The weeks leading up to winter break mean one thing: finals. But one CO300 professor has taken the emphasis off of her class’ final in order to host a winter clothes drive.

The winter clothes drive will be held on campus Monday and Wednesday in the Lory Student Center and Morgan Library. Students are encouraged to provide any and all types of winter clothing they are willing to donate to the homeless. 

The class is working with local organization Homeless Gear, which provides winter clothing and anything men, women, and children in Colorado may need to survive without a home.

“I think it is a great way to help out struggling people who have nowhere to go,” said Zac Koch, a junior studying economics and a member of the class. “All you need to do is walk down College Avenue through Old Town on a cold night to see why this is important and can really help some people.”

CO300: Writing Arguments is a class designed to help students create academic and public arguments while learning to write their own arguments on controversial issues. 

“It’s good to get involved, and we’ve been learning about how to make an argument to a certain group of people to get something accomplished,” said Andrew Thomson, a junior studying social work and a member of the class. “It’s cool because we can help, because instead of arguing to get something done, we’re doing the action itself.”

Deborah Dimon, the class’ professor, said this project allows students to see that all of the elements of writing they have been working on are what they’re using to make this project happen. The project counts for 20 percent of each class member’s participation grade, Thomson said.

“When it came time to start planning the project, she literally sat down and made us plan the entire thing without guidance,” Koch said. 

The class has been planning the winter clothes drive for the duration of the semester. Each student was assigned a job, whether it be public relations for the event, researching an organization to collect the clothes or setting up times for people to work the actual drive itself. 

“These students have done a great job of coming together as a class and pulling together to recognize the strengths of each other,” Dimon said. “They’ve just done a really fine job working together.”

Collegian Reporter Savannah Hoag can be reached at news@colostate.edu or via Twitter @sav_hoag.