Student Life

Description: Colgate’s Disaster Response Team (DiRT) organizes response in times of global, national, and regional crisis. Past activities have included trips to Louisiana after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, alternative breaks to the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and a semester-long relief effort after the 2006 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Volunteers are involved in planning the logistics of these trips, participating in one or more of them, fundraising, and raising awareness on campus.

Community: DiRT works in response to disasters of any kind, so the community varies based on where these disasters occur.

 Volunteers say: "I got involved with DiRT freshmen year, when I went to New Orleans on an Alternative Break trip. I stayed because it provided an outlet where I could talk about New Orleans with other volunteers and even share my experiences with the rest of the Colgate community. Volunteering with DiRT has allowed me to see how much work and effort goes into organizing such a trip. For me the most rewarding part of DiRT and the trips to New Orleans was getting a chance to know the people, including my peers."

Resources: See the Alternative Breaks page for more information.