UC Students Escape the Bitter Winter for Spring Break, but Plan Learning and Serving Over Surfing

University of Cincinnati students are looking ahead to escaping the record snows and record cold temperatures we’ve experienced this winter, but that doesn’t mean they’re staying in the lap of luxury over spring break. In fact, at least one trip in the planning will lead to warmer temperatures, but no hot water.

UC students are traveling to Africa, Europe, Central and South America and the Middle East over spring break the week of March 17.

Some trips involve a study abroad experience following coursework over winter semester. Other trips, many organized by students, will involve travel to impoverished regions to make the world a better place.

The UC Academic Master Plan sets a goal for 100 percent of UC’s undergraduates to participate in experiential learning, such as service learning and study abroad. The Office of the Provost reports that 44 percent of UC’s undergraduates, or 14,084 students, were involved in at least one experiential learning course during the 2012-13 academic year.

UC International awarded approximately $114,000 in scholarships to students participating in spring break programs involving a global study experience.

The University Honors Program for academically talented students received a total of $160,000 in Master Plan funding during the academic year to support overseas study. UC Honors aims to increase the percentage of its students in study abroad experiences to 75 percent.

Here’s a roundup of where students will be learning, serving and traveling over spring break:

Service Trips Organized by UC Student Organizations

The University of Cincinnati is home to more than 500 student organizations, with interests ranging from service, academic, athletic, ethnic/cultural, governance, honorary, political, professional and more.

Serve Beyond Cincinnati

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.

Guatemala

– SBC reports that six students will assist with building projects in partnership with Homes from the Heart, an organization dedicated to eliminating world poverty.  The students will be working outside Guatemala City. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return March 22. The cost of the trip is $1,850 per student.

Nicaragua

– Nine students will work in partnership with the organization, Amigos for Christ, to promote the development of clean water, health, education and economic development in rural Nicaragua. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return March 22. The cost of the trip per student is $1,900.

La Florida, Peru

– Seven students will travel to this community in the province of Cañete, Peru, to work in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing, an organization dedicated to alleviating substandard housing in the United States. The students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is $2,210 per student.

Lanett, Ala.

– Seven students will travel with Serve Beyond Cincinnati to work in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing. Duties will include building new homes or remodeling existing homes, with tasks involving hanging drywall, painting, demolishing walls, installing new floors, etc. The students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip per student is $350.

Americus, Ga.

– Seven students will work in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing as one of their continuing service trips. Serve Beyond Cincinnati last worked in the region over their December break from classes. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is $350 per student.

Webster Parish, La.

– Ten students will continue their work in this region in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing.  The organization last visited the area over the December break. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is $350 per student.

Atlantic City, N.J.

– This is Serve Beyond Cincinnati’s first trip to Atlantic City, in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing. Ten students will participate in the rebuilding effort following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.  Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip per student is $350.

Service Trips Organized by UC Campus Ministries

St. Monica-St. George

St. Monica-St. George is offering four spring break mission trips, meant to be experiences that offer students “the opportunity to go beyond their comfort zone to serve and be served.” Students will spend their break serving, praying and reflecting on their experiences as it relates to their faith. The application fee is $200 per student. Students are expected to participate in further fundraising efforts to make up the difference.

Chicago

– Five UC undergraduate students will stay at The Port Ministries in the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood of Chicago. They will spend their week serving the immigrant community. Part of their week will be serving at a Catholic Worker movement, visiting immigration court and participating in a prayer vigil outside an immigration detention center. They’ll depart on March 15 and return on March 22. The total cost of the trip is $300 per student.

St. Louis

– Four UC undergraduate students 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 15 and return on March 22. The total cost of the trip is $250 per student.

Spencer, W. Va.

– Six 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 mountaintop removal on the geography and the people.  They’ll depart on March 16 and return on March 22.  The total cost of the trip is $475 per student.

David, Ky.

– Five UC undergraduate students 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. They’ll depart on March 15 and return to Cincinnati on March 22.  The total cost of the trip is $375 per student.

Collegiate Ministry

Red Bank, N.J.

– A team of UC students and Collegiate Ministry leaders will travel to the Jersey Shores – the region ravaged by Hurricane Sandy – to continue efforts to dig out homes, remove ruined walls and assist with other construction and demolition. The group will be lodging at the First Baptist Church of Red Bank, N.J.  Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is $100 per student. Previously, this organization has traveled to the Gulf Coast to assist recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The group is working in partnership with the Union Beach Disaster Center, First Baptist Church of Red Bank and the American Baptist Convention of New Jersey.

Lutheran Campus Ministry at the Edge House

Boulder, Colo.

– Six students will take a pilgrimage that includes a retreat to the Rocky Mountains. The trip includes a visit to the House for All Sinners and Saints congregation in Denver to explore its eclectic and ancient liturgy. The students will also spend three days with the parks department cleaning up from the devastation of the floods in late 2013. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is approximately $330 per student.

CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ)

Panama City Beach, Fla.

– As many as 20 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 15 and return on March 22. The cost per student is $320.

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.

Lima and Cusco, Peru

– A group of 18 UC students will take part in a Learning and Serving in Peru program, in partnership with a number of nonprofit organizations that are working to improve environmental and social problems in Peru. Students will also visit cultural and historic sites, including visiting the city of Cusco and hiking in Machu Picchu, one of the seven modern wonders of the world. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 13 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip is $3,350 per student, offset by a $350 block grant provided to each student from UC International.

College of Medicine

Accra, Ghana

– Eleven students will get hands-on, real-world, applied learning experience, as they explore public health issues and infectious diseases in Ghana.

Students have spent the semester learning about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention/education, as well as tuberculosis in that country. The trip will be led by Jason Blackard, director of the Office of Global Health and faculty member within the UC College of Medicine. The students depart Cincinnati on March 13 and return on March 26. The cost of the trip is $3,200 per student.

College of Allied Health Sciences

Kingston, Jamaica

 – Seven students ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students will provide clinical service in the form of speech, language and literacy, social skills and hearing screenings for 3-to 5- year-old preschoolers. Two faculty members will accompany the students and provide clinical supervision. Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience in working with a group of culturally and linguistically diverse preschoolers and their parents. This education abroad opportunity will contribute to these speech-language students’ cultural competence, a critical feature in providing equitable services to young children. They will also conduct brief interviews with parents and caregivers about the children’s communication skills, building the child’s developmental profile. Students and faculty members will also tour the local sites in Jamaica. The cost of the trip is approximately $1,700 per student. CAHS is providing $5,000 in funding and the department contributed $2,000. Additional funding was also provided by the supervising faculty members. In addition, students received a UC International block grant for $300.

Granada, Nicaragua

– This trip is organized by a new physical therapy and dietetics program that began in January 2014. Working in partnership with the nongovernmental organization, Viva Nicaragua, UC students will observe physicians at the Palmira Health Clinic. They’ll work with the clinic’s health educator to produce posters and other materials and promote healthy messages to children in the community. Other students will plan and promote educational health programs to teens and young adults in the former squatter’s community of Solidaridad. Students will also educate the community on diabetes and nutrition. Eighteen students are taking the trip. The cost per student is $1,300, supported by a UC International grant of $300 for each student.

School of Social Work

Nicaragua

– Working in partnership with Viva Nicaragua, students will plan and promote educational health programs for teens and young adults in the former squatter’s community of Solidaridad. Students will work in three groups: a sports group for youth – using sports to promote healthy problem solving without violence and friendship; a teen group to discuss safe sex, healthy relationships, gender issues and domestic violence; and a group to work in the schools to promote emotional intelligence.  Eighteen social work students ranging from freshmen to graduate students will take the trip March 12-22. The cost per student is $1,500, supported by a UC International grant of $300 for each student.

Carl H. Lindner College of Business

New Delhi, Mysore, Goa, India

– Twenty students representing a wide range of majors spent the semester exploring the interplay of environment and globalization in the context of a global issue: restitution of trafficked girls. While in India, students will learn firsthand from social entrepreneurs who are making a difference through their social organizations. Students will outline marketing plans and fundraising opportunities for these nongovernmental organizations, as well as give voice to the rescued girls, organizations and the issues itself by creating short documentaries. The trip also includes a tour of historic places including the Taj Mahal, museums and markets. They depart Cincinnati on March 12 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip is $ 2,500 per student after support of $5000 grants from UC International.

Antigua, Guatemala

– LCOB and the UC Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (A&S) are offering a service-learning project with ImagininGuate, an organization serving the marginalized people of Guatemala. Twenty students representing a range of majors will interact with Guatemalans while building homes for three families. The trip also includes serving a hot meal at the Escuintla garbage dump and visiting a local school. The program ends with a visit to Lake Atitlan to enjoy Guatemala’s natural beauty. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is $1,700 after receiving a UC International grant of $350.

College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services/ UC African Students Association (UCASA)

Tanzania

– UCASA is a student organization that encourages volunteer and study abroad experiences in African countries while promoting educational, social and cultural awareness. Fourteen students, many of which are first-generation college students of immigrants from Africa, will participate in a service-learning experience led by Vanessa Allen Brown, a UC associate professor of education. Working in partnership with the Village Life Outreach Project, an organization founded by UC alumnus Chris Lewis (MD ’00), students will take part in a number of community service projects to gain an understanding of economic, social, political and health issues of Tanzania. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 13 and return on March 25. The cost of the trip is $3,800 per person.  

College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services/McNair Abroad Program

Quito and Otavalo, Ecuador

– A group of 19 students will work with a middle school in partnership with the Tandana Foundation to teach English as a second language, computer skills and arts and crafts. The students will also take trips to explore the traditions and heritage of this indigenous community. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is $2,200.

Domestic Trips

Clermont College

Portland, Ore.

– Twelve Clermont College students will tour a number of different businesses and meet with key business leaders, as they explore the diversity of cultures in the workplace and check into career opportunities. The trip will also include meetings with UC alums in Portland. Students are researching Cincinnati’s streetcar project before exploring Portland’s successful streetcar system. They will also research the Food Cart Industry in Portland to see if a similar system should be created in Cincinnati. Students depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 21. The cost of the trip is $875 per student.

African American Cultural and Resource Center

More than 30 undergraduate UC students will take part in the AACRC 6th annual spring break tour March 14-23. Among the stops on the Texas leg of the tour will be Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Jackson and Atlanta. Students will visit historical sites 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. The overall purpose of the spring break tour is designed to offer student engagement, student leadership, sustain UC legacy, cultivate student and staff learning and promote personal growth.

Study Abroad Academic Programs

Chiapas, Mexico

– Eleven students will get an intimate look at Southwest Mexico and the Mayan world, as they explore the San Cristobal court system, explore the workshops of local artisans, admire the colonial architecture and tour museums. Students will also practice their Spanish while staying with a local host family. Their trip will begin with a trip to the Palenque, the largest and most famous of the Mayan sites. The trip is led by Jeffrey Rubel, professor of paralegal studies for UC Clermont College. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip is $1,999 per student.

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program for academically talented students encompasses the top 7 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. The program serves students from every undergraduate college on campus. The program aims to increase the percentage of its students in study abroad experiences to 75 percent.

Amazonas, Brazil

– Twenty students in the University Honors Program will spend spring break on a boat that travels more than 600 miles along the Amazon River and the Rio Negro, as they explore firsthand the sustainability of tropical ecosystems. The Amazon River basin is one of the largest, intact, tropical ecosystems in the world. Student accommodations on the trip are simple, with no hot water. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 12 and return on March 22. Cost of the trip per student is approximately $3,500, with costs offset by support from the University Honors Program and UC International.

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

– Twenty UC students in the University Honors Program spent their Saturdays exploring books and reading in world societies, examining how ethnic, religious and national cultures have regarded the printed work, as well as the electronic book and emerging literacies in developing countries. In addition to exploring holdings in UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library along with documenting reading behaviors in the community, the students will also construct different book types before taking off for their study abroad experience. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 21. While in Edinburgh, a UNESCO-designated city of literature, their projects will include learning how oral literature becomes written, along with original research on the impact of contemporary social media on books and reading. The cost of the trip is $2,900 per student, with costs offset by support from the University Honors Program and UC International.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

– Sixteen honors students are discovering the creative roots of the Arab Spring through interviews and discussions with artists, musicians and poets, as they consider the ongoing struggle for voices to be heard in the Middle East. Students will visit the Dubai Art Fair over spring break, the leading contemporary art fair in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is $3,200, with costs offset by support from the University Honors Program and UC International.

Southeastern Kentucky

– Twenty honors students will explore Appalachian culture as they work in partnership with the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) to build or rehabilitate homes for underserved residents. The cost of the trip is $350 per student, offset by an Honors grant of $125. The group will depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 21.

College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning

Paris

– Eight students and two faculty members will spend a 10-day trip with the fashion design program’s fashion partners: Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratif (ENSAD) and Institut Francais du Mode (IFM). The tour will include visits to museums and fashion houses, as well as a firsthand look at French culture. Students depart Cincinnati on March 13 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is $3,400.

Carl H. Lindner College of Business (LCOB)

Toulouse, France; Barcelona, Spain

– Fourteen students, all juniors and seniors, will spend two weeks in France and one week in Spain as they learn about doing business with the European Union. The trip is in partnership with Toulouse Business School (TBS). Students will participate in intense business classes with their European peers at TBS, tour companies and go on cultural tours. They will live with host families during their stay in France. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 6 and return on March 28. Cost of the trip is $ 2,000 per student after receiving a UC International grant of $400 and a Lindner International Programs grant of $300.

London, Cambridge, United Kingdom

– Twenty finance majors will learn about financial management and real estate development in London, Europe’s financial capital. Students will visit companies and meet with the head of corporate strategy at Unilever’s world headquarters. The program also includes academic lectures at the University of Cambridge. Students depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is $1,750 per student after receiving a UC International grant of $350 and a Lindner International Business Programs grant of $150.

Paris and Nantes, France

– Twenty-three MBA and arts administration students will gain a perspective on corporate social responsibility and innovation in France. Students will visit a variety of industries including Unilever in Paris. They’ll attend academic lectures in Nantes as well as visit the historic monastery of Mont Saint- Michel. Graduate students will participate in classes with LCB’s partner institution – Audencia Nantes Ecole de Management. The cost per student is $550 plus airfare, following support of a UC International grant of $250 and LCB International Programs grant of $250. Students depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 22.

Paris and Toulouse, France

– 21 MS finance students will visit Paris and Toulouse, France, to study Euro financial issues, currency risk management, international equity markets and EU financial institutions. Company visits include GE, Airbus Industries, financial institutions and other manufacturers. The program is coordinated by the college’s French partner, Toulouse Business School. Students will also get some free time to tour Paris and visit important sites in and near Toulouse, including Saint Sernin, the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. The cost per student is $550 plus airfare following support from a UC international grant of $250 and LCB International Program grant of $250. Students depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 23.

Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium

– A group of 16 Kolodzik Business Scholars will travel to France and Belgium to learn about business in Europe. Presentations, company visits and conversations at multi-national firms will focus on marketing in the European Union. The program begins at INSEEC Business School in Paris to learn about luxury brand marketing. Next, the program moves to Brussels, Belgium, the administrative heart of the European Union, where visits focus on the importance of the European Union as a trading partner. Visits include an exchange with a marketing class at UCL Louvain School of Management, a visit with a UC alum at P&G Brussels and company visits at uniquely Belgian industries of chocolate and beer.  Students depart UC on March 13 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip is $1,800 per student following support of a $350 grant from UC International.   

Santiago, Chile

– Nineteen MBA students will study supply chain management, innovation and corporate social responsibility from the Chilean perspective. The college’s partner school, Universidad del Desarrollo, coordinates this international seminar, arranging lectures and company visits focusing on fruit, wine and public-sector programs, to encourage new business development. The cost of the trip is $550 plus airfare, following support from a LCB International Programs grant of $500. Students depart UC on March 14 and return on March 22.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oban, Scotland

– Students have learned the importance of global teamwork and cultural competence in the classroom setting and will now put to practice what they have learned.  Twelve UC students will travel to Scotland to meet peers at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh, plus visit engineering companies and organizations and cultural sites. Their tour will include the Falkirk Wheel, Cruachan Hydroelectric Power Station, Edinburgh Castle and St. Mungo’s Cathedral. Students depart Cincinnati on March 12 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip per student is $2,000.

McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S)

Costa Rica

– A group of three students in UC’s Department of Journalism will be traveling with a group of students from Walnut Hills High School. The UC students will observe and report on the high school students’ trip, as they learn about biodiversity, ecology and environmental threats in Costa Rica’s remote Osa Peninsula. The Osa Peninsula is home to Corcovado National Park, the largest virgin rainforest and one of the most important biological preserves in the Americas. The UC students will be writing and shooting photos and video to create multimedia stories for possible local publication. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 27 and return on April 3. Cost of the trip per student is $1,800.