This year's spring break will look different for many students than from years past. As interest rates continue to rise, soon-to-be graduates are starting their exit interviews and realizing the seriousness of their rising debt payments. And for some, if not most, that reality is but one sobering reminder of the real and vastly unpredictable world that lies beyond the ivory towers.
As seen on a residence hall bulletin board: Always travel with a buddy or
in a group.
The embroiled tragedy of Natalee Holloway is the most media-prevalent example
of spring break gone wrong, although there are countless others. We in our interactions
with students have all heard stories about drugged drinks and students being
pricked with needles in clubs; we have heard enough to know that these tales
aren't all urban legends. Threats to our students' safety, whether intentional
or accidental, are ever-present. In casual conversations with students about
their plans for spring break, a gentle reminder about safety and traveling together
can go a long way. This is particularly the case in learning centers, where
a wide variety of students can be reached via your paraprofessional staff.
Car trips aren't the same in electric cars.
$3 is the new $2. At least that's what they keep telling me whenever I fill
up at the tank. The cost of gasoline might be prohibitive for some this semester,
making that road trip to Florida into a trip to the local lake instead. Did
anybody ever imagine that flying would be cheaper than driving, when the cost
of a discounted one-way ticket is as much as two or three full tanks? Expect
a greater percentage of students to stay home this spring break and spend their
time working rather than traveling.
The power of Mother Nature.
Clean-up in the areas of the Gulf of Mexico has just begun; reconstruction of
the area is an on-going process. Commonly visited places like Cancun, the Florida
Keys, and many cruise ship destinations between the Yucatan and the Caribbean
are trying to rebuild their economies and accommodations to pre-hurricane levels.
The work has been arduous, work which began the academic year and will continue.
Many colleges and universities are sponsoring trips to help operations in the
South for spring break, as they have for months. No doubt there has or will
be students in your area, perhaps in your institution, that will be participating
in such an event. Meanwhile, landslides, wildfires, and now an early and destructive
tornado season continue to create pockets of need in our own country, as earthquakes,
ferry accidents, and cyclones threaten other areas of the world. In welcoming
students back, remember to be cognizant of these experiences. Students may have
sudden or surprising reactions to being witness to the trauma, even weeks after
the event. Anxiety and depression, for instance, may all appear to be finals-related
but may have had their start in a far more emotional experience.
Not all spring break experiences will be fire and brimstone. And when the students
come back to you finally, you all have great positive things to look forward
to: more hours of daylight, greener grass and flowers blooming, and the long-awaited
end to the semester.
Questions or comments? Contact the author at j.scibet@usip.edu.