By Cheryl Binning
Hitting the books—not the beaches—is how some Ryerson students to plan their spring break.
“Finish a major project, work. sleep and possibly get a chance to drink,” is the reading week itinerary of Computer Science student V.P. Pedota.
Many other students have similar plans.
At a table in Jorgenson Hall, a group of students are leafing through a booklet. But it’s not a travel guide they are earnestly perusing—it’s the summer course calendar.
“I plan to do lots of work over the holiday,” said Dominic Mondaui, adding that hey may be forced to take summer courses if his grades don’t improve. “It’s not a matter of choice. If I want to be here next year I have to work hard.”
For many other students, a dwindling bank account is the reason for ditching their vacation plans.
“No money,” says first-year Nutrition and Consumer Family Studies student Jennifer Trafford. “So I’m staying in Toronto.”
According to Paul Carter, manager of Travel Cuts, the number of students seeking sunny exodus has remained steady over the last few years. He says that Florida vacations are less popular than they used to be, but a few students are taking more interesting trips.
“For example, one Ryerson girl is going to Australia for ten days. It takes two days to get there, so she will just get there when it will seem time to come back,” Carter said.
Susan Kuliczkowski is going away for spring break because her family will foot the bill. The first year Nutrition and Consumer Family Studies student is going ot Mexico to babysit for her sister.
“They are paying or else i wouldn’t be going,” she said.
Many students from outside the Toronto area are just looking forward to getting away from school and going home.
“A lot of people are booking flights home—to Halifax and Calgary,” Carter said. “More people are going home instead of south because all the tour companies boost up their prices during spring break.”
Juanita Dickson, RSU V-P Administration, says that New Orleans appears to be the favourite vacation spot for students.
“(Since) our break falls during Mardi Gras and it’s a newer destination, not a lot of people have been there,” she said. “It’s different but it’s still hot.”
But for many Ryerson students, a desk piled high with assignments and an empty bank account means they might actually have to do some reading during reading week.
Electrical engineering student Nick Castelli still has hope for a truly “slack week.”
“What we need is a student loan for reading week,” he moans. “The government should pay students to relax. We need it.”
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