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March 3, 2000
In just a few weeks, a big wave is going to cover the beach -- the
wave of college students celebrating the end of winter finals and
the beginning of spring break. This week's University of
Cincinnati e-briefing reveals where many students are spending
their spring break as well as why many are traveling to regions
that don't promise sun and sand.
Table of contents
1. Spring Break's a beach
A. Hot spots for upperclassmen: Cancun, South Beach
(Miami), Bahamas, while younger students target Ft. Lauderdale,
Daytona and Panama City
2. Spring Break risks
A. Why the party factor endures
B. Students: don't break away
C. Travel tips
D. Saving face
3. The Alternative Spring Break
A. Breaking with tradition
1. UC itinerary
B. Motivations:
1. Accomplishments that last longer than a tan
2. Learning while serving
3. Experience good for education, resume
4. Connecting the dots: a student perspective
4. Cultural exchanges
A. Going global
B. Breaking with modern tradition, going with medieval
tradition
C. Bus tour of the South
1. Spring Break's a beach
A. HOT SPOTS
UC student activities board president Heath Trostle predicts
Cancun will be the number one hot spot for UC juniors and
seniors, judging from what he's hearing on campus. When UC's
spring break begins March 20, he says older students will also
migrate to South Beach in Miami, and some will travel to the
Bahamas. Other students, including freshmen and sophomores, tend
to head toward Fort Lauderdale, Daytona and Panama City. contact:
513-961-0900
2.Spring Break Risks
A. WHY THE PARTY FACTOR ENDURES
Larry Anthony, coordinator, UC Addiction Studies, says that
though public service campaigns and highly publicized crackdowns
on drunk driving mean greater awareness of the consequences
of alcohol use and abuse, young adults still binge. "They tell
themselves, 'I have worked very hard for two quarters, and by
gosh, I deserve to go out and have a few.'" Despite hangovers and
nausea, students want to experience what they perceive as fun
because they feel they deserve to let off some steam. contact:
Larry Anthony. 513-556-9196
B. STUDENTS: DON'T BREAK AWAY
Rani Varghese, UC Women's Advocacy program coordinator and sexual
assault response coordinator, warns that students on Spring Break
should stick together, staying in groups whenever possible. In
addition, she tells students to pay attention to their
environment and keep close tabs on beverages which may be
targeted for date rape drugs. "Avoid secluded places, listen
to...intuition and trust yourself." Varghese cited the following
statistics: 84 percent of sexual assaults are acquaintance or
date rapes. On average, 75 percent of men and 55 percent of women
involved in date rape had been drinking or using drugs. contact:
Rani Varghese, 513-556-4401 or 513-556-0173
C. TRAVEL TIPS
Jennifer Ledonne, community outreach coordinator, AAA Cincinnati,
recommends the following for students:
Driving: While driving, stay alert and trust your
instincts. Never pick up hitchhikers, or stop
to help someone on the road. Call for help for them instead. If
another auto bumps your car, pull
over to inspect the damage in a public place, such as a fire or
police station, in order to avoid
carjackers. Pack an emergency kit which includes a flashlight,
flares, jumper cables, fire
extinguisher and a first-aid kit. Keep the gas tank full, doors
locked, windows rolled up and safety
belts buckled. Make stops only in well lighted, heavily populated
areas.
Flying: Pack valuables such as money, camera, and
identification in carry-on luggage. Clearly mark all luggage.
Pack a change of clothes in the carry-on bag in case of flight
delays or lost luggage. Claim baggage quickly once you reach your
destination.
Hotels: Keep valuables in the hotel safe. Keep entry and
balcony doors closed and locked, using chains and deadbolts.
Always use the peephole before answering the door. If you go out,
tell others in your group where you're going and when you'll be
back. contact: Jennifer Ledonne, 513-762-3356
D. SAVING FACE
UC Wellness Center Director Kirsten Lupinski reminds students
they need to pack their sun screen with the recommended SPF of 15
or above. Lupinski says an SPF of 30 should be used on the face.
Students may want to get a fast tan, but Lupinski says it takes
only one severe sunburn to drastically increase the chance of
skin cancer later in life. Students going for the ultimate tan
will also increase their wrinkle rate as they get older.
contact: Kirsten Lupinski, 513-556-6124
3. The Alternative Spring Break
A. BREAKING WITH TRADITION
Dan McCabe, director of Break Away: the Alternative Break
Connection, a service-learning network of more than 200
non-profit organizations and 57 chapter schools, reports that
4,000 college students from those 57 member schools will spend
their Spring Break helping those in need. He said the
alternative Spring Break of service is "growing by leaps and
bounds." He added that more students are also serving on weekends
and over long holidays like Thanksgiving. contact: Dan McCabe,
202-265-1200 ext 110
1. UC itinerary of service
a. A group of 14 UC students will travel to Matamoros,
Mexico to refurbish a church. Team leader: M.J. Woeste, graduate
student, UC Community Service Programs, 513-556-1559
b. UC's Habitat for Humanity is taking 20 students to
Miami, Florida, to frame new houses. contact: Tim Overly,
president, UC Habitat for Humanity, 513-961-6601
c. Students with the Christian Appalachian Project will
travel to McCreary County in eastern Kentucky to work on homes in
the region. The work includes repairs, expansion, drywalling and
re-roofing homes. contact: Matt George, 513-556-1559
d. Student members of Campus Crusade for Christ will offer
services in New York's inner city. Up to 13 UC students will
tutor children and work in soup kitchens. contact: Julie Graham,
campus director, Campus Crusade for Christ,
513-290-4727
B. MOTIVATIONS
1. GOING FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT LAST LONGER THAN A TAN
M.J. Woeste, a graduate student in UC's Community Service
Programs: "The alternative spring break gives students something
that lasts a lot longer than a tan. It's not what you do. It's
not the work...Instead, it's what happens inside of you when you
work with people. It's a weeklong experience...that can make a
lifetime difference. Students have changed majors after they've
taken these trips." This year, Woeste and a group of 14 UC
students will travel to Matamoros, Mexico, to refurbish a church.
contact: 513-556-1559
2. LEARNING WHILE SERVING
Paul Sittason Stark of the Wesley Foundation United Methodist
Student Center who will also serve in Matamoros, Mexico, says
each journey to a different land, each exposure to a different
culture, has an impact. "I enjoy seeing the similarities in all
of us...and the change that happens in us after seeing the need
in other places. I always feel like I walk away with more than I
ever left, just with the insight and the things I learn from
people in different circumstances." contact: Paul Stark
513-861-2929
3. EXPERIENCE GOOD FOR EDUCATION, RESUME
Terry Bullock, associate dean, academic affairs, UC's University
College, thinks the trend toward community service helps students
apply the skills learned in the classroom out in the world. The
experience also looks good on a resume as graduates begin the
search for a job. contact: 513-556-1643
4. CONNECTING THE DOTS: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
M.J. Woeste, graduate student, UC Community Service Programs,
tries to put it all in perspective and encourage students to opt
for alternative Spring Breaks by repeating a scenario he's heard:
"Picture 100 dots on a piece of paper. That's 100 percent of the
population. Now, take away 50 percent: the percentage of people
starving or malnourished. Take away another 20 percent: those
who have no access to clean water. Subtract another 20 percent:
the people who have no safe shelter and haven't had a warm meal
in the past 24 hours. Out of the last ten percent, take away
four percent: the people who are functionally illiterate. Take
away another five percent: the percentage of people that never
had a chance to get a college education, and the people who are
in dead-end jobs. Then, there's the one percent: the people like
us, who have shelter, a warm meal and a college education. The
world is not about what we take so seriously. Service learning
can open our eyes." contact: 513-556-1559
4. Cultural exchanges
A. GOING GLOBAL
Faculty, graduate students and graduates from UC's Center for
English as a Second Language (ESL) are packing up for Brno, Czech
Republic, to develop a partnership with Masaryk University during
Spring Break. UC students and their international colleagues
will work together to develop curricula for a future dual track
program. One track would provide experience for students who
want to teach English to immigrants in the United States or to
international students learning English as their second language.
Another would train UC graduates who would like to spend time
overseas teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). Mary
Benedetti, associate education professor and director of UC's ESL
Center, says the dual track program is expected to open by 2001.
The expanding program will also offer a TEFL certificate which
would make students with a degree in another field minimally
proficient in second language teaching, enabling them to spend
some time teaching English overseas before committing to their
career in the United States. contact: Mary Benedetti,
513-556-2817
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