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| * Purdue College of Technology at Columbus and Greensburg |
March 11, 2008
College of Technology students traveling to Kentucky for service-learning trip
COLUMBUS, Ind. - A group of students from Purdue's College of Technology at Columbus and Greensburg will spend their spring break giving a helping hand to a community in need in Kentucky.About 25 students in an organizational leadership and supervision service-learning course will leave Saturday (March 15) for Harlan County, Ky., where they will spend the next week helping residents of the impoverished county with various tasks, such as fixing up their homes.
"We chose Harlan County because it was easily drivable and a place where we felt we could learn about serving others and making a real impact," said Julia Carson, a student services secretary at the College of Technology at Columbus and one of the student leaders of the trip. "We've done service-learning projects in our immediate area before, but this will be powerful because it's the first time we are taking what we've learned to make a difference in another community."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 30 percent of the residents of Harlan County, which is located in the southeastern tip of the state, live in poverty. Carson said the class considered several service-learning trips, but the class voted on Kentucky because it would be the most educational and beneficial, both to the residents of the community and to the students.
"This is a community where cell-phone and Internet service is rare or unavailable, so it's going to be a completely different experience," Carson said.
During the week, the students will live together in a renovated garage, so in addition to learning about the community, they also will learn about how to get along and manage projects as a group.
"We are breaking up into four groups, and each team will have a leader, so this will be very relevant to our class work not just in serving a community, but also in leadership and team-building," Carson said.
The College of Technology at Columbus and Greensburg offers associate's and bachelor's degrees in computer and information technology, a bachelor's degree in industrial technology, associate's and bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering technology and associate's and bachelor's degrees in organizational leadership and supervision.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Julia Carson, (812) 314-8526, jgcarson@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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