Reasons like those mentioned by Mitch and Carola are why this published by Mongabay was among our top 10 most read articles of 2017:
A rich person’s profession? Young conservationists struggle to make it https://news.mongabay.com/2017/08/a-rich-persons-profession-young-conservationists-struggle-to-make-it/ - *Mongabay interviewed young conservationists about their experiences launching their careers.* - *Many of them related similar stories of having to reconsider their career choice as a result of the conservation sector’s tight job market, high educational and experience requirements, and often-temporary entry-level jobs.* - *To meet prospective employers’ demands for experience, many graduates become stuck in full-time unpaid internships or long-term volunteering.* - *As a result of these trends, the field of conservation may be hemorrhaging passionate, qualified, and innovative young people.* The Guardian reprinted it and it got even more comment and discussion there. Huge issue. Erik -- See my latest writing and photojournalism projects here <http://www.erikhoffner.com/> *tw: @erikhoffner <https://twitter.com/ErikHoffner>* On Mon, Jan 29, 2018 at 10:13 PM, cruzan <[email protected]> wrote: > Whether they are listed as for profit or not they seem to be charging > quite a lot of money for their classes - someone is profiting from that. I > think students will generally do much better taking field courses with > faculty from accredited universities. I don't think EcoLog should be > advertising ecotuourism opportunities. > > On 1/29/2018 6:13 PM, Carola Haas wrote: > > 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 > > 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 > <https://maps.google.com/?q=310+West+Campus+Drive,+Virginia&entry=gmail&source=g> > Tech > Blacksburg, VA 24061 > [email protected] > 540-231-9269 <(540)%20231-9269> > 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. > > > > -- > ------------------------------ > Mitch Cruzan > Professor of Biology > Portland State University > PO Box 751 > Portland, OR 97207 USA > Web: http://web.pdx.edu/~cruzan/ > ------------------------------ >
