This summer, approximately half of the experiences offered by the NC State University Alternative Service Break Program were cut. These cuts came after the budget for the year had been approved, trip leaders had been hired, and some verbal commitments had been made with community service partners, effectively pulling the rug out from under all of these stakeholders. Another impacted party is the students who will be denied experiences and opportunities due to these cuts.

The leadership who made this call cited “financial, global, and capacity-related issues” for cutting these experiences. However, there are reasonable strategies to mitigate these concerns. Some have been proposed, but not considered by leadership, while others have been unable to make their way to the table. We want the stakeholders who are most impacted by this decision to be involved in the conversations and to have seats at the table. We want the opportunity to talk through potential solutions to preserve the impact that our program has.

The ASB program is a source of experiential and service learning for hundreds of students, faculty, and staff. Last year, ~300 NC State students participated in these experiences, giving them the opportunity to learn and grow personally as well as professionally and connect with NGOs and communities worldwide. We partner with nearly two dozen community partners globally, providing essential support to both the NCSU community and global communities. 

Please support us in keeping this program running, preserving these inspirational opportunities for students, and continuing these essential partnerships with communities both locally and globally. Let those who engage with this program the most be a part of the conversation about its future.

*Note: we are not taking donations for this cause, so if the site asks you to donate after signing there is no need to do so. Thanks!