Emilie Scardilla wanted to do something meaningful over Spring Break, so the freshman international relations major applied to join a bus full of students traveling together for a common cause. And this time, it’s not for a basketball game.

The Office of Residence Life will bring 44 Syracuse University students to Washington, D.C. from March 8-14 for its sixth annual Alternative Spring Break. The students will spend the week engaged in direct service projects, which include serving food to the hungry and sorting clothes for the homeless.

George Athanas, assistant director for the Office of Residence Life, said that this trip is a great opportunity for students who can’t volunteer during the year because of busy schedules. During the trip, the students will work at a new site every day with various organizations, including D.C. Central Kitchen, Food & Friends, Martha’s Table and Capital Area Food Bank.

“That is what’s so unique about this,” Athanas said. “Instead of working with just one nonprofit organization, the students have the chance to work with several.”

The students, who will be staying at a hostel for seven nights, had to have applied for the trip by mid-December. More than 170 students applied for the 44 positions.

One of the highlights of the trip, Athanas added, is a community dinner that will host anyone who is hungry. The students, acting as waiters, will serve the meal to the “guests” and sit down to engage them in conversation.

Scardilla said these conversations are the most rewarding aspect about the trip.

“We’re not just helping them through another source,” Scardilla said. “We’re directly talking to the people, getting to know them and seeing what their needs are, and this personal communication makes it more enjoyable.”

She also said she is looking forward to bonding with the other people going on the trip, including the student mentors.

Student mentors are participants who attended the trip the previous year. The mentors will each take a group of six or seven students under their wing, bringing them to the sites and helping them throughout the duration of the trip.

Olivia McVoy, a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major, is one of these student mentors. She described her participation in last year’s trip as “the most life-changing experience” she has had at SU, and said she wants to be able to help students have an incredible time just as she did.

“The trip opened my eyes to how even though differences may seem big, when you try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who is homeless or hungry, the differences are very few,” McVoy said. “You learn to connect with people on such a human and basic level, and you learn so much about yourself and others.”

Kaity Werner, Lawrinson Hall’s residence director, was part of the committee that predominantly planned the trip. She describes it as “something that we (at ORL) don’t want to see go away.”

“It’s been a long process that our department has been challenged by because at the same time it’s not our typical job description,” she said, “but it’s something that we are passionate about and we see value in, so I know all the logistical work and the planning will definitely pay off.”

Werner, who is going on the trip for the first time, said she is excited and honored to go on this trip because of her passion for service. She added that it’s hard for SU students to get off the hill, and that the trip provides them with the opportunity to do something away from campus.

Said Werner: “People think of Washington, D.C. as a place for politicians or business people and even just a tourist destination. It’s great to take students there and see the juxtaposition of their impression of D.C. and what’s really happening on the streets.”

Published on March 6, 2014 at 1:09 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu