Megan Kosinski never takes it off.
The 21-year-old art history graduate and Reitz Union Arts & Crafts Center employee participated in a jewelry-making leisure course offered by UF last spring. One of her projects was designing and creating a sterling silver ring that she still wears.
The first three leisure courses for Summer A semester began Monday.
The course contents vary from class to class and consist of learning how to make arts and crafts or learning how to play guitar, golf or tennis.
Classes are generally held once a week for four weeks and range from $5 to $50 for students.
Leisure courses offer an outlet for students to have fun and not have to worry about grades, said Dianna Lampitt, program coordinator of programs, arts and leisure at the UF Student Activities and Involvement Division of Student Affairs.
Registration for the 24 courses opened on May 14 for students, faculty and the general public.
Courses are offered in Spring, Fall, Summer A and Summer B semesters.
The throwing class, which teaches participants how to transform clay into usable bowls, and the home bartending class are the most popular, Lampitt said.
Kim Tuttle, the artistic director for Dance Alive National Ballet and co-owner of Pofahl Studios, teaches a dance leisure course. She said the students passion is what keeps her teaching. Professionals at Pofahl Studio, which is located at 1325 NW Second St., have taught leisure courses through UF for about 12 years, Tuttle said.
“So many people who have danced in the past have that enthusiasm and passion,” Tuttle said. “It’s a pleasure to teach them.”
Students with a true passion for dance have gone beyond what has been taught by the teachers.
“We’ve had people go on to professional careers from our leisure courses,” Tuttle said.
Many of the leisure courses still have spots available for this semester, including both guitar classes, golf courses and all four tennis courses. If classes are full for this semester, students can go to the Reitz Union Division of Student Affairs website in late June to sign up for leisure courses in Summer B.
Kosinski suggests participants take advantage of the opportunity. She enjoyed the jewelry course so much in the spring that she is participating in another leisure course, hand-building clay, during Summer A. She encourages anyone who is interested in learning more about a fun hobby to participate in a leisure course.
“It’s highly relaxing,” she said.
Teresa Davis instructs her students during beginning throwing, a ceramics leisure course held in the J. Wayne Reitz Union Basement in the Arts & Crafts Center.
