempts to provide a combination of not-for-credit courses, colloquia, special events and outings, it is hard to believe that many students will return to campus to take a class on Microsoft Excel or to attend the weekly bowling night. It is true that a number of students use this opportunity to take part in meaningful activities, such as doing an internship, working on a thesis or learning to be an EMT, but we feel that the on-campus Interterm program could do more to enrich the personal and academic lives of its students. The College should provide increased course offerings and workshops in order to attract students who have not found other opportunities to return to campus and participate in meaningful activities. Offering courses that are provided during the regular semester and increasing the variety and scope of exclusively Interterm classes would uphold the liberal arts ideal by allowing pre-med students, for example, to take the photography or music course that wouldn’t fit into their tightly defined schedule.

Perhaps we can take inspiration from the Interterm programs at other institutions. Middlebury College has offered for-credit courses during Interterm, most of which are offered only during the winter term, but some of which are simply courses offered in the regular semester that are accelerated to cover an entire semester’s worth of class time in the three-week period. Williams College has a huge array of choices for students. In addition to offering courses in several departments, huge organized games (similar to Assassins) and many outdoor activities, they have a program called Free University. The program, which is entirely student-run, provides students with an opportunity to participate in and/or design workshops and classes that cover the course of the winter term.

Obviously, what is good for Middlebury or Williams will not necessarily be ideal for Amherst. That said, serious work needs to go into improving the Interterm program on campus and its ability to enhance the liberal arts experience of the College. Understandably, the recent economic downturn may hinder the ability of the College to invest in a greatly expanded Interterm, but that does not mean that there should be no effort to do so. President Anthony Marx has asserted that the recession and the resulting multi-million dollar decrease of the endowment will not affect the academic standards on campus. Interterm should be considered an important part of the academic experience and thus should be given adequate time, attention and money.

Improving Interterm is not a task that should be left solely to the administration. An important new source for funding innovative and valuable Interterm programs is the Association of Amherst Students. Their recently-established precedent for funding activities and programs put on during Interterm gives both on-campus groups and individual students working outside of a club the chance to play an active role in increasing the variety and quality of the opportunities available. Interterm provides a unique chance for students to get funding to mobilize people who possess intelligence and a dedication to public service, but do not normally have the free time to put those talents to use.

With a little work on the part of the College and the student body, Interterm can become what it truly should be — a break between semesters that engages students intellectually and upholds the College’s dedication to a liberal arts education by allowing students to pursue interests that they could not pursue during regular semesters.