By Ashley Makowski

While thousands of college students across the country flock to southern beaches for spring break this year, many University of Montana Western students, staff, and faculty will venture away from Dillon to challenge themselves physically and mentally, give a helping hand to those in need, and stimulate their education and the education of others.

Alaskan adventure

With no less than 700 miles of Alaskan adventure ahead of him, University of Montana Western professor Roger Norris-Tull is preparing for the snowmobile expedition of a lifetime. He will be joined by friends Russell Nelson and former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband Todd Palin. The group will set out for their expedition from Anchorage, Ala. on March 5.

The snowmobilers plan to travel along the Iditarod Trail just one day before the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins. They will follow the trail for approximately 100 miles before venturing off the trail to go through the Alaska Mountain Range to Mt. McKinley. From there, they will circle around and travel several hundred miles to Dillingham, Ala. on the Bering Sea.

The expedition is estimated at 700-800 miles and will take between five and ten days. Norris-Tull said he and Nelson have been on snowmobile expeditions together before, but those only ranged about 300 miles.

Norris-Tull, Nelson, and Palin have been planning the expedition for the last year. Preparation for the trip included flying to strategic locations to store gasoline — which the crew will later find by GPS — making sure their emergency locator beacons function correctly, and arranging for an air support crew to fly over certain locations to check the safety of the team. Which is not to mention “double, triple, and quadruple” checking of their gear and equipment, Norris-Tull said.

The group will face challenges of weather, terrain, and even traveling over open stretches of water, but said they are excited to see new country. Aside from the physical challenges the expedition will entail, they will also be challenged mentally.

“It’s a good chance to run into some surprising situations we’ve never been in before and figure out how to get out of them,” Norris-Tull said.

Chi Alpha

With the welfare of others in mind, members of the Montana Western Chi Alpha group will spend their spring break taking the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge. Nine students from Montana Western and three from Carroll College will help build Habitat for Humanity homes in Tacoma Wash. from March 6 through March 13.

Chi Alpha plans to help other parts of the community as well. The group’s leader Shannon Hunter explained the girls will spend an evening serving dinner and providing childcare at a shelter, and they hope to host an international dinner for the community.

“We are taking our spring break and using it in a different way,” Hunter said.

Humanity Collegiate Challenge is a year-round alternative break program in which groups of five or more students have the opportunity to visit one of the 250 host affiliates throughout the United States. Students spend one week working in partnership with a local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, the local community and partner families to help improve poverty housing in the area.

This isn’t the first time Chi Alpha members have spent their spring break helping others. Hunter said they try to plan a missions trip every year including a trip to New Orleans to help rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina.

For education senior Allison Barth, the trip is a fitting final spring break.

“This is my last spring break of college and I believe that it is going to be the best spring break trip because I am helping others and not doing something for myself,” Barth said. “I hope that through working with Habitat for Humanity I will have a better appreciation of what I have and will help others who are not as fortunate.”

The Polynesian connection

Career Services Director Sarah Juran and her husband, former Montana Western industrial technology professor Chris Guttenberg, will travel to Hawaii for spring break this year, but not to visit common tourist attractions or to spend all day on the beach.

Juran and Guttenberg will spend their time on the island of Kaua’i at a 1,600-acre watershed along Waipa on the north shore. They will be working with the Waipa Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides a place for Hawaiians to connect with their natural environment and celebrate their traditional culture.

Juran and Guttenberg will be busy working in the community gardens and Juran will help to organize more educational classes for the community. Juran said it’s also a great opportunity to visit her sister who lives in Hawaii.

The Montana Western Polynesian Club will also be busy over spring break. The group is bringing their Hawaiian culture to southwest Montana with an educational tour including performances and workshops in Twin Bridges and Whitehall on March 10.

On March 11 at 6 p.m, they will perform for Dillon’s Wells Fargo. The club will then travel to Missoula on March 12 to perform for Native American classes at The University of Montana. They will also host workshops discussing the meaning of their different dances, where the dances are from, and the meaning of the costumes.

On March 14, the club will participate in The University of Montana’s International Festival.

“They told us we are the main show,” said club president Viliami Haunga.

The Polynesian club’s first show at the festival will begin at 1 p.m. and their last will begin at 3 p.m. The club participated in the International Festival two years ago and were invited back this year.

“Our main purpose is to have fun, represent Montana Western well, and share our culture with other people,” said Haunga.

Spring break Europe

Education professor John Xanthopoulos will take his Multicultural Studies class on an international adventure to Greece, Italy and Rome where students will experience the countries’ rich histories and cultures. The trip will last from March 10 through March 22.

Experience One, Montana Western’s unique block scheduling program, easily facilitates international study. Students have traveled to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Ireland and Italy. This spring, students will travel to Germany and the Czech Republic.

Thanks to EF Educational Tours and Experience One, education major Kelisann Helsley is getting a wish come true this spring break.

“I have always wanted to go to Greece,” Helsley said, “and I found out I could go and get credit for a class I needed anyway.”

As part of the class, students will be required to write a research paper and give a presentation about global awareness. Rudy Rehse plans to write her research paper on Italian immigration. While she is in Italy, she will have an opportunity to talk directly to an expert about her topic.

“You don’t just learn out of a book, you get to actually see it,” Rehse said.