Posters decorated with locations in and outside the country filled the Erickson Hall Kiva for the Alternative Spring Break party on Thursday evening.
The event was the kickoff for all of the Alternative Spring Break programs, international relations senior and site leader Sarah Pomeroy said.
Alternative Spring Break sends students on community service and volunteer trips during winter and spring breaks, according to its website.
“The most rewarding part (about Alternative Spring Break) is seeing that you made a difference,” Pomeroy said.
Some of the service areas include indigenous rights, disaster relief, disabilities, immigration and education.
Human biology sophomore Brian Grisdela said he plans to indulge himself in community service surrounding HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C., this coming 2011 spring break.
“I haven’t experienced anything like (Alternative Spring Break),” Grisdela said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
A week is a short time to coordinate service for such an epidemic issue, Grisdela said.
“Everyone probably will be very nice, but the challenge will be getting to know the people you go with in just one week and working in a team,” Grisdela said.
Unlike Grisdela, environmental biology and zoology junior Melissa Bizer is accustomed to the experience Alternative Spring Break provides.
She said she participated in a program in Kentucky last year. Not only was Bizer working in her field of study, she said it was a worthwhile experience helping better the environment.
“I worked clearing a field filled with invasive plant species during my trip,” Bizer said.
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