Students looking to fill their time this summer can soon register for Reitz Union leisure classes.
With a broad range of course offerings from pottery and ceramics to backpacking and meditation, students are sure to find one that meets their interests.
Registration for leisure courses begins May 9 and closes once classes start, May 15. Registration is open to anyone.
Leisure courses are taught by UF students, professors and people from around the community. Instructors are paid between $15 and $25 an hour, based on their level of experience. If someone wishes to instruct a course that is not offered, he or she may suggest to add the course through an online application.
“Anyone who wants to teach a course and has demonstrated the ability to do so can,” said Jackie Matthews, program coordinator for arts and leisure. “We are open to any idea that someone may have for a course — within reason.”
Leisure classes, which vary in price, are not for course credit and are offered for fun in a more informal environment. Most classes are designed for beginners, unless indicated online that intermediate skills are necessary.
“You take it at your own pace and you learn what you want to learn,” Matthews said.
Mary Ann Bonner, who has taught pottery at the Reitz Union for 28 years, said students enjoy taking the classes because it gives them a break.
“It’s just a great therapeutic place to be,” Bonner said. “They can lose themselves and forget about their studies.”
Matthews said she hopes to build upon the current course offerings.
“It’s really neat for me to see the classes that we’ve developed and the skill level students have in the beginning versus the end,” Matthews said. “Students come back again and again to take classes, maybe even those same classes again.”
Visit www.union.ufl.edu/leisure to enroll and see the complete list of courses.
