Plunge: Where do we go from here?

Responsibility: the ability to respond.  That is how a woman we met with at DePaul University defined it.   One question that continually came up during the trip for me was “What is my personal responsibility in all of this?”  I am extremely privileged, and I the power I have through that gives me the ability to respond.  In a lot of ways, it is a privilege (I mean that in a very positive sense) to have the ability to respond.  So what is my response going to be?

Here are some ideas I came up with during and after the trip (grouped by category):

Poverty Reduction (LIFT)

Interning with LIFT.  Not everyone can do this over the summer, but it sounds like an awesome opportunity if you don’t have other plans! 

Tutoring in Over-the-Rhine.  This can be done through Adopt-a-School.  Their info sessions are next week, if you’re interested!

Political Advocacy.  Matt mentioned how he saw policy changes like the joblessness benefits extension have a direct impact on clients.  There are several websites that will keep you up-to-date on this, but one that hits “close to home” (pun intended) is the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.  This is their advocacy page: http://www.cincihomeless.org/content/advocacy.html.  They also offer weekend volunteer and educational experiences, which is something Scholar-Leader could look into…

Immediate Service (Food Pantry)

Volunteer in Oxford.  I know Charlotte Freeman and Kelly Muenchen go to food pantries in the area, so talk to them if you’re interested.  Also, the Hannah House (next to Wells) coordinates community service for Miami Students.  If you walk in there, they can give you information on TONS of programs, and usually they’ll let you borrow a car if you need to drive somewhere!  You can get on their volunteer listserv by emailing Carol Bowles at bowlesce@muohio.edu

Donate.  Food pantries and other organizations are ALWAYS taking donations! I know there are a lot of food drives around the holidays, but they need food year-round.  The Oxford Choice Pantry has a drop-off box in the front of St. Mary’s, and I’m guessing there are other places that take donations all the time, I just don’t know of them off the top of my head!  But I’m sure other Scholar-Leaders do, if you ask around! Of course, don’t forget about ShareFest at the end of the semester.  Consider saving things you don’t use to donate come May. 

Advocacy/Awareness.  Maybe you don’t need that extra muffin at the dining hall that you aren’t going to finish anyways.  Be aware of the food that you eat or don’t eat, and try to reduce the amount you throw away.  Kelly Muenchen and Neelum Amin are working on a project to reduce waste in the dining halls, possibly by having the leftovers donated.  If you’re interested in that, or know anything about it, talk to them! 

Disability Rights (Access Living)

I know this was something of a polarizing visit, but hopefully we can all agree on the need for more resources and support for people with disabilities. If anything, the strong reactions to this experience should provoke us to really explore the issues in-depth.   

Upham Action.  This is a yearly program where students block all the entrances of Upham Hall that aren’t accessible.  (This would be most of them.)  I tried to find information on when it will occur this year, but no luck so far.  I’ll keep you posted…

Take a Course in Disability Studies.  Most people I’ve talked to really enjoy these courses and come away with a new perspective on living with a disability.

Use Person-First Language.  They touched on this at Access Living, and it’s a good rule of thumb for how to talk about people who have disabilities.  Basically, it means mentioning the person first, and then describing their disability.  Ex: “the man who is blind” instead of “the blind man.”  You may say this is being too “politically correct,” but imagine referring to someone as “the cancerous woman” instead of “the woman who has cancer.”  A disability is not necessarily someone’s defining characteristic; it is just one of their characteristics. 

-Experiencing Different Cultures & Ways of Life (Chinatown, the trip in general)

NationaliTea.  A program to meet people from other cultures on Miami’s campus.  A different theme/country is chosen each week.  There’s food, tea, and good conversation!  It runs from 3:30-5 in MacMillan 212.  I’m really excited that I can go this semester!! 

Various Culture Clubs.  I’m not going to try to list them all because I’d probably forget one and get in trouble… There are lots of clubs on campus that you can join to meet people different from you, and some of them will be at winter Mega Fair on Tuesday, if you want to check out a new one!  (Don’t act like you’re too cool to go… People at winter Mega Fair are always really excited to meet potential members, and it’s less overwhelming than the fall Mega Fair.  You can actually talk to the club members personally!) 

Volunteering.  I know I’ve said this already, but volunteer in Over-the-Rhine or food pantries to meet people who are struggling with these issues on a daily basis. 

Obviously, we all need to discern for ourselves which activities we want to be involved in.  In the mean time, I hope that we as a community continue to challenge each other to seek out opportunities that match our unique abilities to respond.    


-Sarah Rings

Chicago Culture and Tourism

Snapping pictures by the bean in Millennium Park…

Dining on delicious Chicago-style deep dish pizza…

“Oh”ing and “ah”ing over the view from the Hancock Building observation deck…

One of my favorite aspects of the Plunge 2011 trip to Chicago was that we not only had the opportunity to participate in service activities and engage with organizations in the Chicago area, but we also had the chance to be tourists!  While several members of the Scholar Leader community are natives of Chicago or have spent substantial time in the city, others were visiting for the first time.  The Plunge planning committee did a wonderful job picking a wide variety of attractions and activities that gave all parties a better understanding of the city in addition to being lots of fun.

Our first evening was spent exploring Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago.  We, of course, took a group picture by the bean in Millennium Park (what trip to Chicago would be complete without it?!)  We then had the chance to explore the Art Institute.  Our group’s favorite part of the art museum was the miniatures collection.  We fell in love with the exquisitely designed and beautifully displayed miniature rooms, portraying housing from America and Europe from the 1700s to the mid-1900s, awed by the detail and the beauty of these pieces of art.  We were also very impressed by the expansive modern art exhibit as well as collections of earlier works.  It was definitely quite an experience to see works of art that you often only see in books.  That night, we boarded our bus and headed to the Hancock Building for a glimpse of the city from above.  We were not disappointed!  After scaling 1,000 feet in a mere 40 seconds on the fastest elevator in the United States, we were presented with a spectacular view of Chicago.  An audio-tour allowed us to gain a better understanding of the layout of the city and the hot spots in Chicago, several of which we had the opportunity to experience later in the trip. 

Our cultural experience on the second day included visiting China Town.  An hour-long walking tour with our exuberant tour guide, Victoria, led to much insight into the culture, history, and lives of those who live and work in this area.  Following the tour, we were treated to a delicious meal at a local restaurant.  We were all overwhelmed by the amount of food but thoroughly enjoyed sampling the many dishes of Chinese cuisine.  Another piece of local cultural cuisine, deep-dish Chicago style pizza, was on the menu later in the afternoon during our discussion with leaders from DePaul University.  That evening, we had a little bit of free time to explore the city on our own, which was one of the best bonding experiences that I personally had on the trip.  A group of about seven or eight of us went and sat at the Panera across the street from the hostel where we were staying, and spent an hour or so enjoying the sights and sounds of the city, people watching, talking, and sharing stories.  Afterwards, I, along with two other Scholar Leaders, ended our night walking around the area near the hostel.  We ended up exploring the theatre district and eventually found ourselves in a local artsy coffee shop.

Much of our third and final day in Chicago was spent at Shedd Aquarium, where we spoke with a Miami alumnus and present conservationist at the aquarium about the conservation efforts and educational experiences that the aquarium takes part in.  We were given time to explore the incredible aquarium which seemed to be a favorite activity of many Plunge participants.  Two of our ever-cunning Elliott men, Matthias Scheele and Brian J. Hill, even convinced the conservationist with whom we had spoken with earlier to take us down into a special shark exhibit!  That evening, following the Miami Men’s Glee Club Winter Tour concert, we were treated to another delicious dinner, this time in Little Italy, to wrap up an incredible trip to Chicago.

The Scholar Leader Plunge planners did an excellent job planning tourist activities that were quite complimentary to the service and educational aspects of our trip.  By having the opportunity to explore the city, those of us who were not as familiar with Chicago were better able to understand the rich culture and diversity of the city, which we were then able to apply to discussions with organizations and in our understanding of the issues and opportunities of the city.  Scholar Leader Plunge 2011 was an excellent way to bond with fellow Scholar Leaders, engage in service and educational opportunities, and explore a really awesome city.  I would have to say that this trip was one of the most formative of my experiences in the Scholar Leader community and I cherish the memories made and the connections forged on this trip. 

Scholar Leader Love!

--Sammi Bowyer

A Plunge reflection

Chicago was a great trip. I feel as though, at least for me, it was an opportunity to grow closer to the people of Scholar Leader, both students and administration affiliated with the program.

First, I would like to speak to the organization and planning that went into the trip itself. The students who planned this Plunge Experience were phenomenal in the attention to detail they took in laying out the itinerary, booking tickets/tours, and the organizing meals. There was a great variety in the activities that we did, from touring famous attractions such as Millennium Park to meeting with activist groups in Chicago advocating for the poor and disabled people of the city. It was a great variety which offered multiple perspectives and experiences of one city in America.

Speaking to the bonding experience, I think the way in which the trip was organized (with a focus on staying together) was hugely beneficial to those who went. Starting with the tour bus that was rented, everyone was able to be with everyone else at all times, which allowed for more interaction amongst social groups that have inevitable formed within Scholar Leader. The tourist attractions that we experienced, we experienced as group. The social issues of which we heard about and contributed to the solutions of, we did as a group. This is what I think pulled the trip from a vacation to a communal experience of social justice, learning, and fun.

I will close with this. For all those who attended plunge and made it priority during your break, thank you. For all those who planned this amazing communal experience, thank you. And for all those who didn’t attend, I encourage you talk to others who attended plunge, get inspired, and get active.

Chicago, Snow or Shine

Wow…where to begin with the awesomeness that was Plunge! I must admit, I was excited…but a little hesitant to go – it was so cold and we were going to be walking around Chicago!! The first few hours we were there, however, I learned very quickly that any weather, cold and snow, would not be a deterrent for the fun and friendship that was created. Whether it was just walking around the city exploring, learning about power and privilege, making boxes for the homeless, or just sitting around the table having dinner, the Scholar Leaders made the most of everything. Not only did we learn from the organizations that so graciously hosted us, but we learned from each other. It was intriguing to hear the conversations about the events and activities we had just completed. These conversations lasted throughout the entire day: bus rides, evening adventures in the city, even in the rooms at the hostel!

This trip brought us all together in ways that we had not experienced before; acquaintances became friends and friends became family. Even though we spent all of our time together, we were not forced to bond – our desires to raise awareness and improve communities is what really made that bond happen.

Everyone in this community has some part to play in society, whether that part is big or small. I think we all proved on Plunge that even the tiniest contribution could go a long way. When we all realized this, dialogue and conversations sparked and put us into action – action to make a difference and to become closer as a community. 

-Emily Lohry

Plunge into Chicago

Every year, members of the Scholar Leader community select and travel to a city within eight hours of Miami’s campus for about three days in order to complete service, speak with local leaders or organizations, and experience the culture of a city different from Oxford. In other words, community members “plunge” into a new environment in order to build community ties and spread their impact to a region apart from Miami and Oxford.

This year’s Scholar Leader community selected Chicago as its Plunge location. Unlike Plunge trips from the past, this year the community elected to base the trip’s activities on a theme: power and privilege. Therefore, all service and discussions with leaders and organizations were centered on this theme, specifically as it relates to poverty, disability, and ethnicity.

Approximately thirty members including myself boarded a bus on Wednesday, January 5 to head for the “Windy City.” Six hours later we arrived at the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel located on the edge of Millennium Park. After dropping off our belongings and exploring the hostel, we headed out to the Park to see The Bean and tour the Art Institute of Chicago. On this excursion, we also experienced our first encounters with poverty and homelessness on Chicago streets.

Later that day, we returned to the hostel to discuss power and privilege with the organization LIFT, which fights poverty in Chicago by providing those affected with resources and support so that they can begin changing their situations. The harsh realities of poverty in Chicago were made clear to us in this discussion and prepared us well for the service we would do and discussions we would have later in the trip. The discussion also united this year’s community with Miami University graduate, and Scholar Leader alum, Matt Forrest, who now works in Chicago with LIFT.

On Thursday, we all awoke bright and early and headed to China Town for a walking tour connecting our theme of power and privilege with ethnicity. The day continued with a three-hour service opportunity at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. While there, we helped box 880 boxes of food for senior citizens on subsidized living. Each box will feed one person for three to four days. Therefore, Scholar Leaders helped feed almost 900 people through just three hours of service. Following the service, Scholar Leaders participated in a discussion on power and privilege at DePaul University.

Friday was our final full day in the city. It began with a tour of the Access Living building. Access Living is a disability rights organization that aims to get independent living for those with disabilities. The building is built using Universal Design, meaning that it is fully accessible to all. Following the tour, a discussion on power and privilege and how it relates to those with disabilities was held with three members of the Access Living staff.

The afternoon was spent at Shedd Aquarium where we met with another Miami alum who gave us some information on Shedd including its conservation efforts and facts about some of the animals there. Finally, our trip ended with another visit to DePaul to see the Miami University Glee Club perform followed by a trip to Little Italy where we had our final community meal in Chicago.

Plunge showed us that even though we were in a different city, we were still greatly connected to our university. From meeting with Matt Forrest, to watching Miami win the GoDaddy.com Bowl at the hostel, to meeting with a Miami alum at Shedd, to watching the Glee Club perform, we were constantly linking our efforts in Chicago to our university lives. I think I can speak for all Plunge attendees that the trip was both meaningful and rewarding and prepared us for our final semester together as a community.

-Sarah Kipp