Spring break on MTV is often a tequila-fueled, bikini-clad beach party. While some on College Hill may opt for this kind of a trip next week, many will choose more sober options, such as visiting friends and family, relaxing or finishing a thesis.
Instead of going to the beach, David Fedman '08 will dance if he wants to at his sister's University of Michigan Law School prom. "I don't think it will be much like high school prom," Fedman said. His sister has outfitted him with a tux and a blind date, he added.
As for international travel, students don't seem to be purchasing many spring break travel packages this year, said Erin Bodnar, a travel adviser for STA Travel on Thayer Street. STA offers all-you-can-drink-and-eat packages to classic spring break locales like Cancun and Jamaica, she said. But for the past few years, a package to Costa Rica that includes volcano hiking, zip-lining and white-water rafting has been more popular, she added.
Brown may not be alone in this trend; most American college students do not visit the "kinds of places documented in the 'Girls Gone Wild' series," according to a March 14 article on Inside Higher Ed, an online news resource. Of the 11 million college students in the United States, fewer than 100,000 will sip margaritas in Cancun, Acapulco, Jamaica or the Bahamas each year, Inside Higher Ed reported.
This is not to say that Fedman and his classmates will be bored next week.
Jess Majno '08 will be visiting a friend in New Orleans who teaches in the city. Forrest Miller '10 will also be travelling to the Big Easy, via a lengthy road trip. He and three friends plan to visit other friends studying and working there, he said. He joked that they will put a "Bush-Cheney" bumper sticker on their car with New York plates in order to "go undercover" in the South.
Jon Mitchell '09 will be in the same city, working rather than relaxing. He will be helping to build houses in the city during the day and discussing "social justice and Judaism" at night, on a trip organized by the Brown/RISD Hillel, he said.
Mitchell isn't the only student working over the break. Okezie Nwoka '10, who said that he was the only applicant from a Washington, D.C., public school accepted to Brown the year he matriculated, will now return to the district to conduct information sessions at public high schools for the Office of Admission.
In the same city, the Brown Derbies will perform at Georgetown and George Washington universities, according to Don Flynn '10, a member of the a capella group. Joanna Berg '10 said she's also going to Washington to assist the Derbies on their tour before heading to a swing dancing convention in Boston.
Pleasure travelers include Julia Van de Walle '08, who will be across the world in southern France as she visits a family friend, and Aditi Dubey '08, who will hike and take advantage of the warm weather in Palm Springs, Calif. As it rained in Providence, Dubey noted that her spring break destination was enjoying temperatures in the 80s.
Jonathan Gordon '11 and a handful of other first-years plan to take in the "vibrant nightlife" in Montreal and attend a Boys Noize concert, he said. A group of twenty Brunonians, including Dipal Shah '08, look forward to the beach in Jamaica at an all-inclusive resort, Shah said.
For many seniors, spring break means one thing: thesis. With deadlines shortly after the break, thesis writers will be hard at work - Aaron Cutler '08 said he will be working in his room in Providence, writing on Orson Welles' portrayal of a Shakespearean play. Fedman said that after the prom with his sister, he plans to focus on finishing his history thesis. Majno said she hopes she can "leave (her) thesis in Providence" when travelling to New Orleans, but added that she doubts she'll be worry-free while on vacation.
With many students abroad, traveling domestically or in their rooms working on theses, many businesses on Thayer reported that they generally experience a drop in business during the break. A hostess at Paragon said the restaurant scales back its staff over winter break, but was not sure if they would do the same for the upcoming break. Christina Cantore of City Sports and Ryan Clark of Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches noted that Brown students are a large portion of their business and said they also notice a drop in business during breaks.
Administrators will join thesis-writers on College Hill for the week. Associate Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Student Life Margaret Klawunn will continue working during the break. "I take my vacation during the summer, so I will be around here during spring break," she said. President Ruth Simmons will also be working, but will allow herself some time for rest, according to her assistant, Marisa Quinn.
