Rutgers offering an underwater basket making class as a way of exposing students and faculty to scuba diving Watch video
PISCATAWAY -- The course description reads -- You aren't a REAL College student until you've passed Underwater Basket Making. No, it's not a joke, but an actual a recreation class offered to students and faculty as a way to expose them to scuba diving - in good fun.
The class is a single three hour session, offered multiple times throughout the semester at the Werblin Recreation Center swimming pool. Attendees have the option of creating the basket using a mask and snorkel or scuba gear. The Rutgers Aquatics team was on hand to help with the process.
The idea of underwater basket weaving is usually referred to in a negative way to describe a useless or absurd college course and a perceived decline in educational standards. But clearly this is a class offered with a sense of humor. "It's not like somebody is going to take underwater basket making instead of organic chemistry, said Scuba Coordinator Debby Miller with a playful grin. "But at the same time, there is some skills to develop."
"It does appear like a fake course, but it's a fun course," according to Rutgers graduate student Siddharth Rupavatharam. " I mean, at the end of the day, you have to have fun in college, right?"
"I needed some more stuff for my resume," said Rutgers Sophomore Micah Lebowitz. "I really wanted to impress future employers."
While the class doesn't offer credits, those attending walked away with a basket, an underwater basket making tee shirt and a unique sense of accomplishment. "It does give you bragging rights, said Rupavatharam. "Because only a handful of people would have actually made a basket under water."
The video was produced by Cameron Bowman, Rutgers University News and Media Relations. https://www.youtube.com/user/RutgersToday
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