Spring break not just fun in the sun

With midterms coming to a close, there is one gleaming light at the end of the tunnel-spring break. In hopes of escaping Poughkeepsie for warmer weather, many students are heading off to Mexico, Florida, and numerous other locales this year. While spring break is an occasion to let lose and have a good time, there are several things a student must be mindful of in order to keep their possessions, and themselves, safe during the upcoming week.

When planning her spring trip to Punta Cana, senior Michelle Conston was very aware of the possible risks involved in going to a place such as the Dominican Republic, where in the past few years, crime has been prevalent.

"I've heard that it's not safe to leave the resort, especially at night," Conston said. "Our parents are all nervous about us getting into trouble when leaving the resort, so we are just going to stay there and party at the bars and clubs they offer. It's an all-inclusive, so we shouldn't have any reason to leave."

Conston, who studied abroad last spring, credits traveling around Europe with making her aware of just how dangerous some places can be.

"My friend was pic-pocketed [in Madrid] when we were sightseeing so I'm definitely more aware of my surroundings now," Conston said. "It's important to keep track of all my belongings and make sure my friends are around me at all times. We plan on staying safe through safety in numbers. There are 12 of us going so we will make sure everyone is constantly accounted for."

Recent statistics compiled by the American Medical Association show that students on spring break "use alcohol as an excuse to engage in outrageous behavior." The study, conducted in 2006, stated that, of spring breakers surveyed, 30 percent.

said that alcohol was an "essential part of life", 74 percent said that spring break meant increased sexual activity, and 40 percent said that they passed out from ingesting too much alcohol at least once during their spring break trip.

A student at the University of Connecticut, Sue Ledversis, has seen the dangers of spring break in action during a past trip to Miami, Fla.

"When I was in Miami for my spring break, there were a few very drunk girls going off with guys I literally just watched them meet," stated Ledversis. "For all I know they could have been nice guys, but I could tell with all the girls had drank, they weren't thinking about the danger they were putting themselves in."

Dr. Pearlman, an English professor at Marist and an expert in the arena of sexual assault, believes there are several ways for students to keep themselves safe this break. The first, and arguably most important way to stay safe, is to monitor their alcohol consumption.

"Alcohol is the number one date rape drug, used in as many as three-quarters of sexual assaults," Pearlman said. "A rapist is more likely to pull a six pack or tequila shot than a knife or a gun. So watch your alcohol intake, as well as that of those around you."

Because sexual assault primarily occurs with someone the victim already knows, Pearlman encourages students to always be aware of the company they keep. A second recommendation of Pearlmans' encourages students to always travel in groups of three or larger, as Conston pointed out her group was planning on doing.

"Isolation is the second common factor in most rapes," Pearlman said. "Isolation can occur even just a few yards away from a party, so make a pact with a group of friends to keep an eye on one another.