Mercyhurst Magazine Spring 2014

- Mercyhurst Service Learning thought the three week J-term was the perfect time to increase volunteer hours. During J-Serve, here s how the Mercyhurst community gave back: “ ” ’

MORE THAN

HOURS of community service

STUDENTS SPENT WEEKS AND 33 2 ½

$5 EACH TO

prepare meals at two shelters

VIETNAM It was a trip of a lifetime for everyone in Dr. David Dausey’s War and Public Health course, which examined the long-term public health consequences of war, specifcally in Vietnam. Before spending nearly two weeks in southern Asia, students not only studied the American-Vietnamese War, but other conficts like World War II and the three Indochina wars that impacted the social and public health infrastructures of the country. From landing in Vietnam’s largest city of Ho Chi Minh to bicycling through a remote village in Hoi An, Dausey and the group of 20 students trekked all over the country. Stops at the Imperial City in Hue, the underground Củ Chi tunnels (used by Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War), and a ride via traditional Asian longboats down the Mekong Delta to shop in the foating market were just some of the highlights of the trip.

STUDENTS

taught English to

non-native speakers

150

packed for Erie City schools

Erie students volunteered during J - S erve

U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER Even though the 13 students in Humanigration, led by assistant professor of political science Dr. Natasha Duncan , didn’t actually set foot in Mexico, they spent fve days learning about immigration, factors that infuence policy-making and border history through BorderLinks, a nonproft, educational organization based in Tucson, Ariz. Students met with activists, nonproft and charitable organizations and listened to speakers who shared perspectives on both sides of immigration law. Students examined the human component of immigration, while also focusing on the people caught in the crosshairs, their human rights and their overall humanity.

packed for Second Harvest Food Bank

165 towels 31 hand towels DONATED 550 sock pairs 84 wash cloths

In addition, students got an up-close view of a portion of the immense barrier at the U.S.-Mexican border in Nogales, Ariz.; participated in a community beautifcation service project in Tucson by painting a grafti-covered fence; and even learned how to make Pupusas, a Salvadoran dish consisting of a thick corn tortilla stufed with cheese and beans.

student-athletes DONATED warm clothing to an Erie shelter

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