UC Spring Break - Choosing Serving Over Surfing

From UC News:

UC Spring Break – Choosing Serving Over Surfing

Dozens of University of Cincinnati students will dedicate their time off to service over spring break, while others set off for study around the world.

Date: 2/27/2012 12:00:00 AM
By: Dawn Fuller
Phone: (513) 556-1823

Photos By: Provided by Lee Armstrong & Cheri Westmoreland

   Spring break can certainly be welcomed as an end to finals week, but for many University of Cincinnati students, it means there’s hard work ahead – work that often involves more brawn than brain. UC student organizations are planning service trips in the U.S. and abroad over spring break, which gets underway the week of March 19. 

Carl H. Lindner College of Business/ Department of Romance Languages service-learning project, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program.

Academic divisions across the university are also planning service-learning opportunities that are the capstone to a winter quarter in the classroom. Other study abroad opportunities will have UC students traveling to destinations including Paris, Rome, Belgium and Austria.

Here’s a roundup of where UC students will be serving, studying and traveling over spring break.

UC Alternative Spring Break Trips

Serve Beyond Cincinnati Trips

Serve Beyond Cincinnati (SBC) is an organization created in 2007 by University of Cincinnati students dedicated to building a civic-minded generation by providing national and international service experiences for UC students. Click here to see a video highlighting the organization’s trips over winter break. The costs of the trips below range from $300 per student for domestic activities and up to $1,600 per student for international service projects.

Balan, Haiti – Nine UC students will be working with the Fuller Center for Housing in a town just east of the capital of Port-au-Prince. This will be SBC’s third trip to earthquake-ravaged Haiti since last March. Students will be departing Cincinnati on March 16 and returning on March 23.

San Andres Itzapa, Guatemala – Ten UC students will be making SBC’s second trip to Guatemala where they’ll work on construction projects near the village of San Andrea Itzapa. The work will involve demolition, painting and pouring concrete. Students will also be working on a local housing project and will be participating in cultural outreach activities. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 23.

San Luis Talpa, El Salvador – This trip has been a spring service tradition for SBC students for four years, as 11 students work with the Fuller Center for Housing, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that is dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide. In addition to the housing projects, the students will be exploring the local customs and geography of the region. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 23.

Kansas City, Mo. – Thirteen students will be working on housing projects in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 24.

Shreveport, La. – Twelve UC students will be working on housing projects in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 24.

Americus, Ga. – Thirteen students will work on housing projects in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 24.

Service Trips Organized by UC Campus Ministries
St. Monica-St. George Spring Break Mission Trips

St. Monica-St. George is offering three spring break mission trips, meant to be experiences that offer students “the opportunity to go beyond their comfort zone to serve and be served,” says Michael Schreiner, campus minister. Students will spend their break serving, praying and reflecting on their experiences as it relates to their faith. The costs of the trips run between $200-to-$400 per student.

St. Louis, Mo. – Five UC undergraduate students and a UC alum will join St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church in serving the needs of the neighborhood known as The Ville, the historic heart of African-American St. Louis, as well as the Jesuit parish of St. Matthew. Students will also explore the economic and social aspects of racism, as well as the power that communities have in transforming institutional injustice. They’ll depart on March 17 and return to Cincinnati on March 24. 

Spencer, W. Va. – Five UC undergraduate students will spend the week at the Appalachian Catholic Worker, located in a rural setting in West Virginia, Appalachia. Students will be invited to immerse themselves in the culture and life of the people of Appalachia through daily reflection, communal meals and hard work, breaking down stereotypes and building community with local residents and each other. They’ll also be learning about the effects of strip mining on the geography and the people. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 24.

David, Ky. – Six UC undergraduate students and a UC alum will travel to St. Vincent Mission in Eastern Kentucky to spend the week working on home repairs, learning about the culture and history of Appalachia and learning about the effects of mountaintop removal (strip mining) on the geography and the people. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 18 and return on March 24.

Lutheran Campus Ministry at The Edge House

Cincinnati – Students will be spending their nights at First Lutheran Church in Over-the-Rhine as they spend their days offering volunteer service throughout the city. The stay-at-home outreach program is open to 31 students interested in volunteering with the Freestore/Foodbank, Matthew 25 Ministries, the Civic Garden Center, Gabriel’s Place, Building Value and WAVE, which involves a cleanup along the Ohio River. Students will spend their evenings discussing the nature of poverty in Cincinnati and will also tour some of the city’s fun spots. The cost of the trip is $25 per student.

CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ)

Panama City Beach, Fla. – As many as 30 students are expected to take part in a national CRU conference as part of the national organization’s Big Break to prepare students on how to share the Gospel. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 23.

India  – Ten students will explore some of the region’s universities as well as its poverty-stricken areas. Students will also provide assistance to a drop-in center for women and children who have been affected by poverty and human trafficking. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 24.

Collegiate Ministry

New Orleans, La. – Sixteen students will be making the organization’s sixth trip to New Orleans to work with Christian Life Center, a new community center. The students will assist in light construction on the building and in the neighborhood, as well as work with an after-school tutoring program. The cost per student is approximately $150. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 24.

Hillel Jewish Student Center

Northern Israel – Two UC students will join students from other American universities in spending a week-long alternative spring break experience with the Jewish National Fund. Part of the experience will involve working in the Carmel forest, the site of the deadliest fire in Israeli history back in 2010. Each student raised $1,100 for the trip.

Other Student Organization-Sponsored Trips

African American Cultural and Resource Center/Office of Ethnic Programs and Services

Thirty-two undergraduate UC students will take part in the AACRC/EPS 34th annual spring break tour March 16-25. Among the stops on the tour will be Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Jackson and Atlanta. Students will visit historical sights and universities across the south, as well as network with UC alumni in the region. The cost of the trip is $400 per student plus spending money for food and entertainment.

UC Service Learning Trips
Service learning at UC involves reflective, educational experiences blended with service activities that foster a deeper understanding of course content and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.

Service learning in Haiti.

Department of Africana Studies, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and UC International

St. Louis du Nord, Haiti – Students in the Africana Studies course,“Haitian Culture and Society” will culminate their service-learning seminar with service in northwest Haiti. Students have spent the winter quarter studying different aspects of Haitian culture, including religion, environment, economic development, literature and the arts. Twenty-six UC students will be taking part in four service-learning projects in Haiti, including developing a sports program for hundreds of children housed in an orphanage; creating an arts-and-crafts project for the children; leading a self-esteem program for teenagers; and supporting a program aimed at empowering women. The students are also working on care bags to give to women at a birthing center at the clinic. The cost of the trip is approximately $2,000 per student. Some student funding was supported by grants from UC International. This will be UC’s second Africana Studies service learning course to travel to Haiti over spring break. The trip will be led by instructor Cheri Westmoreland, director of the McNair Scholars Program, and Jana Braziel, a UC professor of English and Comparative Literature. Students will depart UC on March 16 and return on March 24.

School of Social Work/UC International

Antigua, Guatemala – The social work graduate student association is sponsoring a service-learning experience to learn about the customs and cultures in Guatemala, as well as to use their social work skills to assist children and families. Students will be staying with host families as part of their visit and can receive three credit hours of elective study for the program. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 18 and return on March 25. The cost per student is approximately $2,100. Some students were awarded grant funding from UC International.

San Luis Talpa, El Salvador – Students will develop a better understanding of global poverty as they pioneer this service-learning study-abroad experience with the Fuller Center for Housing and Homes for the Heart in El Salvador. The course was open to both undergraduate and graduate students. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip is $2,300 per student, with support in grant funding from UC International.

Carl H. Lindner College of Business/ Department of Romance Languages (A&S)


Coban, Guatemala – This service-learning project, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program, helps 20 students develop a cross-cultural understanding of the community as they build homes with local families. Students will also visit an elementary school, explore sustainable development projects involving women and girls and go hiking in the cloud forest. The cost per student is $2,000, which includes a $600 individual donation to Habitat for Humanity International. Students were encouraged to apply for grants from UC International and the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center to offset travel costs. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 25.

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program comprises the top seven percent of UC undergraduate students from across colleges and disciplines. University Honors focuses on unique and challenging academic and hands-on experiences that reflect the themes of community engagement, global study, leadership, research and the creative arts. 

Southeastern Kentucky – Seventeen honors students will learn about Appalachian culture as they work in partnership with the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) to build or rehabilitate homes for underserved residents. The group will stay in barracks style cabins with bunk beds. The cost of the trip is $350 per student, supported by a $125 honors grant. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 18 and return on March 23.

Study Abroad Academic Programs

Carl H. Lindner College of Business

Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium – Twenty-seven Kolodzik Business Scholars will build on skills and knowledge to do business in the European market. Students will take part in presentations, company visits and conversations with expatriates at multi-national firms. The trip will also connect students to UC’s European partner, Universite Catholique de Louvain, for an academic presentation and to meet Belgium students. The trip also includes a stop at Rosy Blue diamond traders in Antwerp, and company visits at uniquely Belgian industries – such as chocolate and beer. The trip costs $1,600 per student, offset by $400 per student in funding from Carl H. Lindner College of Business International Programs. Students will depart UC on March 15 and return on March 24.

Querétaro, Mexico – The Lindner College of Business joins the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Querétaro, Mexico to offer this intensive, four credit-hour international business elective for 20 students. Students learn first-hand through lectures, discussion with leading academic and professional experts, company visits and cultural sightseeing. Emphasis is given on how U.S. businesses operate in central Mexico and in particular on what it means to be a U.S. citizen working abroad. Students also gain an understanding of Mexican culture by living with a host family. The cost of the trip is $1,400, offset by $300 per student in funding from Carl H. Lindner College of Business International Programs. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 25.

Linz, Austria and Prague, Czech Republic – Twenty-four MBA students will take part in this graduate international seminar, coordinated by Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. The seminar gives students an essential perspective of the competencies required to do business in Europe, along with historical and cultural influences affecting business relationships. Students will attend academic lectures and company visits alongside Austrian peers. The cost of the trip is $2,400 per student. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 23.

Santiago, Chile – Ten MBA students will attend an international seminar hosted by Universidad del Desarrollo as they gain an understanding of the Chilean market. In an environment of regional uncertainty, Chile stands out due to the strength of its institutions, and its economic and social stability. The students will attend academic lectures, sightseeing and company visits focusing on fruit, wine and mining industries. Paxton Scholars attending the international seminar will work on a field project with the Santiago Office of Ohio National Financial Services. The cost of the trip is $2,400. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 23. 

University Honors Program

Paris, France – Fifteen honors students are taking part in this interdisciplinary seminar which explores the 21st century city of Paris. Students are comparing contemporary Paris – its citizens, culture and reality – with other cities, as the students reflect on their own attitudes toward urban life and travel. Students will visit major museums and monuments as well as explore contemporary architecture, art and music. The cost of the trip is $3,000 per student, offset by a $1,000 honors grant. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 24.

Rome, Italy – Twenty-one honors students will get a firsthand look at the art, architecture and music that they’ve been discussing in class. They’ll visit sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, Bernini’s colonnade, the Vatican Museum, Castle St. Angelo, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona (Bernini’s Fountains), Caravaggio’s Paintings, Mussolini’s Opera House, Villa Borghese, Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps and The Baths and Catacombs. The group will also take a day trip to Ostia Antica. The cost of the trip is $3,200 per student, offset by a $1,000 honors grant. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 25.

Trinidad – This honors course is examining how the landscapes in Trinidad have developed from its geologic origins to its occupation by humans some 7,000 years ago, to post-Columbian settlement and into the present day. The course is also examining how natural processes such as earthquakes, landslides, floods and extreme weather threaten the inhabitants of Trinidad. Ten honors students will travel to the region. The cost of the trip is $2,500, offset by an $800 honors grant. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 25.

Last fall, the University Honors Program was awarded $100,000 in UC2019 funding to support global study. With this additional funding, the University Honors Program (UHP) will offer 11 study abroad opportunities in 2011-12.  Raj Mehta, director of the University Honors Program, says that’s a two-fold increase in the number of programs offered since last year and a 10-fold increase from 2006-07.