Thirty-two Ball State students will accompany Rob and Lisa Newton when they return to their hometown in Australia in the fall.
Though the Center for International Programs has sponsored study programs down under in the past, organizers wanted to create something akin to the London Centre, with the recently established Australia Center.
"Students always liked the way the London Centre was structured, where a large group can go together and be taught by a group of local people," Jim Coffin said. "We do have a program in Perth and the students go as individuals. They aren't necessarily classmates though, whereas in our Australia Center the students will be classmates taking the same courses."
"Basically we're taking a piece of Ball State and setting it up overseas," Rob Newton said.
The Newtons hail from Lennox Head, a community of roughly 3,000 on Australia's Pacific coast. They moved to the United States in 1999, when Rob was hired as director of Ball State's biomechanics program.
Rob said he initially wanted to move to England and serve as director of the London Centre, but when he approached the CIP, Coffin suggested the Australia Center idea.
"We thought 'Australia, we just moved from there,'" Rob said. "We thought about it for a while and reasoned it was a good idea and it would work. We chose Lennox Head because we got a lot of contacts there and it's a great location. It's got a beautiful climate and a good mix of cultures."
The study program will last 12 weeks, from Sept. 1 to Nov. 25. Activities on the agenda include whale-watching in Hervey Bay, exploring the rain forest on Fraser Island and visiting Steve Irwin's (the Crocodile Hunter's ) farm.
"I lot of people ask us about the Crocodile Hunter," Lisa said. "I think part of his appeal here (in the United States) is his Australian ethnicity. In Australia he's just one of us."
During their stay, students will also be required to perform community service, which sets the Australian program apart from its London counterpart.
"We want them to volunteer for three reasons," Coffin said. "To reciprocate the hospitality of the town, to mix with the locals and for those doing independent studies, it's an excellent source of data collecting."
Students can volunteer in number of fields, ranging from forensic activities with the police to veterinarian work, helping injured kangaroos and marsupials. Some have even opted to work in dive shops. There are also a few with ambitious goals in mind.
"I'm hoping to focus largely on Aboriginal studies while I'm there," junior Scott Limbird said. "I'm trying to compare Aboriginal struggles with American Indian struggles, seeing first hand what the issues are."
Those who have studied in Australia in the past said they were attracted by the country's pioneering and somewhat exotic image.
"It was one of those things that's very different, but very the same," said senior Mike Stiff, who went to Perth last semester. "I could go there and know the language, but at the same time, the continent does have its uniqueness. It's in the Southern Hemisphere, so the plant life and animal life is different. Having the nature be like that puts a unique spin on the culture."
Coffin said, "I think the country is still far away in people's minds, involving many hours across the sea. The stereotype of Australia is the outback, but the reality is mainly suburbia, because 80 percent of the population lives along the sea. They have their manicured lawns, two-car garages and backyard barbecues."
Students will stay in a compound at the town's sports complex about 100 yards from the beach.
"There's scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, canoeing, sailing and marine life on the shore," Lisa said. "I think too that, in a beach town like that, things move slower than they do here. People will walk into shops in their bathing suits or with no shoes."
Lisa said the townspeople are also excited about the program and look forward to seeing the students.
"The businesses are very excited about the program and the financial implications of that many people coming to town," she said. "It's also a good promotion for Lennox Head."
Unlike in sprawling urban areas, which are used to hosting large groups of foreign tourists, Coffin said students will stand out in Lennox Head, making first impressions especially important.
"The behavior of these people can make or break the program," he said. "They're there because of the generosity of the town. If they act up, and they're going to be the type of students the townspeople don't want, they're not going to let us come back. It's not like London where you have 12 million people."
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