by Jeff Fox
“Gib, you want a relationship? That’s fine. Just remember that every relationship starts with a one-night stand. You came 3,000 miles for a reason didn’t you? Would you look at that reason? Go for it Gib, you’ve earned it,” said Anthony Edwards to John Cusack in the seminal 1985 spring break movie, “The Sure Thing.”
While Hollywood, MTV and even the infamous Girls Gone Wild have spent years cashing in on the promiscuous party traditions of college spring break, reality for WVU Parkersburg students is far less sexy and glamorous than that which is portrayed through the media.
Sure, it’s true that Cancun, Panama City, South Beach and even the old favorite, Daytona Beach, have their share of spring break delirium, but what are most WVU Parkersburg students planning for spring break?
“My plans for spring break are to sleep in, I work two jobs and I'm usually gone from morning to night,” Brittany Coleman said. Pete Orn echoed that sentiment,“I plan to get a lot of rest, and work two jobs.” Working and also trying to catch up on some rest, not exactly the craziness that fuels a risque Hollywood movie or MTV special!
With WVU Parkersburg being a community-based college, it’s student enrollment falls into a different demographic than WVU, Marshall or Ohio University. For example at WVU, 87 percent of the enrolled students are under the age of 24. WVU, Marshall, and Ohio all have an average student age around 22 years old. At WVU Parkersburg, the average age has been trending upward and now stands at 27.6 years old. That is essentially a six-year difference in average age, and in daily responsibilities. Daily responsibilities often revolve around family responsibilities; “I'll get to spend extra time with my kids,” Joe Mundy said.
While WVU Parkersburg is a great place for a recent high school graduate to begin a college career, it has also become the place to complete one. Many fellow students may have studied at other places and at other times, and through a variety of reasons are now enrolled at WVU Parkersburg. Going to school, raising a family, and working are many different priorities as compared to the typical spring break reveler.
Don’t worry, WVU Parkersburg will have a few hearty souls who can drop responsibility for a week and head south for a much needed dosage of fun and sun, but the majority of students will be balancing school, work and family, as they try to find a little time to squeeze in some fun. “My friends and me are going to Myrtle Beach for the week ... @#%$ yeah spring break is the time of year we have been waiting for since Christmas,” proclaimed a student whom will remain anonymous.
Many students will utilize the time off to prepare for upcoming projects. Hmmm … a novel idea, get ahead on assignments and then enjoy the nice weather locally in a few weeks. “I'm probably working on two or three projects that I have due at finals … I would love to go down to the beach, I’m going to try and get everything done so I can take two days and spend a day in the sun,” Student Government President Teresa Wamer said.
One thing is for certain; WVU Parkersburg students will utilize their spring break in many different ways, the beach, the job, the couch, but remember to enjoy the spring break, just maybe not enough to inspire an embarrassing movie!
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