"Bodies in the sand/Tropical drink melting in your hand/We'll be falling in love/To the rhythm of a steel drum band/Down in Kokomo."
Those Beach Boys lyrics allude to a spring break experience that many current college students today seek to replicate. And perhaps it's a surprise to those current college students that they're not the first generation to let loose on spring break - and that many students who were at Tufts during previous decades also knew how to have fun.
Steve Nowicki (LA 77, G 79), now a dean at Duke University, recalls an experience that closely resembles today's frisky spring break frenzies. "My most memorable spring break happened when I was lucky enough to get into a plant systematics class in the spring of my senior year," he said. The course included a spring break trip to collect plant specimens and observe natural history.
"Now before you write me off as a total nerd for thinking this could be the best spring break ever, let me add that this botanizing occurred on a small private island in the Bahamas - Duck Key was the name of the place, I think," Nowicki said.
The students were left on Duck Key for a week with only the caretaker and the plants for company.
"OK, so perhaps this still sounds a bit boring," Nowicki said. "But rumor had it - which is why we all wanted to go - that once disembarked on the island, no one wore clothes except at dinnertime, when a bathing suit was required."
Nowicki remains coy. "Far be it from me," he said, "to compromise the reputations of the many fine Tufts alums who accompanied me on this trip by revealing whether or not the rumor was true."
Although some Tufts students have been proudly spreading the spirit of the naked quad run to other parts of the globe for many years, a fair number have stayed close to home.
"Actually, when I was at Tufts, the whole concept of spring break as an exotic vacation was less well-developed," Nowicki said. "Everybody was eager to get away, but more often than not, getting away just meant going home."
Other alumni shared this sentiment. "I think most of my friends did not plan exotic trips," Elizabeth Hewlett (LA 76) said. "We were students - i.e. broke! - and typically returned to our hometowns. In my case, I returned home to New York City to stay with my parents and to catch up with my New York friends. Nothing juicy or exotic, but I sure had a ball."
Contrast Hewlett's experience during the '70s with the plans of freshman Kyle Vangel, however and you might be surprised at the similarity: though it may be popular in this day and age to go away for spring break, there are still many Tufts students who stick around to catch up on work, relax, make money, or to save for other, longer trips.
"I'll be going to visit friends at UMass, writing papers at home," Vangel said. "I'm as excited about spring break as I am about the possibility of new Family Guy episodes."
"I'll be staying around Arlington to go bow shopping for my violin," said junior Elliot Cless, who has been looking to taking care of this impending errand for weeks. Freshman Jason Kang had similar ideas, as far as location: "I'll be going home, as well," he said. "I don't have any plans - just walking the dog, watching some TV."
There are some ways in which the student body - and its level of ambitiousness in selecting travel destinations - has changed markedly.
According to Ben Sands (E '54), Tufts students during the 1950s hailed from a smaller geographic radius - and because of that, they weren't able to plan spring break trips around visiting Jumbos from California or Hawaii.
"Back then, it was pretty different," Sands said. "There were a lot of commuters, and in some cases, we worked."
Jeff Cicia (LA '54) agreed with Sands and emphasized the fact that monetary issues were a travel constraint. "Tufts has a much wealthier student body now," he said. "During those times, we were more of a commuter school, with a lot of people from the New England area - Conn., New York, and New Jersey. But it wasn't too long after World War II - we're talking roughly 10 years here - so not many people were really affluent enough then to be traveling great distances on break."
The issue of shallow pockets has presented a significant obstacle for students as long as there has been a spring break.
Troy Cooper (LA '84) recalls spending his breaks on campus because he needed to work. "Money was definitely a factor in my case," he said. "The trip off campus never materialized. I worked on campus with the university for all of my spring breaks, raking leaves, cleaning the gym, shoveling snow, and doing building and grounds-related work."
Some current students are not hampered by these concerns. Junior Alex Mahoney will be going to Acapulco, Mexico, and will not have to raise money.
Other students of groups on campus that are organizing spring break trips.
Since 1988, LCS has been running a program called Volunteer Vacations that sends students to locations throughout the United States to do service projects. Additionally, many campus a cappella groups on campus go on tour during spring break to promote their albums.
The rise of organized sports teams has also expanded spring break locations for students. Because of the nasty New England weather, many spring outdoor sports teams are forced to travel and compete over the break in order to play a complete season.
"The softball team goes to Orange County, CA, and plays 12 games over the course of the break," Coach Cheryl Milligan said. "The trip is pretty much an essential part of our season - not just a tradition, but a way to get all our games in with New England winter."
Another factor contributing to today's far-flung spring break destinations may be the changing societal orientation toward women's rights. According to Nancy Cicia (LA '59), women during the '50s were very limited in their travel options.
"When we were in school, girls would never have been allowed to travel alone to go skiing," Cicia said. "We had to be in by 10 at night, and if we were late, we were docked."
"Parents would not have allowed even a group of girls to go traveling together, and a mixed group - they would never have allowed it," Cicia added. This is a far cry from the freedom that many college women enjoy today, as evidenced by senior Amber Madison's appearance in the spring break reality film "The Real Cancun" two years ago.
Study abroad programs have also significantly improved students' spring break opportunities. Junior Nadia Ashai, who is currently studying in Egypt, plans to backpack around Israel and Jordan during her break.
"I actually met a guy whose brother is working in Bethlehem, and he has family in Amman in Jordan so he's showing us around," Ashai said.
Junior David Buivid, who is studying with the Tufts-in-London program, will be traveling to France and Germany. "I've been saving all my money for this," he said. "It's the big one."
