Despite hunger strikes and protests, students hoping to attend the Huangshan University study abroad program in China will still not receive University credit for their efforts, said Judith Shaw, associate provost for international affairs.

But Sam Buckner has not been deterred.

Buckner, a sophomore Chinese major from Atlanta, plans to travel to Huangshan in the fall to improve his Chinese language skills. He said the denial of transfer credits is “not a deal breaker.”

“I’m living there, and I’m not even allowed to talk to the other English speaking students,” Buckner said in a telephone interview on Monday. “It’s a program focused so completely on immersion that it’s really the best way for me to learn Chinese.”

Three years ago, Dezso Benedek, director of Asian language programs at the University, created a study abroad partnership with Huangshan University. When the University did not accept Benedek’s program, he pushed to have it taken up by the London-based Humanitad Foundation. In fall 2007, Benedek protested the University’s response to the Huangshan program through a personal hunger strike, in which he sat on a bench outside of Old College for three days until the University agreed to allow Provost Arnett Mace to tour Huangshan University’s program.

After Mace toured in April 2008, he was impressed with the program, Benedek said, but the University still wouldn’t accept transfer credits.

Benedek said the University wanted the program to be transferred under its jurisdiction, but because Humanitad had invested significant resources, the London-based group was at first unwilling to give it up.

A preliminary agreement was made to transfer the program, but no follow-up has been made, he said.

Benedek cited “petty, personal agendas” for the University’s decisions in a telephone interview last week from Southeast Asia.

However, Shaw offered a different explanation.

Since summer 2008, Franklin College has reviewed the 150 external study abroad programs. A committee headed by Noel Fallows, associate dean in Franklin College, sent out requests for documentation regarding the academic standards of the external programs – which are not affiliated with universities.

“We’ve long had it on our agenda to review the [external] programs to make sure they have long standing, solid, academic credentials,” Shaw said. “It was a very, very involved and thorough review.”

Shaw said she believed the Humanitad Foundation didn’t respond to the questionnaire. Accordingly, the committee did not approve the Huangshan program.

Shaw also expressed personal reservations about the program. She accompanied Mace on the tour.

“I was impressed with the students who were on the program,” Shaw said. “But I don’t think they had to be in such a spare environment to learn Chinese.”

But Benedek said the environment makes it unique and effective. He highlighted Huangshan’s clean, rural setting, opportunities for one-on-one instruction, carefully selected home stay families and internships for all.

“There is no such [program] anywhere else in China,” he said. “This is such a small program that [the unique features] can be done. They are being done, and they’re being done very well.”

Shaw said the University recognizes and accepts credit from a number of programs in China, including those sponsored by Terry College and the School of Law. She cited exchanges with Tsinghua University and Jilin University also.

But Benedek will continue to fight for his program.

“I am planning more protests,” Benedek wrote in an e-mail interview last week. “And I am in the process of preparing a whole broadside of letters to be sent out to individuals whose opinion UGA will not be able to ignore.”