Spring break often procures images of beaches, beer and sunshine, but for most students that’s not reality.
In fact, it is the luxury of a select few that excludes students who are left slaving away at a grocery store to pay for the rest of the semester.
So who is spring break for? The working class is working and the middle is going home or trying to catch up on some homework to keep scholarships. Las Vegas or the beaches of Florida gnaw at students every time they see advertisements of smiling, drunk youths on Mexican beaches. The concept depreciates the value of family dinners or brunch gatherings of friends in their university towns. It nags through the safety instructions to drink responsibly and wear sunscreen. If only this were a tangible option to the common student.
The myth of spring break culture may have began as a humble swim meet in Florida. Colgate University swim coach Sam Ingram took his team to Fort Lauderdale in 1936 to train at an Olympic-sized casino pool. By 1938 more than 300 swimmers competed at a swim event created as a marketing opportunity for the city. Until the ‘60s, the tradition continued with hundreds of swimmers descending to Florida for a dose of warm water and sunshine.
By 1985, approximately 370,000 students made the trip to Fort Lauderdale, sometimes called “Fort Liquordale,” as swimmers are not the only young people who need some sunshine after a long winter. A film starring Tom Cruise and Shelley Long about this pilgrimage called “Spring Break,” perpetuated the excursion.
Back to reality — sure, the crowds on the southern beaches may be immense, and beach-going figures remain in the hundreds of thousands. But the number of students whose role in life during this week of the year goes unseen is in the millions.
Reality does not mean boredom — quite the opposite. A work ethic and appreciation for the value of education will probably be much more advantageous to a student than a tan and hangover. Those who remain in town to work solidify the formation of their new life as an adult — one whose visits home are cherished, and not simply chances to watch a larger TV and eat free food.
At least for everyone, spring break serves as a break from the regular routine we live each week in college. Wherever you spent it or whatever you did, the break was needed.
Bethany Lowe can be reached at [email protected] – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/March/20/blue_collar_spring.html#sthash.OhQAWKQD.dpuf
In fact, it is the luxury of a select few that excludes students who are left slaving away at a grocery store to pay for the rest of the semester.
So who is spring break for? The working class is working and the middle is going home or trying to catch up on some homework to keep scholarships. Las Vegas or the beaches of Florida gnaw at students every time they see advertisements of smiling, drunk youths on Mexican beaches. The concept depreciates the value of family dinners or brunch gatherings of friends in their university towns. It nags through the safety instructions to drink responsibly and wear sunscreen. If only this were a tangible option to the common student.
The myth of spring break culture may have began as a humble swim meet in Florida. Colgate University swim coach Sam Ingram took his team to Fort Lauderdale in 1936 to train at an Olympic-sized casino pool. By 1938 more than 300 swimmers competed at a swim event created as a marketing opportunity for the city. Until the ‘60s, the tradition continued with hundreds of swimmers descending to Florida for a dose of warm water and sunshine.
By 1985, approximately 370,000 students made the trip to Fort Lauderdale, sometimes called “Fort Liquordale,” as swimmers are not the only young people who need some sunshine after a long winter. A film starring Tom Cruise and Shelley Long about this pilgrimage called “Spring Break,” perpetuated the excursion.
Back to reality — sure, the crowds on the southern beaches may be immense, and beach-going figures remain in the hundreds of thousands. But the number of students whose role in life during this week of the year goes unseen is in the millions.
Reality does not mean boredom — quite the opposite. A work ethic and appreciation for the value of education will probably be much more advantageous to a student than a tan and hangover. Those who remain in town to work solidify the formation of their new life as an adult — one whose visits home are cherished, and not simply chances to watch a larger TV and eat free food.
At least for everyone, spring break serves as a break from the regular routine we live each week in college. Wherever you spent it or whatever you did, the break was needed.
Bethany Lowe can be reached at [email protected] – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/March/20/blue_collar_spring.html#sthash.OhQAWKQD.dpuf