Tuesday, August 27, 2013 | TechNews

 

Alternative Spring Break begins recruitment

Utsav Gandhi
CAMPUS EDITOR

It’s that time of the year again. Pro-
viding memorable service learning experi-
ences over spring break, the words “ASB” have
become almost synonymous to any of the
twenty-five items on the official IIT Bucket
List. Every year, participating members have
come back with lifetime memories, unique
experiences, travel experience, strong friend—
ships and the satisfaction of having spent
spring break in one of the most meaning-
ful and productive ways possible. Alternative
Spring Break is a service oriented student or-
ganization wherein a group of students travels
to a Habitat for Humanity build site some-
where in the country to work towards the mis—
sion of safe, affordable and decent living condi-
tions for those in need. In the past few years
the team has traveled to places as diverse as
Georgia, Alabama, Texas and California; pro-
viding eye-opening experiences volunteering
some fragile neighborhoods which needed the
help they were receiving. Every experience has
culminated in a retrospective meeting with the
homeowner for whom the house was built, and
the past two years the team has met a young,
single mother-of—two working full time as‘a
nurse and trying to go back to school to en-
sure a better future for her children; as well as
a physically disabled gentleman (he also hap-
pened to be a White Sox fan) filled with joie
de vivre, also trying to get back to school for
mechanical engineering.

In the past few years around twenty
five students have been able to attend the trips,
making application a little more competitive
every year. The trip is funded primarily by
the Student Activities Fund and by team fun-
draising efforts, which is the reason why the
team is picked so early on in the school year.
The team takes a collective role in fundrais-
ing, trip logistics planning and thus uses the
tithe" to get to know each other. Application is
open to everyone, regardless of school year,
educational background, and no previous con—

struction experience is required (though civil
engineers and architects tend to actively seek
opportunities to get involved as they gain valu—
able insights supplementing their in-classroom
learning experience). What Alternative Spring
Break seeks is a strong passion for service
learning, an ability to work in a diverse team
environment, being proactive in fundraising
efforts and active team participation.

The first step towards securing a spot
on the team is to mandatorily attend any one of
the following informational sessions, wherein
the trip logistics will be discussed along with
time commitments and fundraising expecta-
tions. All attendees will also be sent an on-
line application link which will then lead on
to further stages of the recruitment process.
Meeting times are as follows: Sunday, August
25 at 8 p.m., Tuesday, August 27 at 12:50 p.m.,
Wednesday, August, 28 at 8 p.m., Thursday,
August 29 at 12:45 pm. and, Friday, August 30
at 12:45 pm. All meetings will begin at Global
Grounds Cafe located near the southern en-
trance of the McCormick Tribune Campus
Center (MTCC) on IIT Main Campus and
interested persons should look for an ASB ex-
ecutive member wearing an ASB shirt. IIT ASB
can be contacted at asb.iit@gmail.com or the
team page can be found on Hakaink. The or-
ganizational scrapbook detailing past trips can
also be viewed to get a better idea of the experi-
ence at tinyurl.com/asb—reflections.

Social justice and homelessness are
two issues we may not afford a lot of thought
to everyday. We are fortunate to have homes
and families to turn to when in need, including
dorms that are paid for and which enables us
to take advantage of the opportunities and ed-
ucation that IIT provides. But not just around
the country (or internationally, where Habitat
for Humanity works), but right here in the city
of Chicago we are facing an increasingly acute
problem of homelessness. To this effect, it re—
mains a strong priority for ASB to set up ser—
vice opportunities right here in the city as well.

To those who cannot commit ‘to
traveling far during spring break, ASB is also
considering a local build option of working

 

   

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ready to help buiici brighter tomorrows?

 

   

team more at any of our information sessions.

 

 

 

with affiliate sites nearby in neighborhoods

. such as Pilsen, Chicago Heights, .Champaign

county, etc (eg:http://www.windycityhabitat.
org/ .)

Image courtesy of Alternative Spring Break

This experience is as “alternative” as
a spring break can get. Come check out what
it’s all about, and you’ll be guaranteed to come
out more enriched.

 

Chicago flowers flourish before fall

 

Photos by Nick Caldwell