Nicholls Study Abroad trip to Europe is open to the public and accepting sign ups for the 40th anniversary.
    The trip is scheduled for June 3, 2013 through June 18, 2013. Participants will travel from New Orleans to different cities in Germany for four days, then to a few popular cities in Italy for five days, the Swiss Alps for two days, Alsace, France for two days, and the trip will end with another day in Germany.
    The price of the trip includes a round trip fare from New Orleans for $3,995. This includes hotel accommodations, meals, all transportation between locations, air conditioned motor coaches in Europe, sightseeing tours, English speaking guides, fees for one piece of luggage, administrative fees and a few other items.
    There is a payment plan option for the trip.  A $100 deposit is due when participants turn in their application. A few weeks later, a $400 confirmation fee is due. These totals will hold the participants seats. As of Feb. 4, 2013, half of the final balance is due and March 4, 2013 is the deadline for the final payment.
    The participation application suggests trip cancellation insurance after the March 4, 2013 payment.
    The accommodations for the trips are among top accommodations, James Barnidge, program director and instructor of history, said.
    “We are not roughing it, we are staying in first class hotels,” Barnidge said.
    Prices for hotels on the trip were compared to how much it would cost spouses to go on the trip alone.  The cost of the trip for spouses exceeded the total cost of the Nicholls trip, Barnidge said.
    This trip is open to any major, secretaries, deans, department heads and anyone in the community.
    “We plan on bringing 92 participants, so students should sign up soon,” Barnidge said. “We already have 23 participants signed up.”
    Students can obtain three or six hours of college credit depending on the class, Barnidge said.  He added that although the trip can count towards college credit, students could also go for recreational and informational purposes. 
    Depending on the class and its syllabus, students may have to produce some type of work after the trip, Barnidge said.
    “We chose Europe because it was where we have been going for the past 40 years,” Barnidge said.  “Also, we have built relationships over the years with hotels and companies to use their services.”
    Europe offers an opportunity for students to experience what they learn in the classroom in person, Barnidge said.  There is also opportunity for students to pick up a new interest and appreciation for new material.
    Barnidge said for example, previous students who went on the trip and were not interested in music visited Vienna and came back with a greater appreciation for music.
    Barnidge said another example from students was those who were not interrested in William Shakespere’s plays, who attended a performance in London and came back with a more positive attitude toward Shakespere.
    “It is for business majors, art majors, science majors, and really for everyone, and even if it is not for credit, it is still rewarding to see the greatest art in the world,” Barnidge said. ” For example, last year different activities were going on and students were able to see the Pope.”
    Students will be able to go out into the different cities and learn about them, Barnidge said.
    “We do not take them and put them in a classroom; I can do that here,” Barnidge said. “I want them out seeing the works of art and doing, and experiencing the cities.”
    “I can teach in a classroom and show students the works of art and tell them about them, but they will not retain it the way they would if they were actually there,” Barnidge said.
    Some students are attending the trip because it sparks an interest they have based on their major.
    Kailie LeBlanc, history junior from Houma, said, “I am excited to go to Germany because I have studied the Nazi time period and want to see some of the historical places.”
    “Italy, France, Germany, Tuscany, Switzerland and Austria are places where history was made, where art is and where some of the greatest accomplishments of man kind were made,” Barnidge said.
    Participants can pick up applications and itineraries from 238 Peltier Hall.