Feb. 8, 2000
Contact: Mary Bridget Reilly
513-556-1824
mary-bridget.reilly@uc.edu

UC CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE STUDENTS BUILD A FOLLOWING
AMONG LOCAL SCHOOLCHILDREN

Cincinnati -- When UC College of Applied Science (CAS) student Chance Truemper, 21, recently walked into an elementary classroom at St. Paul Lutheran school in Oakley, one sixth grader immediately hopped up, ran over and gave him a big hug.

"There's no way you can put into words how it feels when the kids give you a hug, Truemper stated when remembering that moment.

It's these hugs that have brought Truemper back for a second round of teaching as part of an ongoing partnership between CAS' construction science department and Junior Achievement in which the UC students volunteer with JA. The partnership began in the fall of 1998 as a pilot program to help local elementary students learn about the city and about careers in construction. The unusual partnership has flourished, reaching about 1,500 local elementary students so far, according to Liss Van Zoest, JA senior district manager.

Most of the CAS student volunteers -- about 45 in all -- have led local third graders in lessons titled "Our City" in which they build cardboard skyscrapers and make plastic city maps to gain a better understanding of commercial vs. residential life as well as a better understanding of the construction industry.

Some, like Truemper, have come back for more, leading older elementary students in lesson titled "Our Nation" and "Our World" that progressively build on the earlier material. Currently, Truemper, a 1996 graduate of Upper Arlington High School (Upper Arlington, Ohio), is leading his students in lessons about import/export and how countries cooperate with one another in business. "Lessons" have consisted of a scavenger hunt for "resources" as well as puzzles in which students, representing different countries, find they do not have all the correct pieces to assemble a puzzle. They must trade for the pieces they need.

"The kids get a lot out of it, and so do I," explained Truemper. "It's so rewarding. They're so eager to learn, and this is material they wouldn't otherwise get."

The CAS/JA partnership is one of the few JA programs to use college students instead of working professionals to provide young students a new perspective on the world, and Van Zoest credits the UC students with its success. "Over 60 CAS students have trained, and 46 have volunteered in 70 classrooms in about 30 schools. These students are the most reliable volunteers I have. They always show up. I think this speaks highly of them and of the program at UC," she said.

George Suckarieh, professor of construction science and faculty coordinator of the program, was eager to work with JA from the beginning. The students, he said, are encouraged to talk about their own studies and their cooperative education assignments, all in an effort to dispel the image of the construction industry as a haven for roughnecks.

For Suckarieh, the program also represents another opportunity for the department and college to support the local community. Past projects construction science students have aided with include building a bridge for a local nature trail and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.