Students this year will spend spring break shooshing the slopes, splashing the tidewater, braving the desert and reclining in the Lazy-Boy.

Colorado, one of many perennial spring break destinations, is a mecca for skiers and party animals.

But Jen Vorberger said she plans to ski the slopes but skip the parties.

"It's going to be a family vacation," she said. "Dad is into family things and it's his first time skiing. Hopefully, there won't be any broken bones."

Vorberger (junior-environmental resource management) said she had planned to spend her break skiing with friends before her father called and told her he had made plane reservations to Crested Butte, Colo. Even with her parents, she predicted the trip will be fun.

"I'm still doing what I want to do, just with a different people," Vorberger said.

Money, or the lack thereof, made many students' travel decisions for them.

"About eight of my friends wanted to go somewhere and we didn't have that much money," Todd Weinstock said, describing his motivation to drive to Daytona. "I went my freshman year and it was pretty fun."

Weinstock said Daytona offers a potpourri of beach volleyball, wet T-shirt contests and bars. The weather is usually fine, too.

"I was down one month ago and it was in the 80s," Weinstock (junior-psychology) said.

Daytona has received somewhat of a bad rap over the years because of an influx of motorcycle riders who have chosen the town as a party haven. But Weinstock said he believes vacationing students probably account for more rowdiness than the bikers.

"There's thousands of bikers all over Daytona, but it doesn't bother me," he said. "You just see a lot of Harley's parked everywhere."

Although many students have complained about the timing of the University's spring break, Weinstock appreciates that break comes earlier than those of many other schools.

"It's kind of good that we're going early because there are less people," Weinstock said. "It's more compact, within one or two blocks, which brings people together."

But future spring breaks may come later -- beginning on the eighth instead of the seventh calendar week of the semester, said Dennis Gouran, chairman of the Committee on Admissions, Records, Scheduling and Student Aid.

When the current calendar was approved eight years ago, the University Faculty Senate considered one semester to last 15 weeks. The decision to split the semester at 7 instead of 8 weeks was relatively arbitrary and not controversial, said Richard Sodergren, director of enrollment services.

But because the faculty senate now considers finals week as part of the term, the semester officially lasts 16 weeks, making the eighth week the mid-point, Gouran said.

A subcommittee is examining the implications of moving spring break back and will present a report at the March 20 faculty senate meeting, Gouran said. The earliest the change could come would be Spring 1992.

Sodergren said the calendar must be approved by the University president.

While most people try their best to forget State College and classes during break, about 36 students will buck this tendency to avoid coursework while having fun in the process.

These students, enrolled in Rec Park 496A, will travel to the Chihuahuan Desert in southwestern Texas for a week of hiking, whitewater canoeing, rock climbing and studying desert ecosystems.

Instructor Steve Burr said the three-credit course, Rio Grande Outward Bound, is the first of its type at the University.

"I thought I'd be lucky to get six students to (enroll)," Burr said, adding that he had to create a waiting list to deal with demand.

Students will select and research topics prior to going, present them while in the field, and keep personal journals of their experiences.

"A lot of students I talked to said they went to the Bahamas or Cancun or Daytona last year, laid on the beach and were drunk for a week," Burr said, adding that this year, "They want to get something out of spring break."

Mark Wolfe (senior-recreation and parks) said the course will give him experience in his field and also provide some credits he needs to graduate.

"(The course offers) a chance to have fun and prepare for my future," he said. "It's more important than going to the beach and having fun or going to Vermont skiing."

Wolfe is familiar with rock climbing and rafting in the Appalachian region, but looks forward to the challenges of the Southwest.

"I don't know what to expect from the desert," he said. "It will be a totally new environment for me."

Although some students will bypass an adventurous trip for a week at home, they can expect more relaxation than at a crowded beach.

Mike Taylor (junior-accounting) plans to be "mostly just sitting and watching TV" at his home in Lancaster.

"I don't know, maybe next year I'll go someplace," he said.