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April 13, 2006

ULM students participate in Extreme Spring Break

More than 165 students from eight area institutions, including the University of Louisiana at Monroe, will sacrifice part of their spring break to build homes in hurricane-ravaged areas of Louisiana April 19-23.

Extreme Spring Break will include three full days of working with Habitat for Humanity in Hammond, Abita Springs and Lake Charles.

Volunteering is an essential part of one’s education, said Kyle Gallman, president of ULM’s Student Government Association.

“I think it is an excellent opportunity for students to gain service learning experience. Service learning provides perspective and insight that one may not gain in the classroom or from reading a textbook. The Extreme Spring Break Event also provides a chance for students to give a little to those who have lost so much.

Dr. Sally Clausen, UL System president, said Extreme Spring Break is part of a system-wide emphasis on community service.  “Our universities are building service activities into their curricula and studies.  For example, in addition to the spring break initiative, our students are volunteering in schools, teaching adults to read, helping protect the environment, tutoring young children, administering health screenings and serving in other ways that extend beyond our campuses.”

The intensive service program includes students, faculty and staff in the UL System’s eight universities and was organized primarily by Student Government Association (SGA) presidents in conjunction with their universities and UL System staff.

Other participating universities include Grambling State, Louisiana Tech, McNeese, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The participants will stay in locations that served either as shelters for evacuees or as housing for relief workers during the two hurricanes.  In addition to construction work, the participants will:

• Hear a presentation by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Ozier Muhammad who covered Hurricane Katrina for The New York Times (Southeastern location)
  
  
• Complete the first course offered by the Red Cross for “disaster certification” and have opportunities to complete the training when they return home
  
  
• Talk about their team-based work and write about their experiences in personal journals
  
  
• Respond to a survey that gauges their experiences and attitudes
  

The campuses of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond and McNeese State University in Lake Charles will serve as host sites.

Major partners and sponsors of Extreme Spring Break include Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Louisiana Campus Compact, The New York Times, and Wal-Mart, which has contributed food, supplies and $5,000 to help offset costs at Southeastern.

Rusty Jabour of the University of Louisiana System office contributed to this report.

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