While Penn State Behrend students were busy building fences and roofing homes, the rest of Mississippi held its Democratic presidential primary.
The victor: Sen. Barack Obama.
Diana Tinlin, a sophomore mechanical engineering major at Behrend, said was surprised by the results. Tinlin said she has seen the Confederate flag flying during her time here in Mississippi, a state with a large black population.
"There are still racial issues here," she said.
Danielle Wilson, a sophomore psychology major, expected Obama to triumph.
"From what I've heard, Obama is more for the homeland," than are the rest of the candidates, she said. "(John) McCain wants to send more troops overseas, so I can see why Obama would win here."
Freshman biology major Marcie Ryhal doesn't follow politics at all.
"They say whatever will get them elected," she said of the candidates.
Rod Troester, an associate professor of communications at Behrend who traveled with the group to Gulfport, agreed.
"If they came here they'd promise money and revival, but these students have done more than any politician to make a difference," Troester said.