Spring break is one of the hallowed traditions of college life. Occurring as it does during the waning weeks of the semester, it is a time for students to take leave of their studies and their grade worries.
Some will return home to visit families they have not seen since the beginning of the semester. Others will use their time to catch up with their class work or personal projects that they have neglected over the course of the semester.
Still more will embrace the traditional route of hopping on a flight or taking a drive to the beach or mountains, indulging in a week of silent meditation accompanied by heavy drinking.
We have no objections to any of the ways students spend spring break. That choice is up to the individual. However, there are other more productive ways to spend one’s free time next week.
For years students have decided against indulging in seasonal excesses and volunteered their time to help out by building homes or feeding the homeless.
In our city poverty levels exceed the national average by 4 percent for families and more than 5 percent for individuals. These statistics are from the 2000 census and obviously do not reflect the city’s burgeoning post-Katrina population. Our social services are stretched, and we are sure any help that students wish to offer can help.
In New Orleans, the situation is still dire. Debris still litters the streets, as houses sit unoccupied and powerlines fail to provide electricity. Students who want to help or whose destinations take them to New Orleans would be, we believe, received with open arms by those who wish to donate their money or time.
We do not mean to dampen anyone’s vacation with this editorial. At the same time, however, let all of us remember that the problems both in our lives and in the world do not disappear when we leave.