The remnants of another winter weekend are thaw-ing away, and the University is gearing up for mid-terms. Many students, however, have neither bad weather nor tests on their minds. Instead, they eagerly anticipate sunny beaches, snowy mountains, service projects or the comforts of home to be found next week during Spring Break.
Alternative Spring Break
One of the most talked about Spring Break activities is Alternative Spring Break. With fundraisers advertised on Facebook, chalking on sidewalks and Qdoba nights, ASB is also one of the most visible activities this time of year.
According to the ASB Web site, approximately 500 University students will be going on as many as 30 trips this year.
Third-year College student Molly O'Rourke is an ASB site leader and will be co-leading a team of 20 students to Puerto Rico. According to O'Rourke, she and her co-site leader want to take their group of 20 "outside the typical realm of the U.S. ... Puerto Rico's culture is so different from what we're used to, but people often forget that Puerto Rico is part of the United States."
Service is an integral part of ASB. According to their Web site, the mission of ASB is to "bring together members of the University community ... in the common goals of service to and education about the global community, in order to promote and train future service leaders of Virginia."
O'Rourke said her team will conduct two service projects. One will be done through the local Puerto Rican government, and the other will be a public health project with Associate Prof. Ross Isaacs of the Nephrology Dept.
O'Rourke and her team will be doing blood pressure and hypertension screenings in downtown San Juan through the National Kidney Foundation.
"We'll be trained to accurately take blood pressure readings and trained in the various risk levels as well," O'Rourke said. "We'll probably be talking about some potential health risks associated with hypertension and possible lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise, that would lower those risks."
According to O'Rourke, her team is very excited about its project.
"It sounds very unromantic, but I think our trip is a better experience and has more potential than just donating some money to some health-based organization," O'Rourke said. "A lot of the kids on our trip are pre-med, and if this gets any of them to focus on global public health during their careers, then it will have been worth it."
O'Rourke also went on an ASB trip last year to Belize. She said she loved the experience but could also see some drawbacks from the program.
"This isn't the most relaxing trip -- there's a lot of early mornings and late nights," O'Rourke said. "There is also the financial commitment, but ASB has a lot of fundraising opportunities available for those who aren't willing to spend their own money on the trip. Everyone I've met has found the cost to be worth it."
Nevertheless, O'Rourke said the benefits overwhelm the drawbacks.
"It's more of a break from mundane schoolwork than drinking in Cancun or watching TV at home," she said.
Trips for Leisure
Whether it is a Florida beach house or a Colorado ski lodge, some students are leaving Charlottesville to travel for some rest and relaxation.
The warm beaches of Florida are particularly popular during the cold days of early March. First-year Engineering student Jessica Vasconcellos is planning to head to Pensacola, Fla. to relieve the stresses of second semester.
Vasconcellos said she will be going with friends to a house on the beach.
"I'll get to work on my tan, relax after a stressful E-school week and cook because I'm an avid chef," Vasconcellos said.
Other students are using Spring Break as an opportunity to travel and expand their horizons. Fourth-year Commerce student Chen Wang plans to leave Charlottesville to visit Scotland and Ireland over the break.
"I've never been to Europe before, so when I heard my friends were going I decided to tag along," Wang said. "I want to take in the sights and maybe watch a soccer game. Also, I look forward to enjoying a wide array of European food and beverages."
Despite the many obvious benefits of a week-long vacation, Sping Break plans can carry a heavy price tag and bring with it difficult choices about alcohol consumption.
"Going home would be a lot cheaper than going to Florida, but I've been working at Newcomb during the year to pay for it," Vasconcellos said.
First-year College student Martin Volaric also plans to escape from Charlottesville over Spring Break.
"I'll be going to my [friend's] aunt's house in Colorado, near Vail and Breckenridge," Volaric said.
In addition to keeping costs down, staying with family and friends also answers questions about alcohol consumption.
"Drinking is pretty much out of the question," Volaric said. "Besides, we're just looking for some good clean fun."
Home Sweet Home
Many other students want simply to relax and enjoy Spring Break from the comfort of their homes or Charlottesville.
Fourth-year College student Steven Davis said he is going to stay here in Charlottesville during the break as he plans to work in Clemons.
"I'll be working at Clemons over break," Davis said.
While some students cringe at the prospect of working over break, Davis has future plans in mind.
"I'll be visiting Texas before graduation, and Japan after graduation, so I couldn't afford to take another trip over Spring Break," Davis said.
Davis noted that staying in Charlottesville has its advantages.
"Staying here means I can do some more online job searches and continue communicating with companies I've already contacted," Davis said. "Even though I'm a second semester fourth-year [student], I'm still very busy. I needed this time to plan for after graduation."
Fourth-year Engineering student Mike Jones will also be staying in Charlottesville over the break.
"I wanted to head to the Caribbean, Jamaica or the Bahamas," Jones said. "I even thought about going on a cruise, but those were all turning into expensive trips."
Instead, Jones, a drum set player with the basketball band will spend the second half of break at the ACC tournament in Tampa.
"I get to go to the tournament for free," Jones said. "In the end, it became a question of whether I minded playing drums a little on my vacation, or whether I would spend a lot more for a cruise."
Other students are excited to just return home and be with family for the break. Second-year College student Christina Polenta said she "just needs to go home and recharge."
Polenta expressed reservations about returning home for break.
"I will miss making lots of memories with my [Delta Gamma] sisters, but I just needed a break with my family and friends from home," Polenta said. "I have two big midterms coming up, so I'm actually just going to be a little nerdlet and study for exams."
Regardless of their plans for Spring Break, many students said they agreed with Vasconcellos' assessment: "U.Va. is a great place to be, but I just need a break!"
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