What VUE Students are Doing for Fieldwork

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development

One of the distinctive features of the VUE (Valparaiso University Experience) courses that have replaced Core is Academic Experiential Learning, otherwise known as VUE Fieldwork.

Since this is the first year of the new VUE program, we thought we would give you just a sample of some of the many intriguing leadership and service projects our students have been doing this year.

The students in Paul Olander’s “Following the Leaders” class observed student organizations individually, then wrote and voted on a mock student organization constitution as a class.

Lucas Kelley’s VUE class, “Grounded, We Radiate (in Northwest Indiana)” held a beach cleanup event and conducted oral histories with Valpo staff and faculty along the lines of the Welcome Project. The goal of the interview assignment was to break down barriers between staff, faculty, and students at Valpo through the practice of storytelling.

Mike Longan’s class on “Country Music and Geography” organized a country dance for the campus community in the Union Ballrooms in April featuring line dancing lessons taught by a professional instructor and DJ. 

Students in Aimee Tomasek’s “Storytelling as Community Engagement” class interviewed Facilities Management and Parkhurst dining staff.

For Sara Danger’s class on “The Power of Youth,” students conducted a story sharing event with second graders at TJ Elementary School in Valparaiso. Valpo students shared stories from the Historic Children’s Voices project and invited TJE second graders to create stories in response to child-authored texts from the past. 

For her course “Step into the Rushing Waters: Voice, Leadership, and Controversy,” Margarita Rayzberg had her students interview Valpo alumni. She partnered with Paul Oren’s Communications students who filmed the interviews so that they can be preserved.