Contact: Bruce Conley, News Information Director
Phone: (605) 274-5526
Fax: (605) 274-4903
e-mail: bruce_conley@augie.edu
www.augie.edu

March 17, 2003

Augie Students Provide National, International Service During Spring Break

SIOUX FALLS, SD - Augustana students will be heading east, west, and across the border as part of an Alternative Spring Break coordinated by the college's Chapel of Reconciliation.

The Augustana campus will be closed for spring break March 24-28.

A GROUP OF 15 Augie students and staff leave Friday, March 21, for Tecate, Mexico. The group will be staying at the San Juan Boscoe Orphanage in Tecate and will be involved in work projects such as minor construction, kitchen duties, playground improvement, painting, and gardening. In addition, the group will interact with the boys residing at the orphanage, placing an emphasis on building bridges between two cultures. The group returns Friday, March 28. Jon Oien, Director of Planned Giving, and Sarah Tobin, resident hall director, are leading the group. Students participating in the project are Dan Antoine, Luverne, MN; Angie Baird, Manly, IA; Becca Breitag, Sioux Falls; Lauren Butterfield, Omaha, NE; Bryan Conner, Canton, SD; Tigist Cook, Alta, IA; Andrew Ellsworth, Madison, SD; Molly Grimm, Sioux Center, IA: Kari Held, Sioux Falls; Ryan Howard, Lennox, SD; Kelly Larson, Lakeview, MN; Cassie Robertson, Wyoming, MN; and Laura Vogt, Magnolia, MN.

NEW YORK CITY is the destination for a group of 12 students and staff. The primary purpose of the trip is to serve the congregations of Advent Lutheran Church in Manhattan and Trinity Lutheran on the Lower East Side. The Augie delegation will be serving in soup kitchens and assisting in food pantries. Time has been set aside for sightseeing, including a visit to Ground Zero. Leading the group are Cari Skogberg, Spanish instructor; Kate Holmquest, Director of Church Relations; and Dr. Richard Swanson, associate professor of religion. Students making the trip are Michelle Bunjer, Lennox, SD; Lindsey Clark, Hartley, IA; Laura Grinsell, Sioux Falls; Elizabeth Harr, Zell, SD; Noel Kahl, Humboldt, SD; Marta Madsen, Lincoln, NE; Ashleigh McBeth, Wahpeton, ND; Danielle Staeffler, Rapid City, SD; and Amanda Wiisanen, Fargo, ND. The group leaves Sioux Falls on Friday, March 21, and returns Thursday, March 27.

CAMPUS PASTOR Paul Rohde is leading a group to Holden Village, a year-long retreat community in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. The delegation will be working and participating in all levels of community life, including forums, discussions, daily worship, and advocacy for peace and justice. The work schedule includes maintenance projects, painting, shoveling snow, and kitchen assistance. The group includes Augustana staff members Cliff Veldhuisen and Marilyn Schempp. Students participating are Leslie Baehr, Bakersfield, CA; Michael Bergan, Madison, SD; Amanda Conrad, Sioux Falls; Alison Graf, Apple Valley, MN; Lisa Lorenz, Worthington, MN; Tamara Markham, Lino Lakes, MN; Ryan Mello, Casper, WY; Jenny Onberg, Rosemount, MN; Megan Paulson, Clear Lake, WI; Carl Rasmussen; Paul Rasmussen, Sisseton, SD; and Colleen Zimmermann, Sioux Falls.

The Augie contingent leaves Saturday, March 22, and returns Saturday, March 29.

ANN PEDERSON, professor of religion, and her husband, Gary, are taking five students to Chicago to explore graduate studies, seminaries, and religious orders for those seeking religious/theological vocations. The students are Jason Freeman, Sioux Falls; Corey Nuffer, Hills, Minn.; Stephanie Engelbrecht, Rapid City, SD; Jackie Pogue, Sioux Falls; and Jaci Sutton, Brookings, SD. Hosting the group is the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.