SERVICE IN THE COLD, WARMS STUDENTS HEART
by Amanda Lobsinger -
she is a senior English student at NMU. She is graduating in May and will be attending graduate school.
For one busy February weekend, hundreds of Northern Michigan University students set aside busy class and work schedules to volunteer their time in the frigid cold with dozens of teams of yapping dogs competing in this years annual U.P. 200.
“It doesn’t matter what I have going on the weekend of the U.P. 200, I will find a way to be involved,” said NMU student Cori LaChance, who volunteers at the race each year.
LaChance said the event creates a positive atmosphere in the city that is unlike anything.
“The dog's tails are wagging and people are smiling. Volunteers, participants in the race and spectators are all excited for the very same thing. It brings a whole community together,” she said.
Many students, like LaChance, volunteer for the races through the NMU Volunteer Center, while others choose to be involved through their student organizations and fraternities. Organizations that help with the races include Theta Kappa Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Phi, the rugby clubs and the soccer teams, among others, said Cori Bodeman, a volunteer coordinator for the U.P. 200 and two shorter associated races, the Midnight Run and the Jackpine 30. Northern students account for about 1/3 of the volunteers at the three races, said Bodeman.
“We couldn’t do it without them,” she said.
Through their academic departments at NMU, Pre-Veterinarian and Management students have a unique volunteer involvement in the race.
President of the pre-vet club Leah Schuman said that the pre-vet students are the only volunteers who really get to handle the dogs and work side by side with the vets throughout the three day race. Schuman, who has volunteered for three years, said she and club members have earned the nickname “vetlings” from event veterinarians. Their duties range from getting medications to helping with vet checks and restraining the dogs while IVs are given.
Schuman said that it is easy to sacrifice time out of the weekend in exchange for great hands on experience. The club members take their own food and cars, and drive the estimated 220 miles round trip from the start of the U.P. 200 in Marquette to the end of the race in Grand Marais, said Shuman.
“We get very little sleep, but it’s worth it.”
NMU business professor Carol Steinhaus started involving her management students in the race last year so they would learn how a large event like this comes together, and better understand the management team cohesion needed during the race. This year, 47 students from her two classes are volunteering for the race. Steinhaus said their duties are wide-ranging and include tasks that are to be done before the race, as well as during.
Mike Angeli, a marketing major, has volunteered in Steinhaus’ management classes for two years now. This year he will be assisting a husband and wife who are both racing their own teams. He said that watching the dogs do what they love and feed off of each other’s energy is what makes the experience amazing.
“I think everyone should take the time to enjoy this event, whether they are volunteering, getting paid, or just going to watch the start of the race in down town Marquette. It’s an event that I will always remember, said Angeli.