Gannon Knight News

     As every student is eagerly awaiting the start of spring break, the Student Development Office has been working hard to promote its annual “Safe Spring Break” message across campus.
     Julie Srnka, assistant director of student development programs, is one of the leaders in promoting the message.
     Students from KnightLIFE, Activities Programming Board, Student Government Association and P.A.T.C.H.E.S. (Promoting Awareness Towards a Community of Healthy Educated Students) will be promoting student awareness of safety during spring break in the Waldron Campus Center all this week.
     “At the table, they have a safe spring break pledge that they’re asking students to read over and sign and if they do, they will get a P.R.O.M.I.S.E. [Promoting Responsible Ongoing Management In Social Environments] backpack,” Srnka said. The backpack giveaway will continue in the Waldron Campus Center from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday (pictured below - Katie Cogswell/ Knight).
     In addition to the backpack, there is alcohol awareness information and different tips that will help students enjoy spring break in a safe manner and make good decisions.
     Srnka has been involved with the “Safe Spring Break” message for a while now and realizes the importance of sending a positive message to the student body.

     “There’s the stereotype out there that spring break should be a time to go somewhere exotic and go crazy,” she said. “You see some of those things in the media where students are not really engaging in responsible behaviors.
     “We want to help our students to be aware and to make some safe, responsible choices for themselves during spring break time.”
Srnka said she also believes that the message has been very successful over the years.
     “Typically, we have not heard of any major incidents regarding our students, so it’s one way of telling,” she said. “As far as we know, it seems to be a message that’s well received by the majority of students.”
     In addition, Srnka said that the Alternative Spring Break Trips have also made a positive impact on the students.
“[They are] another way we can see that students are tending to want to do something – either just completely relax on their vacation and just be safe, or they want to do something as service and make it a good spring break for themselves,” she said.
     However, it’s difficult to evaluate exactly how successful the message is. Like Srnka said, the alternative spring break trips are one way of telling that students are listening, but it’s tough to garner the statistics.
     Shane Cross, a sophomore software engineering major, said he thinks that the message doesn’t really have much of an effect on the student body.
     “I think it is a good message,” he said. “[However], I do not believe that students will listen to it. If they plan on drinking and being irresponsible, they will be. People already have their minds made up about what they want to do.”
     Cross is one of those people who has made up his mind and is indifferent to the negative messages being given away in the media.
     “I [choose] not to drink,” he said. “I’m not going to just because MTV says I should.
     “I believe spring break is a time to have a break from school. Spring break is a good thing to have, I just think some people see what’s on TV and want to go crazy like other[s] do.”