By Mitch Holt, Opinion Editor

Students put their interest to practice and signed up for Spring Break Campaigns in the Living Room of the Campus Center last Thursday, filling all of the spots in many of the campaign groups.

Students paid a $25 sign-up fee that covered some administrative costs and then took part in a sign-up process different from other years, said Eric Hurst, chair of the Spring Break Campaigns committee.

All students received a sticker with their names on it, and they walked around the room and put the sticker on the sign-up sheet of the trip they wanted to go on.

Each campaign had a designated number of spots, so all the students did not necessarily get their first-choice trip.

Students were provided with an orientation session the Tuesday before sign-ups to become familiar with each campaign. This was helpful so students wouldn’t walk into sign-ups and blindly pick a campaign, Hurst said.

“Each campaign has something different to offer each student,” Hurst said. “The location, the leaders and the type of ministry are unique to each campaign.”

Jonathan Diaz, junior electronic media major and Spring Break Campaign leader of the Columbus, Ga., group, said he is looking forward to returning to Columbus, so he can see faces from last year and because the group is more organized this year.

“Campaigns bring the university out into more than the surrounding community and into the world,” Diaz said. “We really have a chance to make a difference in people’s lives.”

A precise number of participants has not been tallied, but an estimated 400 students are participating in campaigns this year, and more are expected to sign up as spring break nears.

The number is usually around 500 students, so organizers are hoping to get at least that many to participate, Hurst said.

The campaign to El Salvador has the most participants of all the trips. Hurst said he was expecting trips to areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita to gain the most participation, but they surprisingly didn’t.

“Campaigns give students a wonderful opportunity to serve God during spring break,” he said. “We hear about people doing negative things over spring break, and it’s refreshing to be a part of a group that uses their spring break to serve God and others.”