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Basque Studies Summer Session Abroad During the past year every effort was made to organize a summer session in Basque Studies to be held in Ustaritz (B.P.) France. To make the program a reality, we required a minimum student enrollment of thirty-five. In order to finalize the advance arrangements, it was necessary to establish March 15, 1969 as the deadline for applications. By the deadline date we have received only twenty firm commitments. Consequently, we were obliged to make the painful decision to cancel this year’s program. Since the cancellation we have received approximately ten more applications. In light of the fairly strong interest (thirty applicants), we believe that a similar program should be organized for the summer of 1970. However, before making such a decision, we wish to have your reactions to the project. That is, we are using this article in the Newsletter as an open letter to you the reader to solicit your reactions and suggestions concerning the Ustaritz project. Please give this matter careful consideration and write to the Program Coordinator expressing your opinions. It is our belief that we, as organizers, are in large measure to blame for the failure to realize this year’s session. Specifically: The decision to organize the project was not made until late November of last year. The publicity was prepared at that time but the printing was delayed. Consequently, it was mid-January before our circulars went out, leaving only a two-month period for responses before the March 15 deadline. Obviously this timetable was detrimental to the Program. We believe that we failed to describe the program adequately in our last Newsletter. This project should be of great interest to any Basque parent of college-age children. The program provides a unique opportunity to gain in-depth exposure to the Basque language and cultural traditions at a cost of slightly more than the roundtrip airfare to the area. We believe that the Basque clubs throughout the West should have expressed interest in this project in terms of possibly sponsoring one or more students from their areas. The program for this year was to include the following features: Six weeks of intensive language instruction and a course on Old World Basque culture (e.g., history, folklore, geography, anthropology, etc.). Residence in the newly constructed, modern facility of Landagoyen at Ustaritz near Biarritz. Evening programs of educational entertainment including performances by folkdance and folk singing groups, motion picture and folkdance instruction. Excursions to nearby museums, historical sites, etc. Each week an excursion to points further afield, such as the province of Soule, San Sebastián, and a trip to the famous festival of San Fermin in Pamplona. A four-day excursion through the Spanish Basque provinces at the conclusion of the instruction period. Two to three weeks of released time at the end of the summer to allow the student to engage in independent travel. The entire cost (not including independent travel) was approximately $1,000. The course was designed to provide the student with the opportunity to earn six university level credits, although participation was not to be restricted wholly to active college students. That is, anyone with a high school degree was eligible to apply. Conversely, special arrangements were possible to allow a student to work for graduate level credit. Finally, we had made arrangements for several leading intellectuals in the Basque Country to participate in the program, thereby strengthening it considerably. The above is the situation to date. We ask you to think about this matter and sent us your opinions and suggestions. We must determine as soon as possible the feasibility of organizing a summer session for next year. If you are personally interested in attending or if you know of someone who is, please contact us immediately. We will prepare a list of interested persons who will then receive further information as it is developed. But even if you are not able to attend, we want to hear from you. Finally, if you are a member of a club or organization that might be interested in providing scholarship support for students who are otherwise unable to attend, you might bring the possibility to the attention of the group. We have already received one scholarship for next year’s program. * * * * * * * * * * We wish to take the opportunity to thank the Gastanaga family of Reno, Nevada for their most generous gesture concerning this year’s program. They provided us with the deposit on the Landagoyen facility (subsequently forfeited) without which it would have been impossible to have attempted to organize this year’s summer session. |
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