I looked on the IRS website and elsewhere, and ITEC is at least truly a registered non-profit. https://nonprofitlocator.org/organizations/fl/gainesville/593434081-institute-for-tropical-ecology-and-conservation-incorporated <https://nonprofitlocator.org/organizations/fl/gainesville/593434081-institute-for-tropical-ecology-and-conservation-incorporated>
I don’t begrudge organizations who take people on “eco-vacations” for a fee that allows the organizations to continue useful conservation, research, or education work. But I do agree that the differences should be made clearer to students. It’s one thing for wealthy retirees to pay for these trips, something else entirely for full-time students. Many students get discouraged thinking that they will not be able to compete against other students with fancy tropical experiences that they have paid for. Students, employers can tell the difference and there are lots of great opportunities to gain research experience without paying for it (sometimes not in such exotic locales, but if you build a good resume in a more mundane place you’ll be more competitive for paid internships in more exciting places!). For those who have plenty of disposable income, though, some of these ecotourism classes may be lots of fun, and may actually be good learning experiences. But I definitely support John’s point below, that if you are hoping that these credits will count towards a degree elsewhere, make sure to get that approved through your home institution ahead of time! =c Carola A. Haas Professor, Wildlife Ecology Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Conservation 112 Cheatham Hall (MC 0321) 310 West Campus Drive, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 [email protected] 540-231-9269 http://www.fishwild.vt.edu/faculty/haas.htm > On Jan 29, 2018, at 2:29 PM, John A. <[email protected]> wrote: > > I have to agree that using “REU” for these courses is both misleading and > disingenuous. I’ve read through three of these course descriptions and I > can’t find “REU” or corresponding words anywhere in the text. > > Given this, it’s more than fair to ask exactly what “REU” is supposed to > mean here. As Mitch Cruzan noted, there is a federal REU program (Research > Experiences for Undergraduates) which has been advertised on this list by > several major universities, including UNM, University of Minnesota, CUNY, and > others. By contrast, this “Institute” seems to be run out of a private > residence in the north suburbs of Gainesville, with no apparent university > connection. > > The fact that we have to question the basics of a post like this raises a > lot of red flags for me. I think Ecolog would be much improved if misleading > advertisements like these simply weren’t posted here at all. If I were an > undergraduate I’d be confused about whether this “institute” is legitimate > and whether any "credits" would actually transfer to my home university. > Undergraduates and young professionals would be better served if this sort of > deceptive material wasn't circulated to the list. > > > - J. A.
