The Russian Sub Museum

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Click on image to view at full size		 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2003

Contact: Frank Lennon
      (401) 831-8696

BEER, BEACHES AND BIKINIS?

No way, say Northwestern University "alternative spring break" students volunteering at Providence's Russian Submarine Museum

Photo: Maureen Farrell, site coordinator for the Northwestern University ASB group. Maureen is a senior majoring in African Studies/Anthropology.
PROVIDENCE, RI - They drove 16 hours from Chicago in a pair of vans. They work 10-hour days in jobs ranging from cutting steel to database management to cleaning and painting. They sleep in a military barracks. And they say spending their spring break volunteering on a Russian cruise missile submarine beats the spring-break party scene in sun-splashed Fort Lauderdale any day.

These 14 Northwestern University students arrived in Providence Sunday for a week's working vacation at the Russian Submarine Museum at Collier Point Park. It's called an "alternative spring break," and for these students it's a chance to take a break from the books without skipping a beat as far as rounding out their college education.

"We are thrilled that this group chose to help us out," said Frank Lennon, president of the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, which owns and operates the sub museum. "Their enthusiasm and commitment is out of this world. From the moment they arrived, they were ready to jump into any job - large or small - that will contribute to our new museum's success."

"As full-time students, we have busy schedules," site leader Maureen Farrell said. "I enjoy seeing other places and getting to volunteer at the same time - it allows you to get really invested in the project. It's a great idea to learn about a project by working intensely and full time for an entire week, rather than an hour here and there over many weeks."

Alternative Spring Break Club (ASB) is a national organization that has chapters at a number of universities in the US. Each year, Northwestern University typically deploys about 25 student groups across the country. Students volunteer in the areas of such as environmental work, education, care for the elderly, animal care, public health and community organizing. Northwestern's Alternative Spring Break has been featured in stories by ABC News as well the Chicago Sun-Times. To date, more than 1050 ASB participants have volunteered close to 42,000 hours at their respective sites over the past five years. Many have hailed the experience as fundamentally life changing and the best week they've ever had.

Alternative Break Programs are equal partnerships between students and community organizations. Community members and students alike benefit from interactions with a culture and lifestyle different from their own. Students leave behind the world of books and laboratories to enter communities struggling with issues as varied as urban poverty, racism, hunger, youth education and AIDS/HIV. In doing so, the students are able to gain a broader understanding of the world around them. Communities gain tangible benefits from these programs as well, with the infusion of new enthusiasm and eager hands willing to help serve meals, rebuild homes and tutor children.

"This is not a traditional service trip," said Mark Salierno, a junior History major from Back Mountain, Pennsylvania. "How many people get to spend their spring break on a Russian submarine?" he asked. "We've found old Russian bottles and logs, even diaries from the K-19 film crew. It's cool to feel like you're finding something someone hasn't seen in years."

"Being able to contribute to history in a tangible way is a remarkable experience," added Kara Massie, a senior Theatre major from Laramie, Wyoming.

"You see this hulking boat, and it's crazy to think that we can have such up close access to its inner workings," marveled Torea Frey, a sophomore from Portland, Oregon. . "Even scrubbing compartments with soapy water up to our elbows, we can pretend we're commandants shooting missiles from the sub. One of the guys on the trip even brought his captain's hat," concluded Torea, a Newspaper Journalism major.

The USS Saratoga Museum Foundation acquired the submarine a year ago this month to support its ongoing effort to convert the supercarrier USS Saratoga into a floating museum, education center and family attraction on Narragansett Bay. The Saratoga is moored at the U.S. Navy facility in Middletown.

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri has pledged his support for the Saratoga project as a part of the overall plan for development at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

The submarine museum is located in beautiful Collier Point Park, an urban oasis near the center of downtown Providence. The park entrance is on Allens Avenue, immediately south of the city's electrical generating plant.

EDITORS: Northwestern's alternative spring break students are available for interviews and photos at the Russian Submarine Museum. To set up an interview, call the sub office at 401-521-3600.

LIST OF STUDENTS, THEIR MAJORS AND HOME TOWNS

Edwin Li, freshman from Newton, Massachusetts--Psychology, biology, philosophy
Dinna Ramlan, freshman from Malaysia--Material sciences
Am Yawapongsiri, freshman from Thailand--Industrial engineering
Kate Rigot, sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia--Psychology
Emily Flechtner, sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania--Political science
Kara Massie, senior from Laramie, Wyoming--Theatre
Adam Arents, freshman from Grand Rapids, Michigan--Religion
Maureen Farrell, senior from Chicago, Illinois--African Studies/Anthropology
Mark Salierno, junior from Back Mountain, Pennsylvania--History
Torea Frey, sophomore from Portland, Oregon--Newspaper journalism
Katie McHugh, freshman from Chicago, Illinois--Speech language pathology
Norma Ramos, sophomore from Chicago, Illinois--Education
Erica Park, sophomore from Seoul, Korea--Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences
Bethany Weinert, freshman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin--Pre-medical student







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Last Updated:
3/27/03