| | Courtesy of Rose Dudgeon | | Senior Quiana Pollock plays with a child on the Ecuador Alternative Spring Break trip. |
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Three years ago, as an undecided freshman, Michael Eizyk knew he had to do something that would put everything into perspective and have a profound impact on his time at Ohio State. That winter, Michael decided to participate in Alternative Spring Break.
"It came at a really good time for me," said Eizyk, a junior in world literatures. "Taking that week to do service really helped me realize what I wanted to do."
Alternative Spring Break, which is held during the university's spring break, is a substance-free program that focuses on community service and building relationships between students.
"Our mission is to send students on trips that will help them learn about different social issues," said Cristen Porter, coordinator of community service for the Ohio Union. "When the students return, we hope that they take what they learn and apply it to the Columbus community."
Alternative Spring Break is a part of the Alternative Breaks Program that is planned by the Students Engaged in Responsible Volunteerism (SERV) Team and is partly funded by the Student Activity fee. This year, about 400 students applied to participate in ASB.
Of the 400 applicants, 135 students were given spots on the 14 different trips. Porter said the number of applicants continues to grow because of the low cost students pay to go on a week-long trip.
"What makes our program so neat is that the low cost of the trips makes it accessible to all types of students," Porter said.
The trips cost between $150 and $300 for all domestics trips. "We also try to offer students some financial aid options if they are having a hard time paying for their trip," she said.
The 14 spring break trips also include one international trip to Ecuador, a trip sponsored by the First Year Experience and seven new service locations.
Students who participated in Alternative Spring Break this year had their choice of several service locations ranging from Denver, New York and Tampa Bay.
Michael Eizyk participated in three alternative break trips before becoming one of the student coordinators for the program. "I've seen the value of participating in a service based trip, and I wanted to give other students that same opportunity," he said.
Eizyk also said that participating in the Alternative Spring Break program gave him the opportunity to form a bond with a diverse group of students.
"The whole point of the program is to go out there and have a totally new experience," he said. "It's really hard to find time during the quarter to perform service, but having a week set aside for it really allows you to focus and learn about what you doing."
The Alternative Spring Break program also offers alternative winter and summer breaks.
Nicole Staples can be reached at staples.25@osu.edu.
2008 Woodie Awards
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