For UC Students, Spring Break Stretches Beyond The Beach

University of Cincinnati students and faculty are taking learning beyond the classroom as they come up on spring break the week of March 18. Itineraries are being finalized for learning, service and travel around the world. Many of the service-related trips are organized by UC’s student organizations, ranging from a trip to assist schoolchildren in Africa to continuing relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

The UC2019 Academic Master Plan sets a goal for 100 percent of UC’s graduates to participate in experiential learning.  The Academic Master Plan has delegated $4.25 million in targeted funding to enhance the student experience – including study abroad and the University Honors Program for academically talented students. The University Honors Program received a total of $160,000 in UC 2019 funding during the academic year to support overseas study.

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

UC Alternative Spring Break Trips

Service Trips Organized by UC Student Organizations

UC African Students Association (UCASA)

Cape Coast, Ghana

– A group of five UC students will offer service in partnership with ProWorld, an international service organization. On their trip, they’ll volunteer in pre-kindergarten classes and assist children with their homework and daily lessons. They’ll also provide the schoolchildren with school supplies. The group departs Cincinnati on March 16 and returns March 24. The total cost of the trip is $3,500 per student. The trip supports UCASA’s goals of encouraging volunteer and study abroad experiences in African countries while promoting educational, social and cultural awareness.

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.

El Salvador

– Four-to-six students are planning to assist building projects in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that is dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. Students also plan some sightseeing on this service break. The cost of the trip is $1,500 per student.

Guatemala

– SBC reports that 10 students will assist with building projects in partnership with Homes from the Heart, an organization dedicated to eliminating world poverty.  They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip is approximately $1,500 per student.

Mexico

– A small group of students will join building projects for children’s homes in partnership with Back2Back Ministries, an international Christian nonprofit organization that is dedicated to being a voice for orphans. Students depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $1,500.

Chinandega, Nicaragua

– Between six-and-eight students are planning a trip to support building projects in partnership with Amigos for Christ, a Christian community development organization. Students depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip is approximately $1,500 per student.

Haiti

– Between six-and-11 students will be traveling to the region that remains devastated from the January, 2010 earthquake. Students will assist on construction projects. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $1,500.

Americus, Ga.

– Ten students will assist housing construction projects in partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $300.

Spartanburg, S.C.

– Up to ten students are planning to assist on housing construction projects. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $300.

Atlantic City, N.J.

– Up to 11 students are planning to support housing construction projects. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $300.

Service Trips Organized by UC Campus Ministries

St. Monica-St. George

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.” Students will spend their break serving, praying and reflecting on their experiences as it relates to their faith.

St. Louis

–Three 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 Cincinnati on March 16 and return to Cincinnati on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is $200.

Spencer, W.Va.

– Eight UC undergraduate students and a UC alum will spend the week at the Appalachian Catholic Worker, located in a rural setting in 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 16 and return on March 22. The cost of the trip per student is $350.

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 and learning about the effects of mountaintop removal (strip mining) on the geography and the people. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is $400.

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 16 and return on March 23. He cost per student is $299.

Mumbai, India

– Four students will represent CRU on a trip filled with cultural and educational experiences. They will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $2,000.

Collegiate Ministry

Union Beach, N.J.

– A team of 20 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 16 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip is $125 per student. Previously, this organization has traveled to the Gulf 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

Athens, Ohio

– Students will be “getting their hands dirty in service to others” as they work at the Good Earth Farm – an organic farm run by a Christian international community that has contributed thousands of pounds of fresh produce to food banks in that area. Students will be preparing fields for planting and also tending farm animals. The group of 15 students departs Cincinnati on March 17 and returns on March 23. Cost of the trip is $50 per student.

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.

College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH)

Belize

– A new course that was open to all UC undergraduate and graduate students – developed with the support of a UC International faculty grant – will lead 20 students to Belize over spring break to analyze the health needs of that region and examine the cultural practices and beliefs that impact health services and behaviors in Belize. Students in the course, “Health Education in Belize” will visit health clinics, drug education programs, schools, the Ministry of Health and the University of Belize. Students depart Cincinnati on March 16 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $1,860. Many students received UC International grants ranging from $400 to $1,000.

UC Blue Ash College (UCBA)

Terre-de-Bas, Guadeloupe

– Eight students have spent the semester exploring the poverty, health and education on the French island. In partnership with VISIONS, students will provide service to the community that includes working with medicinal gardens, local schools and rebuilding infrastructure. Students depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip per student is approximately $3,000, supported by UC International grants ranging from $400 to $1,000, and $5,000 in scholarship funding from the UCBA Office of the Dean.

Carl H. Lindner College of Business (LCOB)

New Delhi, Mysore (Cincinnati’s sister city) and Goa, India

– Twenty-one students – representing a wide range of majors – spent the semester exploring the challenges and opportunities of India’s economy.  Students are developing business models for a non-governmental organization that rehabilitates girls rescued from the sex trade. Students are developing marketing and web-based strategies to assist the organization. Students also will visit women entrepreneurs in Delhi and Mysore. The trip also includes a tour of historic places including the Taj Mahal, museums and markets. They depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 25. The cost of the trip is $2,800 per student.

San Marcos, Guatemala

– LCOB and the UC Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (A&S) are offering a service-learning project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program. Eighteen students will develop a cross-cultural understanding with a local community in Guatemala, as the students build homes and visit sustainable development projects involving women and girls. The trip also will include a visit to an elementary school and a hike to a cloud forest. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return on March 24. The cost of the trip per student is $2,100, which includes a $600 donation to Habitat for Humanity International. Costs for the trip were also offset by UC International grants and funding from UC’s Taft Scholarship Fund.

School of Social Work

Nicaragua

– Working in partnership with the agency, Viva Nicaragua, students will observe physicians at the Palmira Health Clinic, 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. Seventeen students are taking the trip. The cost per student is $1,300, supported by UC International grants ranging from $400 to $1,000.

Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, College of Allied Health Sciences (CAHS)

Kingston, Jamaica

– Five graduate students will provide clinical service in the form of speech, language and hearing assessments for children between the ages of 3 and 6. Students will gain experience and skills in working with children who speak languages and dialects other than mainstream English. They will also conduct brief interviews with parents and caregivers about their child’s communication skills. The group will also tour the local sites in Jamaica. The cost of the trip is approximately $1,700 per student. CAHS is providing $7,500 in funding and the department contributed $1,000. In addition, students received UC International grant funding ranging from $400 to $1,000.

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program comprises 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.

Shirati, Tanzania

– Students are considering humanitarianism, social responsibility and the principles of design as they create and implement projects to have a positive impact on communities in need. Students are working with the Cincinnati-based nonprofit, Village Life Outreach, as they look ahead to assisting three villages in rural Tanzania. The group of 10 students departs Cincinnati on March 14 and returns on March 25. The cost of the trip is $4,200 per student, offset by a $1,000 honors grant and a $650 grant from UC International.

Shirati, Tanzania

– In another honors experience, students have spent spring semester taking part in a “journalism boot camp,” as they plan a documentary with the support of Village Life Outreach (VLO). The group of 10 students will meet with village leaders, workers and VLO representatives to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the values and the cultures of Tanzania. The group departs Cincinnati on March 14 and returns on March 25. The cost of the trip per student is $4,200, offset by a $1,000 honors grant and a $650 grant from UC International.

Southeastern Kentucky

– Ten 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, supported by a $125 honors grant. The group will depart Cincinnati on March 17 and return on March 22.

Study Abroad Academic Programs

University Honors Program

Dublin, Ireland

– Nineteen honors students have been studying materials housed in UC’s Archives & Rare Books Library and have done field research in Cincinnati as they prepared for this spring break trip to Dublin – in an examination of how cities have been portrayed over the centuries by artists, writers, photographers, filmmakers and cartographers. Students will tour the St. Stephens Green and Merrion Open Air Art weekly show, as well as the Irish National Museum, the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College and the Book of Kells Exhibition. They’ll also visit the Wicklow Mountains and County Kildare. Cost of the trip is $2,800 per student, supported by a $700 grant from the University Honors Program. The group departs Cincinnati on March 16 and returns on March 23.

Paris

– Fourteen honors students are taking part in an interdisciplinary seminar which explores the 21st century city of Paris. Students will get a firsthand look over spring break as they explore the city’s citizens, culture and realities. The trip will include tours to major museums and monuments as well as a trip to Versailles. The cost of the trip per student is $3,400, offset by a $1,000 honors grant and a $550 UC International grant. The group departs Cincinnati on March 16 and returns on March 24.

Québec, Canada

– Students will explore the province’s French heritage and its current culture, as they examine how this French-speaking region in an English-speaking country affects its art, history, architecture, economy, politics and fashion. The group of five students departs Cincinnati on March 15 and returns on March 23. Cost of the trip is $1,600 per student, offset by a $900 honors grant and $300 grant from UC International.

Havana 

– Students will explore Havana’s music and dance scenes and visit the old haunts of Ernest Hemingway, as they explore the culture of the Western Hemisphere’s second-most populous island. The group of nine students departs Cincinnati on March 15 and returns on March 23. Cost of the trip is $1,600 per student, offset by a $900 honors grant and $300 grant from UC International.

College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS)

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oban, Scotland

– Students have spent spring semester in a virtual classroom with students at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. Fourteen UC students will travel to Scotland to meet in person with their peers, plus visit engineering companies and organizations and cultural sites. Their tour will include the Falkirk Wheel, Hydroelectric Power Station, Edinburgh Castle and St. Mungo’s Cathedral. Students depart Cincinnati on March 14 and return on March 23.The cost of the trip per student is $2,500, supported by UC International grants ranging from $400-$1,000.

College of Medicine

Accra, Ghana

– Twelve students spent the semester preparing for a 12-day study tour of Ghana that will focus on public health, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Students will meet with health workers and will visit the University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana School of Public, the National Population Council, UNAIDS, and the National Tuberculosis Control Programme. They’ll depart Cincinnati on March 13 and return on March 25. The cost of the trip is $3,500, supported by UC International grants ranging from $400 to $1,000.

School of Social Work

London

  – Twenty students, in partnership with London Metropolitan University, will explore child welfare and adoption issues I the United Kingdom and compare and contrast those policies and practices with the United States. Students will depart Cincinnati on March 15 and return o March 24. The cost of the trip is $2,800 per student, supported by UC International grants ranging from $400-$1,000.

Carl H. Lindner College of Business (LCOB)

Paris, and Brussels, Belgium

– A group of 15 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 at multi-national firms. The program begins in Paris, where visits include Unilever and the US Embassy Commercial Services Office. Mid-week, 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 academic presentation at a local university and company visits at uniquely Belgian industries of chocolate and beer.  Students depart UC on March 14 and return on March 23. The cost is $2,120 per student.

Santiago, Chile

– Twenty MBA and MS 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. Students attend academic lectures, sightseeing and company visits focusing on fruit, wine, and mining industries. Students will work with Cincinnati-based Kroger on field projects of strategic interest to the company.  Students depart UC on March 15 and return on March 23. The cost of the trip is $1,300 per student.   

Other U.S. Spring Break Study

Atlanta 

– Nearly two-dozen student members of the UC Career Development Center’s ADVANCE program will travel to Atlanta as part of the Spring Break Corporate Excursion –"The Professional Students' Spring Break" – from March 16-23. The trip will provide networking opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds as they meet with corporate executives of Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, government-related agencies, and minority-owned businesses. This year, ADVANCE has coordinated a joint partnership with the Black Business Students Association (BBSA) and Business Fellows. The cost of the trip is $400 per student. The University Funding Board has provided some financial support to offset the students’ cost of the trip.

Charleston/Hilton Head, S.C.

– Twelve students in the University Honors Program will travel to the region to explore its ecology and culture described in the books of popular novelist Pat Conroy. The group will visit sites such as Daufuskie Island and tour Savannah, the nation’s “most haunted city.” The cost per trip is $1,400 per student, offset by a $700 honors grant.