by David Weatherall

Who says Concordia students don’t take their studies seriously? After reading this, nobody will.

Of more than 50 students surveyed, none are going away this Reading Week and a whopping 75 per cent said that even if they did have the money, they probably still wouldn’t because of their academic workload.

“No jokes — I’ll probably be reading over Reading Week,” said first-year Communications and Cultural Studies student Christi Milsom.

“With all the schoolwork I have, I seriously haven’t got the chance to even think about the spring break! All I can think about is resting from all these assignments, exams, and projects,” said Antonio Maiorano, a third-year Computer Science student.

Mike Miele, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student, echoed Maiorano’s sentiment. His plans for reading week? “Study my ass off!”

Although most blamed schoolwork for disrupting possible beach parties in Daytona or chilling in New York City, others also have responsibilities to jobs that they simply can’t leave behind.
“I’ll probably be reading and working. Ice cream doesn’t scoop itself, you know,” said Sarah MacDonald, a third-year Commerce student. “No vacation for this girl.”

Others, like Maiorano, also have commitments they can’t abandon. “I’ve never gone on a mide-term break trip, but I would like to go on one. The problem is that being in co-op [work-study program], I’m not ‘allowed’ to take off. Perhaps some day. . .”

While trips to traditional hot spots, such as Daytona, New York, Caribbean resorts and Mexico, are promoted all over the school, MacDonald felt that there should be more excursions offered to cater to the needs of those with less cash to spare.

“I would go on an organized trip. They should organize more that are cheap — for example, three days in Boston. Something that’s still a trip, but not as expensive as say, Cancun.”

Milsom agreed. “I’m hoping to go to the Laurentians, but I definitely won’t involve a travel agent or school organization.”

In fact, Milsom went on to complain about the prolific pamphlet advertising that is rampant throughout the university. “I think the Daytona 2001 gaudy fluorescent ads taped to professors’ posts at the front of many classrooms are ridiculous. If I were standing there, trying to lecture, I’d rip them down.”