Exploring the Appalachian Trail

Dylan Rogers, Valencia College

When I signed up for the Partners in the Parks Appalachian Trail trip earlier this year, I had little idea of what to expect. I did know that I wanted to spend my summer well, which is why the trip piqued my interest in the first place. I figured that meeting other honors students from around the country and spending time outdoors with them learning new things and gaining new experiences would be pretty meaningful and educational. I was right.

Before this trip, I had never visited the Appalachian Trail (AT) or even been camping in the backcountry before. I had only ever been to campgrounds with water, electricity, and bathrooms, which are certainly nice amenities. But, as I would learn on this trip, certain of these comforts must be given up to experience nature in a truer and fuller way.

After arriving at the hotel we were staying at for the first night of the trip, I began meeting other students. There was an interesting mix of majors among our company, from psychology to health, environmental science to English. We all had different backgrounds, but what we held in common was an appreciation for being outside and exploring. While some of us were more familiar with camping and backpacking than others, we all had things to learn from Christina McIntyre, our trip facilitator, and Derick Lugo, our resident author. Both had extensively hiked the AT before, and so became inexhaustible springs of fascinating knowledge regarding the trail and its culture.

While the trip contained many highlights, one of my favorite parts (aside from being on the trail itself, of course) was staying at the Len Foote Hike Inn, a LEED-certified backcountry inn, complete with solar panels, a composting toilet system, a family-style dining room, interesting history, and, of course, incredible views. Here we got to meet and talk to other inn guests, including people from the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, who were able to give us more insight into how they, as one of the 30 trail maintaining organizations, work together to maintain the entire ~2,190-mile trail.

Earlier in our trip we also got to hear from Sarah Adams, the manager of the Georgia and Nantahala regions of the trail, who told us about the other major organization responsible for the trail and its continued existence: the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). We learned about how the ATC, along with the 30 local trail-maintaining organizations and the government (specifically the National Park Service and Forest Service) come together to make the trail possible through "cooperative management."

While I've so far recalled a few enjoyable parts of my trip which taught me much, I don't believe I can ever properly capture in words the memories made in our group this summer. What really made the trip special was being around like-minded people who were able to simply learn and live. We didn't have to worry about our complicated lives off the trail for an entire week and could just enjoy each other's company.

I'll close this reflection by mentioning that by the end of our trip, me and two other students decided that we enjoyed the experience so much and could time our school/life schedules right to plan a thru-hike of the entire trail together next spring/summer. What made such a plan possible, I think, was the combination of expertise and guidance from Christina and Derick paired with the amazing memories and experiences we were so fortunate to have. Who knew bringing a group of strangers together to learn and explore nature could be so incredible!

While I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words how meaningful the experience was as a whole, I hope this reflection at least makes clear that it has been personally impactful, deeply formative, and is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Lessons from the Appalachian Trail

Jenna Barlage, Eastern Kentucky University

When I applied for the Partners in the Parks Appalachian Trail backpacking trip, I knew it would be a fun outdoor adventure that would challenge me to learn new skills and push myself physically. What I did not know was that through this program I would also gain community, peace of mind, and confidence in myself.

The community built on this trip start right away when I stepped off the plane and was greeted by other students a buzz with life and excitement about the week ahead. On the first night Dr.McIntyre, our trip leader, gathered us to cook a delicious meal together. This bonded the group and made me feel welcomed and at home. While on the trail I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the other hikers were.

Every day was a chance to have conversations with individuals from all over the states and even other countries. Individuals that I would never have met otherwise bonded together by the Appalachian Trail. The other hikers brought encouragements, funny stories, and tales of their lives outside of the trail. The time spent walking was filled with deep conversations and sounds of the forest. The night spent at Len Foote Hike Inn was truly special. I will never forget watching fireflies with my newfound friends and sharing the sunrise with strangers. The people truly make the trail so special and keep the AT as pristine as it is. Through this trip I learned how important volunteer groups are in protecting and maintaining the trail. The trail crosses state borders, connects people to one another, and means so much to so many. It was truly a gift to share in the community that the trail creates.

A key factor that forges the incredible AT community together is the love of the outdoors. Since this trip was spent backpacking, wifi was not always available. This allowed me to take a serious break from my phone, something I do not do often, to fully be engaged in our activities. The lack of phones on the trip, while at first strange, quickly became one of my favorite aspects of our time together. Getting offline allowed me to soak up the company, wildlife, sights, and sounds of the AT. I left my old life behind and truly embraced the outdoors, watching sunrises and sunsets, spotting different flowers or fungi, and making friends with the inchworms on Springer Mountain. Unplugging from the crazy of everyday life to take in the fresh air and just be for a week was truly a gift.

In the end, the biggest gift the Partners in the Parks program left me with was belief in myself and my outdoor survival skills. Everyday I learned new insights into outdoor living and overcame new challenges that fortified my confidence. Skills like packing a backpack properly, cooking in the woods, hanging bear bags, and filtering water in streams will all come in handy in my future outdoor pursuits. Learning about the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the seven leave no trace principles gave me the knowledge it takes to be a respectful caretaker of outdoor spaces when I put my newfound skills to use.

In conclusion, the Partners in the Parks program taught me invaluable lessons that I will carry with me in my future endeavors. The Appalachian Trail is a crash course in perseverance, building community, and appreciating beauty that I was blessed to walk upon.

A Trip Full of Firsts

Jordan Sanders, Queens University of Charlotte

“A trip full of firsts” is how I would describe my Partners in the Park experience. A trip that was miles outside of my comfort zone, and I didn’t know if it would be something I could do on my own. I had never even taken a plane before, and certainly not much about cave exploration!

Nevertheless, the trip was exhilarating and bolstered my interest in the natural sciences. I attended the trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, home to the longest cave system in the world. I’ve visited various caverns in North Carolina, but none of them amounted to the grand 426 miles of cave we explored on the trip. The first day there was exciting but equally as nerve-racking. Once we arrived on-site, we began exploring the Historic entrance of the cave. This consisted of most of the sights that standard cave tours in the park view.

At this point in the trip, we started learning about the complex history of the cave. We learned mainly about the role of the cave during the War of 1812 as it was the biggest source of saltpeter for America at the time. It was also where we learned of the cave’s complicated history with slavery, as African American labor is what contributed to the successes of saltpeter production and cave tourism.

Later in the week we visited some of the surface sites in the park to understand both the geology and hydrology of the cave system, as well as the relationship it has with wildlife in the area. A day on the trip that I really enjoyed was the day that we went kayaking down the Green river, a major body of water in the park. This would be my very first-time kayaking, and I was more than elated to give it a try. On our ride, we spotted a lot of local wildlife like turtles and otters, and even a bald eagle. The Green River is not only a habitat for many of these animals, but for some species it’s essential. Various species of freshwater mussels depend on the currents in the river to reproduce, and without it, they would become endangered. We also got to experience “wild caving” where we suited up in pads and helmets to delve into deeper parts of the cave system. I was a bit hesitant to embark on the journey, but so were the other honors students. We all encouraged each other to try new things and challenge ourselves on this trip. It’s a component that made everything worthwhile throughout the trip. Collaborating and connecting with other honors student across the country and doing these experiences for the first time together fostered bonds that made the journey more invigorating. I could not have asked for a better group of honors students.

This Partners in the Park experience will always be something that I remember not only for the things that I learned and the experiences that I earned, but the friendships I made also.

Sanctuary Literary Arts Journal Call for Submissions

Calling all poets, writers, artists, photographers!

Sanctuary Literary Magazine, the official journal of the SRHC, is thrilled to announce our open submissions period! We're looking for excellent creative work from students at SRHC institutions—check out our guidelines for more information. Submissions close on January 31, 2024. Send all questions, comments and concerns to us at honorsprogram@uab.edu! 

 We can't wait to see your amazing work! 

SRHC Logo Contest

SRHC is looking for a new brand identity!

The purpose of the contest is to design a new logo for the Southern Regional Honors Council. The logo may be used in all media – including online, print, promotional materials and other visual collateral.

Contest Rules

•  To be eligible, each entrant must be a currently registered undergraduate student at an SRHC Member Institution.

• Individuals or teams may submit no more than two entries (a separate Entry Form must accompany each submission).

• All submitted work must be the original work of the entrant(s) and must not include, be based on, or derived from any pre-existing or third-party designs, trademarks, or copyrighted images.

• All entries will become the property of the Southern Regional Honors Council. By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees that any and all intellectual property rights in the logo design are deemed assigned to Southern Regional Honors Council.

• Except where prohibited by law, an entry submission into this contest constitutes permission to use the winner’s name, likeness, prize information, and information provided on the entry form for publicity purposes, without further permission or compensation.

• SRHC reserves the right to modify the winning logo to better fit the needs of the organization.

• The decision of the SRHC Executive Committee will be final.

• The SRHC Executive Committee reserves the right not to select a winner, if in its sole discretion, no suitable entries are received. The new logo will be officially revealed at the SRHC 2024 annual conference. 

• The selected winner MUST submit a scalable vector version of the winning design so that it is adaptable to electronic and print media, to reproduction on small and large surfaces, and to use in color or in grayscale.

How to Enter

To enter the SRHC Logo Design Contest, eligible participants must:

• Complete the Official Entry Form on the SRHC website.

• Submit a logo design in .jpeg, .png or PDF formats (if you are chosen as a winner, you MUST be able to provide a high resolution vector file (e.g., in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign).

• Submit your completed Entry Form and logo design by January 31, 2024.

Selection Criteria

• The SRHC Executive Committee will evaluate all entries based on the following criteria (though other criteria may be considered):

  • Relevance – Does the entry align with the theme and goals of the Southern Regional Honors Council?

  • Originality – Does the composition exhibit original design, creativity, and imagination?

  • Aesthetic Quality – Does the submission command attention? Does it display visual balance and color coordination? Do all the elements work together to create a unified and appealing design?

 Award

The winner will receive a $500 award. If the winning design is produced by a team of students, SRHC will award one prize of $500 (divided equally among the team).

Official Statement on SRHC 2024 in Jacksonville, FL

Florida Travel Advisory

SRHC recognizes that recent travel advisories to Florida issued by organizations including the NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, League of United Latin American Citizens, and Equality Florida may impact the decision of member institutions and individuals’ decisions to attend the SRHC 2024 conference.

SRHC is an educational institution that is committed to advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion of all students, faculty, and staff in our region. Although a change in location is not possible, the 2024 Conference Planning Committee and the SRHC Executive Committee are fully committed to providing a safe and welcoming conference for all attendees.

Specifically, the 2024 Conference Planning Committee and the SRHC Executive Committee are implementing the following:

• Conference Programming: Specific sessions supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion of our diverse members within our region

• SRHC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement: Development and adoption of a statement that clearly demonstrates SRHC’s commitment to supporting our diverse communities within our region

• Conference Code of Conduct: Development of a conference conduct policy that provides a harassment-free experience for all participants

• Local Resources: The Annual Conference Planning Committee will identify and share resources and initiatives in the Jacksonville area that align with SRHC’s mission. Links will continue to be added to the conference webpage and mobile app for in-person attendees.

The organizing team intentionally selected a conference theme to encourage proposals that recognize how to build bridges on a variety of topics which may include diversity, equity, and inclusion.

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creativity - Call for Submissions

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity is the official undergraduate journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Submissions are accepted from students currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program . UReCA fosters the exchange of ideas between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with, and contribute to, the advancement of their individual fields. UReCA has published five editions to date and continues to work toward the dissemination of meaningful undergraduate work.

Our vision is an academic community without borders, a connected network of aspirational students committed to the advancement of knowledge and appreciation of the arts. UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity fosters the exchange of intellectual and creative work between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with and contribute to the advancement of their individual fields.

Our mission is to curate relevant, progressive and academic content that appeals to the undergraduate student. We, the creators, are also the audience, and therefore are attuned to the interests of our peers; we commit ourselves to becoming the number one undergraduate journal in the nation. UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity is sponsored by the National Collegiate Honors Council, and is currently managed, edited and produced by a team of twenty-nine undergraduate students from each of the NCHC regions and a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Though diverse, we share a common goal: the production of a prestigious national journal, for students, by students.

Students interested in submitting their creative work or undergraduate research can find more information on the submission process below. The deadline to submit is September 1, 2023. Submissions received after that date will be considered for the 2024 issue.

Call for JNCHC Papers

The next issue of JNCHC (deadline: September 1, 2023) invites research essays on any topic of interest to the honors community.

The issue will also include a Forum focused on the theme “Creating an Honors Faculty,” in which we invite honors educators to examine how honors faculty are defined, selected, recruited, retained, and rewarded. We invite essays of roughly 1000-2000 words that consider this theme in a practical and/or theoretical context. 

The lead essay for the Forum is by Lynne C. Elkes of Loyola University Maryland. In “Creating and Celebrating Honors Faculty,” Elkes applauds the unique quality of honors educators, who approach their students and their work with a passion beyond what is expected of higher education in general. Teachers attracted to honors become part of a community of learners along with their students, contributing not just their academic expertise but their whole selves to their shared love of learning, going beyond any expected job requirements to partner with their students, to mentor them in their research, and to help them become better people as well as students. At the same time, honors programs tend to lack structure compared to typical academic disciplines, which have defined hierarchies and systems of rewards such as tenure, promotion, and salary protocols. Honors programs typically attract different kinds of faculty at different ranks and with different levels of job security, from tenured to contingent. This flexibility and ineffability—sometimes controlled chaos—can create authenticity, but it can also lead to abuse when faculty are taken for granted and expected to take on significant extra responsibilities without attendant expectations of reward. Elkes suggests that some standardization within the practices of hiring, retention, compensation, and job responsibilities could reduce this kind of abuse, acknowledge the special dedication of honors faculty, and evoke a higher level of respect not just for honors teachers but for the kind of devotion they commit to teaching and learning.

Contributors to the Forum on “Creating an Honors Faculty” may, but are not obliged to, respond directly to Elkes’s essay. Questions that Forum contributors might consider include:

• Is the loose structure and hierarchy of honors faculty a benefit, liability, and/or inevitability?

• How should honors faculty be selected, and who should select them?

• Is there any hard evidence for the assumption that honors faculty are exceptionally dedicated to teaching?

• Would a traditional academic reward system disrupt the passion and personal dedication we associate with teaching in honors?

• Does honors have—or can it create—a just and satisfying reward system different from that of a typical academic discipline?

• Can a different kind of reward system for honors faculty promote diversity, equity, and inclusion?

• How is an honors faculty created on your campus, and does it work?

• What character traits are essential for a good honors teacher?

• What academic credentials (if any) should be required to teach in honors?

Information about JNCHC—including the editorial policy, submission guidelines, guidelines for abstracts and keywords, and a style sheet—is available on the NCHC website.

Please send all submissions to Ada Long at adalong@uab.edu.

NCHC journals (JNCHC and HIP) and monographs are included in the following electronic databases: ERIC, EBSCO, Gale Cengage, and UNL Digital Commons. Both journals are listed in Cabell International’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities.

Belonging in Honors - NCHC Monograph Series Call for Papers

The concept of belonging has gained traction in higher education over the course of the past decade. That concept, however, has a much longer history in fields such as psychology, evolutionary theory, or more recently social cognitive neuroscience. These fields converge to affirm the human need for belonging because it supports identity development, well-being and happiness. More importantly, social psychologists and student affairs scholars have demonstrated that a sense of belonging has implications for students' persistence and retention in college and graduate school. Because “belonging is inherently tied to our social identities and the nuanced forms of oppression experienced, and resisted by students from minoritized social identity groups” (Vaccaro and Newman 4), much of the work on belonging has focused on the nuanced needs of specific identity groups, especially students who were long excluded from institutions of higher education.

One of the strengths of honors education is our collective investment in building community among our students, faculty, staff, and administrators. This monograph concerns itself primarily with the essential but fluid sense of belonging and its relationship to more common concepts in the literature on honors education, such as diversity, inclusion, and community. Theorists and practitioners have contributed ideas for what constitutes best practices to create more inclusive honors programs and colleges and increase the diversity of our students' identities. Belonging in Honors proposes to build upon this rich literature to explore the structural changes as well as the critical practices and pedagogies implemented over the last decade to support all honors students from matriculation to graduation and to prepare them for a changing world. While a sense of belonging might be subjective and prove challenging to measure, it is essential to create space for excellence for a larger number of people. Honors practitioners’ reflections on, and systematic analyses of, the mechanics of belonging are essential to the identification of future directions and frameworks for honors education.

The editor of Belonging in Honors invites critical and scholarly submissions that reflect honors practices far and wide, qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Specific disciplinary approaches and clearly positioned voices that engage with, respond to, and add to the following prompts are expected: 

Intersectionality and identity are key to understanding barriers to a sense of belonging to institutions whose audience was originally conceived more narrowly. What structural changes have been implemented to ensure that less represented minorities or differently abled students, for instance, also have a sense of belonging? How have efforts to give all students a sense of belonging impacted enrollment management, financial aid, curricular approaches and other practices affecting honors students’ experience in college.

Students, faculty, and staff will derive a sense of belonging from intentional and mindful practices. How do institutional size and demographic makeup impact what makes a successful strategy? What lessons can be applied across institutions?

If the literature on sense of belonging has clearly demonstrated its positive correlation to retention, few studies to date extend their analyses of retention to completion. How has the value of giving students a sense of belonging in honors been measured? Have such quantitative analyses been helpful in advocating for honors more broadly?

Honors educators have long been concerned about building and fostering community. Who is made to feel at home in honors? How has the increasing diversification of honors students’ identities led practitioners to foster community in new ways to provide all our students a sense of belonging?

Submission Guidelines & Deadlines

Submission of abstracts: 15 June 2023

Submission of essays: 1 November 2023

Submission

Traditional essays, the length of which may vary. The editor of this monograph encourages all authors to familiarize themselves with the NCHC Style Sheet. All submissions, solicited and unsolicited, will be peer-reviewed by the Publications Board of the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Questions, abstracts, and full essays should be sent to Anne Dotter at adotter@jccc.edu as word documents.

SRHC Notice of Proposed Dues Increase

SRHC Notice of Proposed Membership Dues Increase

The SRHC Executive Committee is responsible for managing the SRHC’s finances and ensuring the financial health of the organization. This includes setting recommendations for annual membership dues. Recently, the Executive Committee recommended a $25 dues increase to help maintain SRHC's strong financial health now and into the future.

This recommendation will be presented to the membership at the SRHC Business Meeting at the National Collegiate Honors Council, where it will be discussed further.

The dues increase will be presented to the full SRHC Membership for a vote at the annual conference in Charlotte, NC.

WHY IS THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PROPOSING A DUES INCREASE?

It has been ten years since the last SRHC dues increase, from $50 to $75 in 2012.

As you know, the cost of doing business continues to increase with inflation rates greater than 8% in 2022. It is a priority of the Committee to ensure that the SRHC continues to have strong financial health now and into the future.

The SRHC membership is strong and committed to the organization. This is evident by the long tenure of membership and the high membership renewal rate. It is because of committed members like you that the SRHC continues to set the standard for high quality educational content, professionalism and networking. The Executive Committee wants to continue providing you with access to its membership benefits and, namely, a high quality conference experience.

SRHC provides a number of added benefits for its members including:

• Student Stipends for Partners in the Parks (PITP), NCHC Semesters, NCHC Winterims, and other NCHC-Affiliated Programs

• Support for Sanctuary, the regional literary and arts publication for SRHC

• Discounted conference registration rates for members

Each of the programs and benefits above are provided so that the SRHC may provide support for honors students within our region.

HOW MUCH IS THE PROPOSED INCREASE?

The SRHC Executive Committee is recommending an increase in membership dues from $75 annually to $100 annually for institutional memberships. We are not recommending an increase in individual memberships or student memberships.

WHEN WILL THE DUES INCREASE BE IMPLEMENTED?

If approved, the dues increase will be effective with the 2023 dues renewal invoices that are sent to all members in early July.