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Registration opens to the public

At 12:01 a.m. web registration became available for new and returning, non-degree seeking students for the upcoming spring 2010 semester. Classes will begin on Jan. 11.

If registration rates are anything like those during the priority period reserved for currently admitted, degree-seeking students, classes will be filling rapidly. A snapshot of enrollment 32 hours after priority registration opened indicated 633 students enrolled for a total of 4,852 credit hours--40 percent of the current semester's total credit hours. Fifteen class sections had filled and closed. Several new sections were added to the course schedule to accommodate students seeking popular classes.

"The current semester is the largest in KPC history with 12,536 credits," said KPC Director Gary Turner. "For the last few years, our spring semester numbers were greater than the fall numbers. If that trend holds true, this coming spring will be another record setter."

Host families needed

This is the second year that Kenai Peninsula College has students from the Youth for Understanding International Exchange program attending the Kenai River Campus. The nonprofit educational organization offers opportunities for young people around the world to spend a summer, semester or year with a host family in another culture.

The college is recruiting two families to host YFU-KPC college students from early January through mid-May. One student is a female from the Netherlands and the other is a male from South Korea.

Host families receive a $200 a month stipend to provide a room and meals for the students and are not expected to provide transportation. For more information, contact Marilyn Albright at 262-0327 (marilynalbrightak@hotmail.com or Diane Taylor at 262-0328 (ifdtt@uaa.alaska.edu .

Online humanities film class offered

Bob Amundson has taught Humanities A202, Film as Literature: Film Noir, for the past nine years. The subject is his passion and that comes across to his students, even in the online format he has used for the past three years. The class explores the genre of film noir, the cycle of dark and stylized crime dramas produced in the U.S. between 1945 and 1955.

"Last year the class filled with 24 students before registration ended and I believe I finished with 22 students. This class has received a lot of enthusiastic support from KPC students and our film noir section in the library has grown," Amundson said.

KPC student Hannah Heath is a fan of the film class. "I didn't know anything about film noir; now it's one of my biggest passions. I thought the class would be about reading the books the movies were based on, but it turned out we got to watch around 15 films. There was a good balance of literature and film and we got to form discussion groups with our classmates. Mr. Amundson provided lots of interaction with us. He really made me feel I was a priority," Heath said.

The course will be offered online with 21 of 24 seats still open at press time.

Suzie Kendrick is the KPC Advancement Program Manager and Kenai Peninsula College, Kenai River Campus.