Several Miami University students went on an MTV spring break this year - but they were hitting nails and hammers, not the pool and beach.
The seven students helped build a house in an area of Louisiana damaged by Hurricane Rita, which hit one month following Hurricane Katrina. The program was through United Way's Alternative Spring Break Program, which was sponsored by MTV, United Way and FedEx.
Sophomore Jeff Gleason was one of the Miami students who went and said he found out about the trip through an online advertisement, and joined 150 other college students in St. Charles, La.
The program required students to fill out an application explaining their qualifications and why they wanted to go and 3,500 students were selected from around the country to work over four different weeks.
Gleason said the house he worked on was badly water damaged and after a week of hard work, they were able to give a mother and children a safe and clean place to live.
"People value their houses so much," Gleason said. "Everything you have is in your house, so it was really good to put a family back in their home. We have so much that we take for granted and they had nothing, and it was great that we got to help them out."
According to Gleason, the students not only helped rebuild a devastated place, they also met great people from all over the country.
"It was good to interact with so many different kinds of people who were all there for the same purpose and devoted to doing something good," Gleason said.
MTV helps United Way promote the Alternative Spring Break Program to students, and spent time filming the trip and interviewing students, including Gleason. MTV is currently airing film from the trip during Total Request Live and will be running a special called "The Amazing Break" about their work 8 a.m. Sunday, March 25. Gleason is excited about being on MTV, but even more excited that he is helping to spread the word.
"I'm on TV doing a good thing and it's a huge positive that I could be getting more people to get involved," Gleason said.
Aside from United Way Program, many different Miami organizations took students to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
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Miami's Lambda Sigma service fraternity organized a trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., to help build houses for those impacted by Katrina. The university honors program took a group of students, and Campus Crusade for Christ and other Miami students worked through the week in New Orleans.
Sophomore Jenn Mouch of Lambda Sigma got the idea for the trip after attending a conference in Mississippi, and upon her return to Miami, she helped organize and promote it.
"It was great to see how many students wanted to do that for their spring break and dedicated themselves to it," Mouch said.
While there, the 31 Miami students worked on Habitat for Humanity houses and got to see the results of their work. The houses started as frames and the students roofed, placed siding, put up drywall and helped with the insulation.
They also got to meet the people for whom they were building the house.
"It was a very rewarding experience," said Bethany McCann, a sophomore communications major. "It was really great to see how much we had accomplished at the end of the week."
She added the best part was meeting the family and getting to see the direct effects of their work.
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