Duke freshmen get crash course in Durham 101
Students learn by giving their time to help out at agencies

By Sheena Johnson

For Durham newcomer John Mishler, dedicating a few hours of his day to help beautify the community is a small price to pay for what he gets in return.

"It's really great to give back to a community that has given so much to you before you can truly benefit from it," said the Duke University freshman from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mishler and seven other first-year Duke students spent an overcast Wednesday morning picking up empty beer bottles and soda cans, pulling up weeds and trimming hedges at an empty lot in East Durham, the city's largest historic district.

The lot cleanup with the Historic Preservation Society of Durham is one of the many volunteer projects the students will be doing over the next few days.

Eighty incoming Duke freshmen arrived in Durham Tuesday to participate in Project BUILD, the university's pre-orientation service program.

Founded in 1989

BUILD stands for Building Undergraduate Involvement in the Life of Durham. Public policy students founded the program in 1989 as a way to contribute to the community and get acclimated with the city at the same time.

The weeklong program serves as an introduction to Duke, the city and a way for students to meet one another. Students learn the city by volunteering their time at various agencies.

This year, Project BUILD has a full class of 80 students and nearly 50 upperclassmen who serve as crew leaders. All crew leaders participated in Project BUILD as first-year students as well.

The Builders volunteer more than 3,300 hours of community service during the program. Sixteen crews of eight members each volunteer at two sites each day.

"The program allows students to get a strong taste of Durham and what it has to offer," said Peter Williams, the program's director. "It's definitely an eye-opening experience for everyone involved."

Carrie Mowry, community relations coordinator for the Historic Preservation Society of Durham, said it was great to have the volunteers help with cleanup efforts at 120 S. Driver St.

"We really want to focus on East Durham and make it an attractive place to live again," Mowry said.

The 80 students will donate their time with other organizations such as the Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels, TROSA , Habitat for Humanity and Urban Ministries of Durham.

Student praise

"This is one of the best things I have been involved in since I came to Duke," said crew leader Rita Baumgartener. "You meet such an incredible group of diverse people. I came to school knowing 130 people and knowing Durham."

Holly Becker was thrilled when she found out about the program. So thrilled, she sent in her application the same day she got it in the mail.

"I was so excited," she said. "It's a great way to know all the locations and get adjusted without worrying about classes. It's kind of like a starter to the year."

The students also participate in social outings around the city and interviews each night with people in their crew.

"This is pretty much the most formative experience I've had at Duke," said senior Tabie Swanson. "We all get so close and we keep in touch during the year."

© Copyright by The Durham Herald Company. Original copyright 2004. Copyright renewed 2005. All rights reserved. All material on heraldsun.com is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws and may not be reproduced or redistributed in any medium except as provided in the site's Terms of Use.