On break, serving the community

A group of 14 students chose hammers and nails over beaches and bathing suits last week when they traveled to the Cherokee Nation, a Native American reservation in Oklahoma, for Intersession.

The group, coordinated by the Student Volunteer Council (SVC), spent the week reinforcing and weatherproofing an elderly Cherokee couple's house, break trip leader Karen Wolfgang '06 said. The house was "not built to last," Wolfgang said, and was in a state of disrepair.

"There were sink holes and exposed parts of the roof and walls," Nick Levy '07 said.

Students tore up the decaying wood, laid drywall, sided the house and put in a new metal roof.

Although it was "hard to get a handle on day-today life there," Wolfgang said, the volunteers found the people friendly and welcoming. After rebuilding the house, students had the opportunity to interact with the local residents and experience Cherokee culture.

"They brought in a Native American dancer and flute player for us," Levy said.

A Native American family also prepared a traditional dinner for the students.

Though some consider the trip to Oklahoma ambitious given the short time frame of Intersession, past groups routinely traveled out of the country during breaks.

The University prevented further international trips in 2001. "There was so much time spent traveling, and it cost a lot of money," said Daniella Gitlin '06, a break trip coordinator. "Also, with trips far away, there was no chance for continued involvement."

But this fall break, Gitlin was able to organize a trip to Mexico, where 16 volunteers built houses with Habitat for Humanity. She hopes for continued involvement in Mexico and potentially other international trips in the future.

Most SVC projects involve threeor four-day trips to places such as the St. Francis homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Philadelphia or the D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington, D.C.