Newswise — College students from around the nation this spring are turning away from more familiar notions of Spring Break — partying, home cooking and sleeping late — in favor of lending a hand in the Gulf Coast region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
By mid-February, an informal query to a listserv of liberal arts colleges turned up preliminary totals of around 1,000 college students at some 20 schools who were planning to take part in this wave of support.
"It's so easy to spend some money and go do something with your friends, but when you get involved with a bigger experience, everything feels so much larger when you get back — and you feel healthier," said Mary Kathryn Wyle, a senior English major at Davidson College, N.C., who spent a week of her winter break working in Biloxi, Miss., including New Year's Eve. "The stories you take home aren't about some crazy night, they're about this insane day of work you did"¦ In a crazy way it's also kind of selfish, because it's so rewarding to be a part of something that helps people who need it."
At least 50 Davidson students are planning spring breaks of service on the Gulf Coast Feb. 25 — March 5, representing the Davidson Community Service Office, the student-led Campus Outreach group and local religious congregations.
At Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, response from students was so strong that a waiting list was created for the trip and the College's Center for Public Service (CPS) is exploring opportunities for future trips. The CPS is sending more than 50 members from the campus community to New Orleans March 13 to 17 to help gut homes and clear the way for reconstruction.
"I was involved with CPS as an undergraduate student and I am still involved now that I am an employee," said Jackie Wilson, a research analyst and a 2004 graduate of Gettysburg. "I think it is important for our campus community to reach out to other communities that need help. Everyone was affected by Hurricane Katrina, but seeing the images and hearing the stories of the people that suffered makes you want to take action."
Liberal arts colleges with Gulf Coast service trips in the works for Spring Break include Alma, Amherst, Augustana, Bard, Bates, Connecticut, Davidson, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Hamilton, Hobart and William Smith, Macalester, Oglethorpe, St. Lawrence, St. Olaf, Trinity, Wellesley, Willamette, William Jewel and University of Puget Sound.
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