Make good decisions during Thanksgiving break, finish semester strong
University of Idaho students will get a brief reprieve from a seemingly endless semester Friday with the start of Thanksgiving Break.
Maybe adventure is in store with a cross-country road trip, or maybe you are studying abroad and celebrating the holiday in a foreign country. Or you could be headed home for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with your family, complete with turkey and pumpkin pie.
However you choose to spend the holiday, every Vandal’s break should have one thing in common — safety.
Every year, UI student’s lives are inevitably lost during the various breaks from school. Sometimes it’s a traffic accident during their travels home. Sometimes other factors such as alcohol or drugs are involved. Regardless of the cause, it’s always tragic.
Just because school is out for the week doesn’t mean students should stop making responsible choices. If you have a long trip home, make basic preparations. Sleep the night before, find a travel partner and watch the weather to ensure there will be safe driving conditions. And be responsible in alcohol or drug use like the adults we are supposed to be.
It sounds like bonehead advice, but it needs to be said. Sometimes the giddiness of an entire week off from class makes us throw caution to the wind. But don’t be in such a hurry to get home to your family that you never arrive.
Look out for one another during the break in the same way we try to look out for one another at college. If someone posts a Facebook status about needing a ride, offer to split gas and drive together. Be a friend during the holiday parties and let someone know when they’ve had too much to drink or help them get safely home.
Regardless of people’s religious or personal beliefs, a main focus of the holidays is family and that includes our family and community at UI. The death of a Vandal deeply affects us all.
So celebrate Thanksgiving however you choose with turkey, extra sleep or travel. Just please be safe while you celebrate.
— EE
Illustration by Rachel Storjohann | Argonaut