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The students were heading south, but not for a weeklong party.

Instead, they were spending several days in Slidell, Louisiana, where they built homes for Southerners whose lives were upended when Hurricane Katrina hit a year and a half ago. Wake-up was at 7 a.m. and the work was hard: Students worked up a sweat and ended up with achy muscles after days of pouring concrete and building walls.

But Chris Smith, who organized this and five other trips to Slidell, says students leave Louisiana wishing they could spend a few more days helping out.

"The thing that we hear a lot of is, when can we come back?" Smith says.

“This is a prime example of students actually living Ohio State's motto, 'Education for Citizenship.'”
—Ohio State student Chris Smith

"Ohio State students have donated over 7,000 hours of labor. By the end of the academic year it will be well over 9,000 hours," Smith says. "We've really pulled together and just done a tremendous amount of work down there."

When they're not working, the students explore the local scene: They've hung out on Bourbon Street, listened to jazz at Preservation Hall, and seen where Mardi Gras floats are created.

The Slidell trip is part of Ohio State's Alternative Breaks program, which has sent students on service trips around the country. Destinations have included a Minnesota camp for HIV-positive kids; a Tennessee elephant sanctuary; a North Carolina state park; the Everglades; and city service agencies in Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago.

"It's a fantastic way to augment what you learn in the classroom," Smith says. "It gives students an opportunity to get out there and see some of the things that are going on in this country and make a difference."

"This is a prime example of students actually living Ohio State's motto, 'Education for Citizenship,' " he says. "We're able to go out there and do something for people who really need it."

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