Thursday, February 24, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 5
Spring Break Edition
Alternative Spring Break trips offer rewards
Students on last year's Alternative Spring Break trip take a break from their day's work in Kirtland, Ohio. Back: Regina Polok, Alexis Jones, Genevieve Barba, Ginny Ramseyer, Sarah Schreck, Emily Nelson, Cody Walters, Sarah Smarsh. Front: Anna Williams, Robert Richards. Contributed Photo
Students volunteer at service projects across the country
By Michael Sudhalter Kansan correspondent
Spring break usually is a time when students have fun in a warm climate or return home for a weeklong break from the rigors of university life.
However, KU students participating in the Alternative Spring Break program are looking forward to volunteering for projects at sites across the country.
"We have groups traveling to 14 different sites across the United States for this program," said program director Shelly Walston, Wichita junior.
The programs include working at homeless shelters and soup kitchens and on nature conservation and health projects. To participate in the trip, students must take a course called University Projects in the Community, which meets once a week.
E. J. Reedy, Topeka junior, was codirector of last year's Alternative Spring Break trips. He went on the trip to the Center for Creative Non-Violence in Washington, D.C., the nation's largest homeless shelter.
"We had 10 people in our group, and we worked all around Washington, D.C. helping at a soup kitchen and caring for the children of welfare mothers," he said.
Reedy said he remembered his interaction with the people staying at the homeless shelter.
"It seemed scary at first to stay at a homeless shelter, but we interacted with the people there, playing cards with them at night," he said.
His freshman year, Reedy went on an Alternative Spring Break trip to the Cleveland area, where his group worked on projects for
the environment.
"We did beach clean-up along Lake Erie and took a group of inner-city kids to see a farm area," he said.
Reedy said that his spring break experiences were exciting and rewarding but that he decided not to participate in this year's program because he wanted other students to have similar experiences.
Loretta Wyrick, Emporia junior,
will supervise the trip to Tahlequah.
Okla., for the Cherokee Nation Head Start project. The group will help the children in the classrooms and work on building maintenance. This will be Wyrick's second year to work with the Head Start program.
"I think that the Alternative Spring Break program is eye-opening, and you feel like you gained something when you get back to KU." said Wyrick.
She said the trip was very mean.
ingful to all of the participants.
"We had a great experience last year where we learned a lot about Cherokee culture and helped educate young children," she said.
In addition to the KU students participating in this year's Head Start trip, three Lawrence High School students and one Free State High School student will volunteer.
"The Alternative Spring Break program teaches the students a lot about our country and a lot about ourselves," Wyrick said.
Alternative Spring Break sites
Maggie Curry / KANSAN
Jessica Risley,
Lawrence sophomore,
and Tara Budetti,
Overland Park senior,
prepare food at a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C.
last spring.
Contributed photo
March 6,2000
Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union
Lawrence, Kansas
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
"LEARNING TO HEAR THE STORIES A WORKSHOP ON ORAL HISTORY AND TRADITIONS
Leonard Bruguier—University of South Dakota
Deborah Dahlman
Don Fixico-University of Kansas
Deborah Dandridge—University of Kansas
Residency—University of Kansas
Charles I. Haddix—UMKC, KCUR-FM
Kim Lacy Rogers—Dickinson College, Pennsylvania
Kim Lacy Rogers - Dickinson College
James Stevens - Haskell Indian Nations University
James Stevens—Haskell Indian Nations University
Rowena Stewart—American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
William Turtle-University of Kansas
The Workshop is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided to those registering by February 28th.
jerrv W. Ward, Jr.-Tougaloo College, Mississippi
MODERATORS: MaryEmma Graham, Bud Hirsch, and Tom Lewin
WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ORAL HISTORY AND ORAL TRADITIONS RECLAIMING TRADITIONS: NATIVE AMERICAN ORAL HISTORY HOW TO GET THE REAL STORY I: CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE SOUTH HOW TO GET THE REAL STORY II: KANSAS AND MIDWEST WRAP-UP: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
To register please call or email
785-864-4798
hallcntr@ukans.edu
REGISTRATIONS MUST INCLUDE YOUR
NAME, ADDRESS, AND PHONE MUMBER
Hosted by the Hall Center University of Kansas