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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 2001)
28 students help instead of party ■ Spring break gives a group of students the chance to volunteer in the poor communities of Mexico By Beata Mostafavi Oregon Daily Emerald Sophomore Stacie Long watched some of her friends chat excitedly about their expensive spring break ventures and newly purchased clothes, and it hurt her to listen to some of their vacation story-swapping. Long spent her own break in Mexico, but not to find cheap bar gains or sip margaritas on the beach. Instead, she and other stu dents volunteered their time to help one of the country’s poor communities. After spending time with or phans who did not have shoes or hot meals, who went to school where they sat on tarps instead of desks, and who had deformities in their backs from pesticides in the country’s crops, Long’s “broke” college life suddenly seemed lux urious and her consumer habits appeared excessive, she said. Seven students from the Inter varsity Christian Fellowship, and 21 from the St. Thomas More Newman Center, shared Long’s ex perience when they traveled to the city of Vicente Guerrero over break for separate mission services to the poverty-stricken community. Some students took care of young, sick children and distrib uted food. Others dug ditches to bring electricity to an orphanage’s surgery room and helped build part of the city’s multi-purpose community center. Members from both campus or ganizations said they couldn’t think of a better way to spend their vacation time. An education major who went to Mexico with ICF, Long came back from her trip with a new way to see her surroundings. In the football team’s equipment room where she works, Long opened boxes of new shoes shipped to the players. She instantly thought back to the Mexi can children who had to dig through garbage cans to find food scraps. After seeing how content the children were with how little they had, she said it was difficult to come back to a world where many people are driven by money and take their fortunes for granted. She added that people need to travel to other places to put their lives into perspective. “I don’t blame anyone because they aren’t aware,” she said. “But everyone should go to a Third World country and see how other people live.” Shelley Ryan-Kelzenberg, coor dinator of ICF’s Mexico mission, said that like Long, most students come back from the trip with a new view of their own life. “Students are prone to com plain about things like how bad the food is in Carson [Hall],” she said. “They gain a new perception on what is an acceptable standard of living.” Amy Merriman, a sophomore history major who also traveled with the ICF group, said the trip brought more meaning to her reli gious faith. It was as she held a baby girl who had been found in a trash bin, Merriman said, that she truly un derstood the Bible passage that says people can comfort them selves by comforting the poor. “You think you’re going there to serve people, but instead you’re served,” she said. Justin Zuiker, a sophomore busi ness major who went on the New man Center mission, said his trip’s purpose was to teach him more about himself — and how he can. help resolve some of the extreme disparities in the world by living a more simple lifestyle. “I went there because I was missing something in my life,” he said. “The trip helped me realize that I take everything for granted ... I learned how little some peo ple have and how much I have, and it made me want to solve some of the problem. I figure I should start with myself in the way I live and the things I do.” Calendar Monday, April 9 • Exhibition: Visual design by Nancy Fields, painting and drawing by Nicky Kriara and a silk-screen exhibition organized by Tallmadge Doyle. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. LaV erne Krause Gallery, Lawrence Hall. Free. Through Friday. For information, call 346-2057. Reception from 7-9 p.m. • Environmental Studies Lecture: George Roderick, a researcher from the Univer sity of California at Berkeley, will discuss spider populations and species invasion in Hawaii in his speech, “Insect Invasions of the Pacific Rim: Host Plants, Genet icsand Origins,” from4-5 p.m. in Room 110, Willamette Hall. Free. For informa tion, call 346-5003, Reception at 3:40 p.m. in the Paul Olum Atrium of Willamette Hall. •O’Fallon Lecture: Law Professor Frank Michelman, Harvard University, delivers theColin Ruagh Thomas O'Fallon Memorial Lecture in Lawand American Cul ture, “Machiavelli in Robes? The Court in the Election.” 7:30 p.m. Room 175, Knight Law Center. Free. For information, call 346-3934. Reception follows. Student Groups Advertise your events in the Oregon Daily Emerald. We have special university rates. Call 346-3712 Furnished 1,2 & 4 Bedroom Apartments 90 Commons Drive * Washer/dryer in each apartment • On bus route to campus • Electronic alarm systems * 10 & 12 mo. leases kitchen Private bedrooms/ individual leases Computer lab, copier and fax availability Heated swimming • Basketball and volleyball courts • Superior workout facilities • Starting at $320 • Roommate matching service. ...experience it VERS COMMONS APARTMENTS Property address: 90 Commons Drive NOW LEASING! CALL 338.4000 or stop by our Leasing Office at 90 Commons Drive (Open 7 days a week) www.capstone-dev.com DRE$$ FOB $UC€E$$ FASHION SHOW & WORKSHOPS TUESDAY, APRIL 1 O 6:30 - 8:30 PAA EAAU FIR ROOAA Join us for food and high fashion. presented b»y: ARAMARK and «■■■ ■■■!
