Faculty Development Office
M E M O R A N D U M
{831-2201, 831-2738 (FAX)}
TO: ALL FACULTY
FROM: Mr. Joel Villademoros, Faculty Development Coordinator
DATE: April 9, 2014
SUBJECT: SPANISH IMMERSION PROGRAM: ANNOUNCEMENT & REGISTRATION
This summer, the Faculty Development Office will again be sponsoring the Spanish Immersion Program for faculty. This program is designed to improve the Spanish speaking skills and cultural awareness of our faculty. There will be three different levels of instruction ranging from beginner to advance. Participants will spend several hours a day in class with additional time devoted to cultural and immersion activities.
The program will be held in Flamingo, Costa Rica. Flamingo is located on the Pacific coast about 45 minutes from the city of Liberia. The date for this year’s program is August 3rd - August 10th. Costa Rica is stable, progressive, and among the most beautiful countries in all of Central America. Participants can opt for homestays with local families or stay in apartments or hotels. The college will pay for language instruction, the cost of a portion of the transportation fees from the airport to one’s homestay or apartment, and the cost of homestays (includes breakfast and dinner with family). Persons who elect to stay in a hotel will be given a $160 allotment for food/lodging. All participants will have to pay for their travel to and from Costa Rica.
In addition to the formal classes and cultural activities, a "buddy system” will be used to pair up advanced with beginning speakers. This “buddy system” will be used to assist less advanced speakers when traveling to and from Costa Rica. The “buddy system” will also be used during some of the free time while in Costa Rica. Finally, beginners will be asked to participate in a pre-immersion activity to improve their Spanish.
This program is open to all faculty members with some preference given to full-time faculty. However, a fixed number of openings are designated for adjunct faculty. Newcomers will be given preference over previous participants. However, all interested persons are encouraged to apply as we often accept previous participants and have cancellations.
If you are interested in participating in this program, complete and return the application form on the back of this memo by April 23, 2014. Please be sure to attach the refundable deposit. Persons accepted into the program or placed on the waiting list will be notified by April 30th.
Feel free to contact me at ext. 2653 should you have any questions regarding this matter.
JV:alr
C: Mr. Steve Smith, Vice President of Instruction
2014 - SPANISH IMMERSION APPLICATION FORM
Return this form to the Office of Faculty Development, Valle Verde Campus, Room A2419, by April 23, 2014. Remember to attach your $100 earnest money deposit. Do not send cash. Make your check payable to EPCC. For your registration to be considered complete, your deposit must accompany this form.
ID#:
NAME:
DEAN:
TEACHING DISCIPLINE:
CAMPUS LOCATION:
OFFICE PHONE:
HOME PHONE:
CELL NUMBER:
EMAIL:
FACULTY STATUS: FULL-TIME ADJUNCT
If you are an adjunct faculty please indicate number of years teaching at EPCC:
Number of previous EPCC Spanish Immersion Programs in which you have participated:
If you are a previous participant, what was the last year that you participated in the Spanish Immersion Program?
Please check the level that best represents your Spanish speaking skills:
Beginner (this represents little or no skills)
Intermediate (at least fair skills in the present tense)
Advanced (comfortable with present, past, & future tenses)
Indicate your lodging preference:
Homestay (college pays for a private room with all meals)
*Local hotel/average cost is $450 per week ($160 provided by EPCC for lodging/meals)
*Apartment approximately $375 weekly and arranged by the school ($160 provided by EPCC for lodging/meals)
* Persons opting for hotels or apartments will need to make their own arrangements. The Faculty Development Office will provide the name/email of a contact at the school in Costa Rica that can assist with apartment rentals and offer advice on hotels.
DEPOSIT POLICY: In order to avoid last minute cancellations which can result in the college being charged for your reservation, we are asking all applicants to attach a $100 earnest money deposit. This deposit (your check) will be held in the Faculty Development Office and returned to you in Costa Rica. In the event that you need to cancel, deposits will be returned if one cancels on or before June 2, 2014. Cancellations after June 2, 2014, may result in a forfeiture of your deposit.