Liz Bos

Las Vegas’s economic state was the subject of this year’s Economics Club fall trip. The “Sin City” has been estimated by some experts to have been hit the hardest during the country’s current economic recession.

The trip, which took place in November, included visits to such places as the Hoover Dam, the headquarters of Allegiant Air and the headquarters of R&R Partners, the advertising agency responsible for the “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” ad campaign.

The Economics Club’s adviser Carol Cumber came up with the idea for the trip, which was attended by 19 students, Cumber and a chaperone.

“What we tried to do was combine both the academic and the social,” Cumber said. “Some of the things we did was always to try to tie it back to our majors.”

During each visit, the students talked with business leaders and other administrators about economic factors influencing Las Vegas. Amber Anderson, Economics Club president and economics graduate student, said the trip was especially informative since Las Vegas has been hit hard by the recession.

“They’re the ones that were hit the most and were expected to come out of the recession last,” Anderson said. “It was very interesting.”

Cumber said she was able to secure grant money for the trip through a Chicoine Family Excellence in Economics grant, as well as other grants. The funds helped lower the cost of each student’s trip to $300, which included transportation costs, lodging, events and most meals.

“There was a ton of stuff included in this small price, so that was an advantage for us poor college students,” Anderson said.

The trip was a valuable experience because it was very informative and provided students with an opportunity to reach out to potential employers, Anderson said. The students were also able to get to know each other on the trip.

“It was just cool to network with other students and make some friends,” said Danielle Anderson, a junior business economics major.

All in all, though, the trip was a successful and worthwhile one according to the club.

“It’s one thing to read about something in a textbook; it’s another thing to experience it,” Cumber said.