Middlebury, Vt., the Spring Break Hot Spot

Author: Jasmin Johnson

During Spring Break last week, the first signs of student life on campus appeared in the cafeteria in lower Proctor Hall (commonly referred to as LowPro) around 12:30 p.m. After a 12-hour night's sleep, the students probably woke up at midday, took a luxurious 30-minute shower and then royally strolled down to the dining hall to meet others still left on campus.

"It's like I am queen of the campus," said Steffy Rompas '02, one of many students who enjoyed being at Middlebury over the break.

The number of student diners at LowPro had been about 70 at almost every meal during the break. Even with everyone there, the atmosphere was never the bursting at the seams, harried kind of ambiance that is dreaded at regular upper Proctor mealtimes. More diverse than your usual Proctor crowd, the people mingled comfortably and seemed much more laid-back.

International students accounted for a good portion of the crowd. There were also, however, skiers who didn't have to travel to Colorado to do their skiing, thanks to last week's abundant snowfall, and seniors working on some independent project or thesis.

Hitoshi Yamaguchi '02 was working on his senior composition pieces. A music major, he found that staying on campus over the break gave him the flexibility to work "according to his own schedule" — without having to think about classes and other routines of daily life during the academic semester.

Rompas, who was working on an independent economics project, agreed. "Self-motivated people are likely to get a lot done here over the break," she said.

After lunch most students usually spent the rest of the day working on campus or completing academic assignments. Darshan Shrestha '04 had been working with Information Technology Services (ITS) to design introductory tutorial programs for the department. Trang Nguyen '05 worked at Starr Library, Kathryn Boateng '05 worked at the admissions office and Anywhere Sikochi '05 at the mail center. Yes, these offices still run when students are gone.

One big problem was that campus facilities operated with limited hours. To get around in a semi-opened campus, then, one had to pay attention to these unusual opening and closing hours. Most everyone here seemed to be experts at that, which suggested that this vacation was not the first spent on-campus for many.

In the evening, groups congregated again at LowPro. By now, most students were able to recognize everyone else, though occasionally a recently returned student joined the crowd. Erwin Alberty '04 took a quick trip home before returning to complete two papers. Yes, schoolwork guilt did build on some people, causing them to return to finish their tasks even before the short vacation finished. Alberty said that he could not get the work off his mind and agreed that the empty campus was a conducive environment in which to finish pressing assignments.

In the evenings, all 10 residents of Battell Hall gathered in a Battell South lounge to watch television. A friend and I were the only people on this part of the hall, and often we spent time just chatting about nothing in particular. Downstairs, there were more people. I'd never seen them. The hip-hop music that emanated from their rooms suggested some form of life.

Most everyone went to bed early. No late night partying, at least not that I was aware of, occured during the week. If anyone was up past midnight, they confined themselves to their rooms, doing something that they had been putting aside for a long time.

Sometimes people congregated to watch a movie one visionary had the foresight to rent. I know someone who stayed up late to play Red Alert online with friends, and I also know that a few stayed up late writing long e-mails. I did the same on some evenings, listening to music or writing letters.So why didn't I, like everyone else here, do anything untame and outrageous?

Well, I was entrusted with turtle-sitting Donatello and little Leonardo, a friend's friend's pets. I had strict instructions from my acquaintance about the proper method and time to administer Wardley's Nutritious Turtle Sticks — "perfect for your aquatic reptile pet." Although Donatello didn't move and Leonardo didn't move much, I'm sure I served some purpose by "being there" for them.

I also had extraordinarery laundry operations to perform: the periodic cleaning of sheets and pillows. And then there was the recuperation from sleep deprivation.

One wonders what causes the lack of partying on open days and nights like the ones during Spring Break. The lack of party buds? Lingering fatigue from midterm week? 21-year-old first-years who are over the party-till-you-detonate phase?

Whatever it is, it's a different kind of fun you have on such breaks as these if you remain on campus. It was a restful, rejuvenating kind of fun, at least for me. I enjoyed the change of pace and the time I got to spend alone just being in my room. Most people here have told me they valued the quietness as well. I think people on campus during breaks tried to spend time doing the same things the people who left campus do. They'd like some respite from how crazy the regular term can get. And then they'd like to reconnect with what they've left behind. Like me, for many who stayed, home is very far away. So we did what we could and maximize on the first part of the deal.