www.pacepress.org
March 8, 2012
Volume 63 | Issue 16
THE PACE PRESS SERVING PACE UNIVERSITY’S MANHATTAN CAMPUS SINCE 1948
Alternative Spring Break ARBAN ZENELI Contributor
for a
Cause
The Center for Community for Action and Research (CCAR) is continuing their Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program March 12-15. The program gives 15 University students the opportunity to help homeless families across NYC. Lasting five days, ASB is an attempt to create a form of communal awareness about the intrinsic problem of poverty. “The cause of so many things…so many problems that lie in poverty have become the cause of so many other problems in our society,” CCAR’s Assistant Director Daniel Botting said. As a result, Botting has successfully organized ASB for four consecutive years, viewing the program’s lifetime as having a direct correlation with the ongoing cycle of poverty’s effect on low-income families. In his speech “Hunger and Homelessness in NYC,” Botting addressed this issue, stating, “The national poverty line is set at $18,310 per year or less for a family of 3…even in New York City.” When referring to the 70 students that initially signed up for ASB, Botting said, “Pace students actually care.” According to a study done by CCAR, Botting said that students from the NYC Campus have provided over 36,000 hours of community service and volunteering, which makes ASB’s selection process a little rigorous. The process involves an essay submission, where Botting determines each student’s dedication to aiding homeless families. Meriting a student’s commitment to fighting poverty is difficult. “We’ve got to pick 15 people…We didn’t want to say your essay was [...] bad,
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but we did want students to critically think about the issue…and by providing a B paper, you clearly care about the issue,” Botting said. When dealing with nonprofit organizations like the Greystone Foundation and Social Entrepreneurs, ASB organizers focus on attaining a solid and small group of volunteers which they view as an integral part of the program’s success. “I wanted to experience for myself what ‘poverty’ actually is. After today, the experience has most definitely already fulfilled my goal,” sophomore and 2011 ASB volunteer Amanda Capaccio said. For the ASB program, the experience it provides has become its calling card. Botting stressed the importance of volunteering, finding that although many students may offer their time to volunteer, few realize the impact they’ve made on themselves, as well as others. Botting has found that the University is the perfect place for volunteer work. “Pace believes there is a value to be had in experiencing social issues through nonprofit organizations,” Botting said. “You bring purpose or meaning in life…Volunteering helps a person understand their own identity as well,” junior Alireza Vazirani said. His group, A Dollars Difference, is working to make the same impact.
NEWS Interracial marriage reaches new high in U.S. PAGE 5 Tweet us @thepacepress
ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK continued on PAGE 4
ARTS Wellness Week events educate and inform PAGE 13-14
FEATURES The most exciting places to enjoy Spring Break in NYC PAGE 9
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