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.
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| 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. |
Animal House
Crowds of people, kegs of cheap beer and loud, pumping music can draw thousands of students to a party. Fraternity and sorority parties, 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 fraternity 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 parties, 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 university 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 residence halls and strictly enforces visiting hours for the opposite sex, parties always end relatively 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 a study-only institution is incorrect.
"A lot of people here study on the weekends, but I think other people get the wrong impression, 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 sitting around talking, and they're kind of categorized. Some of the finals clubs have all athletes talking about sports, and the artsy finals clubs talk about arts ... basically people go to whatever club that pertains to their interest."
Cocktail
The bar is the preferred weekend venue of many college students, 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 students to its bustling and rowdy atmosphere.
LSA senior June Lathers said that as a single 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.
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| LOUIS BROWN/Daily Indiana University students Rod Palmer and Justin Carnes enter a bar in Bloomington last Friday. |
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.
"I'm usually at the bar all weekend, or at least on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights," Jones said. "We'll go bar hopping, too, sometimes to two or three different bars a night.
"Most of the bars are close by on campus, so that helps us out a lot," he said.
While the legal drinking age is 21, many college students find ways to get around the law. Spencer Martin, a Syracuse University first-year student, said the five or six bars located in the middle of the New York school's campus are all relatively easy for minors to get into.
"There's one bar here where you only have to be 18 to get in," said Martin, who visits the 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 possible 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.
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 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, taking 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 people if they stay on campus during the weekend.
"We'll occasionally go out to some of the clubs around here (in Boston)," Lee said. "When we go out, we'll dress up, wear makeup and put on contacts, because since we're at an all-girls' school, we usually just go to classes looking like crap during the week.
"At a single-sex college, you end up having to really take a very proactive role in your social life," Lee said. "You can't expect it to happen on its own."
Mirka Feinstein, a Barnard College first-year student, said her school's campus, which is the female college of Columbia University in New York City, blends in with the surrounding areas of the city.
"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 parties, 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 substantially 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 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 offering 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 sometimes 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 weekend adventures.
Jeff Krause, a first-year student at the University of Colorado at Boulder said the bitter climate and mountainous region surrounding 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, zucchini, 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-ending 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."
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| ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily RC senior Zuzanna Ziomecka talks with Pat Farell, a member of the band Poignant Plecostomus, at The Bird of Paradise nightclub Wednesday. |
02-27-98
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