10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 27, 1998
FRIDAYFOCUS
m ngtrgr d y, tuents on campuses acro. the country dave
PIe TI, 41an sib through ton lectures and dicufsiens. When the
1M1wend co fe they pan be sand letting their hair dwn, parfying and
a
r x '
d:
i .
1
ti
tiE. < <i
't'T..-~
'.Y_',.
z'
5-
r=z
i: f:,
-_;L "3
1 d' _
- ^ :
' '
.-
,,,
b:-:' .
/
... . .. } At .. ... ,
y.C a - e rtek
ost college students plan to study
and earn respectable grades dur-
ing their stints at higher educa-
tion institutions. After all, that's what they
came here for - a solid education.
But what about the other side of college life?
While classes, exams and studying all play
important roles in their lives, college students
strive to make the most of their weekends -
and whatever other spare time they can find.
From the moment students set foot on cam-
pus, the overwhelming feeling of freedom
grips them for the next four years.
Geographical region, climate and type of
school all may play a role in how students
choose to let off their steam, but one thing is
for sure - students from most colleges and
universities know when and how to throw their
books aside and have a fun time.
Animal House
Crowds of people, kegs of cheap beer and
loud, pumping music can draw thousands of
students to a party. Fraternity and sorority par-
ties, as well as house parties, are the epitome
of life on Friday nights for college students.
LSA sophomore Scott Schwartz said his
weekends can be characterized by either
throwing or attending parties with his fraterni-
ty brothers.
"I do a lot of stuff with my fraternity,"
Schwartz said. "Sometimes we'll go to house
parties, or sometimes we'll have a party with
another fraternity or sorority."
Schwartz said that on average he attends a
party at least once a week, but the number is
higher at the start of the semester and steadily
decreases later in the term.
"In the beginning of the year, we'll have a
lot of parties to attract people to rush,"
Schwartz said. "Of course, as the semester goes
on, when people have more work to do, there
aren't as many."
: Located in Columbus, Ohio State University
is ranked as one of Princeton Review's top 20
party schools of 1998.
OSU senior Michelle Cliffel said because
her campus has more than 50,000 students,
wild parties are a common occurance during
the weekends.
"Usually I'll go with some friends to a
party," Cliffel said. "There are lots of open par-
ties, and then there are TG parties, where
there's an invite list. No one's allowed to get
in unless they're on the list."
TG is short for Thank God It's Friday.
Cliffel said that because the Greek system is
small at Ohio State, the parties that are thrown
by fraternities and sororities are not popular
among most of the students.
University of Notre Dame first-year student
Jane Pater said that dorm parties are all the rage
at the South Bend, Ind. school.
"At around 9 (p.m. on Fridays) we'll call
people up and go to a dorm party," Pater said.
"There is a typical freshman dorm where the
room is totally cleared of all furniture, the lights
turned off, and lots of music and dancing. It's
the thing to do around here."
Dorm parties are encouraged by the univer-
sity because there is no Greek system at Notre
Dame and most students live in on-campus
housing, Pater said.
"They don't say anything when we drink,"
Pater said. "Technically, if you're in a dorm
room and the door is closed, they don't care
what goes on."
Because Notre Dame contains no co-ed res-
idence halls and strictly enforces visiting hours
for the opposite sex, parties always end rela-
tively early.
"We have things called parietals - they're
basically curfews where you have to be out of
the dorms (of the opposite sex) by 2 (a.m.) on
the weekends," Pater said "Parties break up by
then, regardless." -
Harvard University junior Christina
Castellano said her school's reputation of being
NATHAN RUFFER/Daily
Washtenaw Community College sophomore Chris Smith tells a story to a group of friends last night at Java House on South University Avenue.
Ann Arbor is densely populated with coffee shops, which are popular late-night hang-outs for many University students.
reading, play or guest lecture, the city as a
whole really caters to students."
Jana Scott, a sophomore at the University of
California at Los Angeles, said she enjoys the
laid-back atmosphere of her campus.
"Everything is so relaxed here. I'll just hang
out with friends at a party or go see a movie,"
Scott said. "Usually we'll go to Westwood,
which is a strip of, like, 15 movie theaters and
lots of places to eat."
Scott said that attending a university in a
large city helps to alleviate boredom by offer-
ing much more to do than in a small town.
Penn State University first-year student
Sharye Cohen said her weekends are spent on
campus relaxing with friends.
"On the weekends, I eat dinner with my
roommate and then we'll go to the student
union because they usually have free programs.
Like, they'll show movies for free or bring in a
comedian," Cohen said. "Or my friend down
the hall has a TV, so sometimes we'll all cram
into her room and just veg out."
Cohen said that because the city of State
College was created around the university, the
community accommodates college students.
"There are a few coffee shops and some-
times I'll go and meet friends there," Cohen
said.
Life's little (and big) pleasures
While movies, bars, parties and clubs are
popular, some students choose unique week-
end adventures.
Jeff Krause, a first-year student at the
University of Colorado at Boulder said the bit-
ter climate and mountainous region surround-
ing his campus allows him to enjoy one of his
favorite sports - snow boarding.
"All I really do in my spare time is go snow
boarding," Krause said. "A group of three or
four of us will leave at around 6 in the morning
on Saturday and get back at around 8 at night,
and just spend the whole day on the slopes."
Krause said his passion for the powdery
trails of Vail distracts him from his studies.
"I really go anytime, weekday or weekend,
whenever I feel like it, but definitely at least
once a week." Krause said.
On the warmer side of the country,
University of Florida junior David Harris said
his weekend ritual has remained the same since
the first day of his junior year.
"Every Sunday night, without fail, since the
beginning of the school year, we have a
barbecue at my house," Harris said.
"Every single Sunday we make shish
kabobs with onions, green peppers, zuc-
chini, tomatoes, chicken - the works."
When the night air gets chilly, Harris said,
he lights a small bonfire for his 15 or so guests.
"Cold for us is like 50 or 60 degrees, and
if it gets like that, I have a fire pit on my
porch where we'll start a little fire," Harris
said. "Our porch is really nice (because) it
has Astroturf on it."
Harris said Florida's warm weather and
laid-back atmosphere fosters a never-end-
ing celebratory environment.
"Gainesville is just a great place to go to
school," Harris said. "We party every day -
all week long - not just on weekends."
1~
S
a study-only institution is incorrect.
"A lot of people here study on the weekends,
but I think other people get the wrong impres-
sion, because it's not like you have no time for
a social life," Castellano said.
Castellano said students at Harvard separate
themselves into " finals clubs" on campus that
socialize together on weekends.
"It's called a club, but it's really more like
Harvard's version of a fraternity party,"
Castellano said. "There are lots of people sit-
ting around talking, and they're kind of cate-
gorized. Some of the finals clubs have all ath-
letes talking about sports, and the artsy finals
clubs talk about arts ...
basically people go to Top :C
whatever club that per-
tains to their interest." SCh
bar once or twice a week. "You have to be 21
to drink, but of course you can ask people to
get you beer."
Martin added that fake identification cards
and connections with bouncers make it possi-
ble to get into bars illegally.
Boogie Nights
The club scene has long been popular on
urban campuses. Accommodating students
who keep up with the latest fashions and like
to dance and party all at the same time, night
clubs entice those those who enjoy letting their
bodies go wild.
Party
fols
Cocktail
The bar is the pre-
ferred weekend venue
of many- college stu-
dents, provided that
they are 21 years of age
or older. Stocked with
countless brands of
alcohol, big-screen
televisions and clouds
of smoke, the college
bar scene attracts stu-
1. West Virginia University
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
3. SUNY- Albany
4. University of Colorado - Boulder
5. Trinity College
6. Florida State University
7. Emory University
8. University of Kansas
9. University of Vermont
10. Louisiana State University
Source: Princeton Review's The 311 Best Colleges
LSA senior Warren
Lapham said that while
he likes to go dancing at
least once a month, he
does not enjoy the
Nectarine Ballroom,
which one of a few clubs
located near the
University's campus.
"I've been here for six
years, and when I got
here, I thought there was
a lot to do," Lapham said.
"But I'm getting sick of
Nectos and I don't think
there are many other good
"At Columbia, there's very little on-campus
life," Feinstein said. "Since it's such a big city,
nothing happens on campus. There are no par-
ties, so everyone hangs out off-campus."
Feinstein said the city has an "outrageous"
night life, and clubs are where things happen.
But because the $20 cover charge is substan-
tially higher than clubs in most other cities,
Feinstein said she does not go every weekend.
"I go to clubs about twice a month, and even
then we try to get a discount by getting on the
guest list." Feinstein said.
She said that by calling early and making
reservations, she can get her name on the list
and $5 off the regular price.
Dinner and a Movie
Of course there are those students who
choose not to party into the wee hours of the
morning.
LSA senior Joshua Bostwick said he prefers
to spend a quiet and relaxing weekend night
with a small group of friends.
"My Friday night usually consists of either
having a dinner party with friends - I love to
cook - or going out to eat at a nice restaurant,
and then going to a movie," Bostwick said.
Bostwick said he believes the campus, as well
as the Ann Arbor community, offer plenty to
do for the average student, and the size of the
campus helps for those who may not have a car.
"In general, I stay mostly on campus or at
the Main Street area," Bostwick said. "I may
go to a play or musical. Even if it's a poetry
4
dents to its bustling and rowdy atmosphere.
LSA senior June Lathers said that as a sin-
gle female, she finds herself in campus bars at
least two to three times per week.
"I can say that I do go out (to the bars) a lot
during the week," Lathers said. "Mondays,
Wednesdays and a lot of times on Thursdays
I'll go either to Rick's or Scorekeepers.
Saturday nights are usually big, too."
Unlike many college students, Lathers said
she almost never drinks on Fridays, and instead
attends athletic events - namely hockey games.
Wesley Hollomon, a senior at Rice
University in Texas, said the one bar located
on campus is a favorite hangout for students
during the week.
"The big day is really on Thursday - it's
known as 'pub night,"' Holloman said.
Holloman said that while the bar is open all
week, students don't go to the bar over the
weekend.
"It's kind of strange because I don't even
think it's open on the weekends," Holloman
said. "I mean, at least I don't know anyone that
goes on the weekend."
Michigan State University senior Matthew
Jones said his campus is home to many bars,
making it easy for him to do what he likes best
- drink alcohol.
clubs in town."
Lapham said that despite the distance, he
and his friends make the hour-long drive to
clubs in the Detroit area.
Elizabeth Adams, who attends DePauw
University, a small liberal arts school in
Greencastle, Ind., said that although she is 21,
she stays away from bars and instead goes to
clubs at least three times a month.
Adams said the local mall conveniently
houses all the clubs in town. She said she is
able to spend the whole day there, eating, tak-
ing care of errands, and then dancing the night
away.
"On weekends I'll go shopping at the mall
with my friends, and then later we'll go to
some clubs, because they have four different
clubs on the third floor of the mall," Adams
said.
"We just go club hopping because you can
get into all of them with a one-time cover,
which is $5. There's one with an '80s theme,
one has a live band, one has a sports theme and
one is all house music."
Wellesley College senior Debbie Lee said
she spends most of her free time off-campus in
Boston. She said that because Wellesley is a
small and all-female college, students do not
have the opportunity to meet many new peo-
ple if they stay on campus during the weekend.
4
,.
_
u;