Students, Staff Head to Gulfport for Alternative Spring Break
The grand idea to fill a Gulfport, Miss., camp with philanthropic-minded Penn State students and staff will become reality as 70 students, faculty and staff from five Penn State campuses descend upon Orange Grove Volunteer Village on Sunday, March 9.
This year, the alternative spring break program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, became a University-wide opportunity to support Katrina Relief and to help residents clean up and rebuild. The trip, which has been organized by Penn State Behrend, is scheduled for March 9-14.
“For years, the Center for Service Leadership at Penn State Behrend has organized off-campus service trips to various locations throughout the country, with the most popular being the alternative spring break trips,” said Craig Berger, coordinator of residence life, and one of nine who traveled to Gulfport for the college’s 2007 trip. “After last year’s experience, we knew we wanted to go back, but we also wanted to expand the program.” And they have.
Twenty-eight students and seven staff members comprise the 35 slots reserved for Penn State Behrend, which puts the college at capacity. They are:
Carrie Barr, a psychology major from Erie
Kara Barrett, who is enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, from Erie
Brandon Bruner, an engineering student from Mount Pleasant, Pa.
Alexander Cadman, a business student from Pittsburgh
Brittany Card, who is enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, from Fairview
Jeffrey Doud, a mathematics major from Erie
Colin Etzel-Hardman, an engineering major from Pittsburgh
Keith Gahr, a mechanical engineering technology student from Kersey, Pa.
Julia Hershelman, a science major from Erie
Joshua Johnson, an engineering major from Bethel Park, Pa.
Megan Katic, an engineering student from Pittsburgh
Francis Kocher, a mechanical engineering technology student from Pittsburgh
Kelly Koziorowski, a psychology student from Erie
Nathaniel Lemock, an engineering major from Waterford
Harold Lilly, a biology major from North East
Robert Magoon, an electrical and computer engineering technology major from Erie
Brad Mason, a science student from Gibsonia, Pa.
Kalyn Nelson, who is enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, from West Springfield
Marla Palumbo, a civil engineering major from Washington, Pa.
Marc Powers, a business administration student from York, Pa.
Matt Poynor, an engineering student from Harleysville, Pa.
Marcie Ryhal, a science student from Conneaut Lake
David Schmoyer, a mechanical engineering technology student from Lake Arial, Pa.
Diana Tinlin, an engineering student from Beaver Falls, Pa.
Yan Tong, who is enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, from Shanghai, China
Patrick Troester, who is enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, from Erie
Danielle Wilson, a psychology major from Pittsburgh
Nathan Wortman, a finance major from Saint Mary’s, Pa.
The seven staff members who volunteered to accompany the students include Berger; Keith Cerroni, coordinator of residence life; Betty Hamilton, staff assistant in student affairs; Kris Motta Torok, director of student activities; Kelly Shrout, interim associate director of student affairs; Meredith Straub, assistant coordinator of residence life; and Rod Troester, associate professor of speech communication.
In addition, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State DuBois, Penn State Harrisburg and Penn State Lehigh Valley are also participating in the trip with, respectively, five, five, 10 and 15 members of their campus communities attending. This includes about one faculty or staff member for every four students.
Each campus’ Student Activity Fee subsidized the travel and lodging for its respective participants so that each student pays only $300 for the weeklong trip. Each campus’ number of spots was determined by their respective budgets.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 32 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,400 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams, 19 intramural sports and modern facilities. Penn State Behrend is named as such due to a donation by Mary Behrend, widow of Ernst Behrend, who founded the Hammermill Paper Co. in Erie in 1898. The Behrend family lived on the 400-acre Glenhill Farm, which is the core of the Penn State Behrend campus today. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.