Alternative Summer Break

Alternative Breaks is a program where groups of sudents go to places all over the country (and a couple abroad) that allow students to have a learning experience during breaks.  You go into a community with a group of students who are eager to learn about social issues.  You engage in the community through service, but also reflect and give meaning to the service experiences.

It's an awesome opportunity to be with a group of students who have different backgrounds and talking about these difficult issues.  You get to learn from one another and learn about working together towards a common goal. I went on a winter trip last year and made (what I hope) long lasting friendships. I became friends with people that I other wise might not have met.  That's so crazy to think about because I can truly say that I love the girls on my trip (it just so happened to be a rare trip of 16 girls that got along really well with one another).

This is the fifth year that the Alternative Breaks will be sending trips here at the university and the first year that there will be summer trips! Trips this summer will be in Boston, Washington DC/Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Ecuador. Applications to be a trip leader are due this Monday November 23 (having been a trip leader or gone on a trip in the past is not necessary)! 

As a trip leader you help plan the trip.  It's a great chance to learn about organizing and building relationships with community organizations and people. You will have trianing and support along the way, so don't be afraid.

For more information visit the Alternative Breaks website or send an email with question to StampAlternativeBreaks@gmail.com.

Lunch with President Mote

I remember my freshman year at that big assembly for all new students Dr. Mote invited everyone to have lunch with him.  Now a senior I finally took him up on his offer.

While I love being at a big school sometimes we tend to believe that we are a number that has little say in decisions made at the school.  While it takes more effort than it probably does at a smaller school to be known and meet administrators and to gain a better understanding of how decisions are made at the university it is not impossible.

As students we often go about going to classes, hanging out with friends, attending some meetings here and there without realizing that we are a part of an institution that impacts the community we live in. What we don't often realize is that we can have a say in the decision making process at the university and at the very least have our voices as students heard by the adminstration.

Having lunch with Dr. Mote may not change how the university is run, but I think it's important that we express ourselves whenever possible. It's also an opportunity to learn about the president of our school and his perspective.  During lunch he asked us, "if you were president of the school what is the one thing you would do?" That's a pretty big question and I think it's a great opportunity for both the students and Dr. Mote to hear each other's voices.

I think it's great that he is seeking to stay connected to the student body. It's an opportunity to learn more about the administration, speak your voice as a college student, and a free lunch at Adele's! All you need to do is email Dr. Mote at president@umd.edu and ask to have lunch with him.

Suicide Awareness Week

This week is Suicide Awareness Week (in addition to it being Hunger & Homelessness Week and what seems like 5 million other things). As I'm sure all of us know, college can be one of the most stressful periods in our life. Even though we've got all the great things going for us, there's plenty of difficulties mixed in as well. It's great to find classes that open up new worlds and concepts for us, but piles of work and pressure are always part of the package. It's the same with friends and activities. I've made the best friends of my life in college, but it's the times when things aren't going well that are really draining--even if they end up strengthening my friendships in the end. 

With these difficulties, it's no wonder that depression and thoughts of suicide are common amongst college students. Because of that, I thought it was important to let you all know about Suicide Awareness Week, and what's going on for that. Most of the week's events are already over, but there are two left:

11/19 10a-2p: National Depression Screening Day @ Stamp Food Court 'B'

11/21 1p-2:30p: National Survivors of Suicide Day @ Stamp Edgar Allan Poe Room

I highly encourage you to stop by one of these events tomorrow or Saturday. Check out the facebook event for them here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151203189024&ref=mf, and the Health Center's website which lists info for S.A.H.E.T: Suicide Awareness Health Education and Training at http://www.health.umd.edu/programs/peereducation.html. 

And as always, if you need someone to talk to, call the Help Center at 301-314-HELP. 

-Nehama

5th Annual Native American Indian Powwow

The Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education (OMSE) will be holding their 5th Annual Native American Indian Powwow this Saturday November 21, 2009 at 10:00am in the Nymburu Cultural Center!

I have personally never been to a powwow and am excited to experience and learn something new.  In our history classes we never hear the voices and perspectives of the indigenous people who were here long before European colonizers.  We should learn about all of our history and the people that make up America today. How do we live in harmony without taking the time to understand one another?  America is rich with culture and we should take hold of it.

 I feel that there is a lot to learn from indigenous peoples.  There are events going on all month as part of American Indian Heritage Month.

Check it out!

(This week is also Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.. lots of things going on campus.. take advantage of it :)

 Peace,

Sasha

Hunger Banquet--Tomorrow night!

Hey all,

Tomorrow night, do something slightly different when it's dinner time. Rather than going to the diner or making something in your apartment, head over to the Charles Carroll Room in Stamp for the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet that's part of Hunger & Homelessness Week. It runs from 6 pm to 7:30 pm and is free and open to all. Food will be provided. (Kosher food will as well.)

Organized by Alpha Phi Omega, Oxfam, and the Office of Community Service Learning (www.csl.umd.edu), and sponsored by the American Red Cross, Maryland Co-Op, and Hillel, this event teaches participants about world hunger. 

By showing the disparities between those in the developed and developing world, participants will learn what it means not to be able to feed one's self or one's family with healthy, nutritious food--or any food at all. 

The following facts are reworded from Bread for the World (bread.org):

-There are an estimated 1.02 billion hungry people in the world. 

-Around 3 million children under five die each year from being undernourished. Many, many, many more are undernourished, even though they haven't died from it. The effects from chronic malnutrition in children are terrifyingly scary, and affect children for the rest of their lives, since most are irreversible. 

-In the US, there are 11.7 million children living in households where people are forced to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. 

-One in ten households in the US are living with hunger or are at risk of it.

-The UN Development Program estimates that $13 billion a year could meet the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people. Americans and Europeans spend more than that on pet food each year.

Show up to the Hunger Banquet tomorrow night and learn about how hunger affects people in the United States and around the world! I'm going to try to make it so hopefully I will see you there!

-Nehama