During the school year, Happy Valley is home to budding romances, dreamy crushes and random hookups.

But as the summer approaches and temperatures heat up, students leave Penn State -- sometimes tempted to end their serious relationships with hopes of taking advantage of the freedoms, fun and flings that summer can bring.

"The summer should be a time to just chill and relax," said Jon Sepp (freshman-division of undergraduate studies). "I feel like I don't want to be tied down in a relationship."

Maintaining a long-distance relationship throughout his freshman year has been challenging and rewarding. But, now that finals are over and it's time to go home, he is unsure about the future of the one-year relationship with his girlfriend.

Sepp will return to his home on the Delaware shore this summer. With its sun-drenched beaches, he said meeting girls at the beach is always a possibility.

But the best part of the summer is just being open-minded about relationships, he said.

"I'll just be chillin' with my guys and hanging around all summer," he said. "Whatever happens, happens."

Other students won't let the tantalizing sights of summer or thousands of miles get in between them and their significant other.

After going out with his girlfriend for four months, Ross Diamond (sophomore-information sciences and technology) will be leaving State College for his home in New York. However, his girlfriend will be staying here to take classes.

Going from seeing his girlfriend four or five times a week to just a few times the whole summer won't be easy, he said. But he plans to keep in touch with her over the telephone and the Internet. And he and his girlfriend will have other responsibilities, which he hopes will make the time they are apart more bearable.

"I'm going to be working a lot this summer and she'll be taking classes," he said. "So that should help keep my mind off things a little bit."

Other students decided to pull the plug on their relationships before the onset of summer - and even prior to the start of finals.

The approach of the summer months, combined with the end-of-the-semester stresses of final exams, maintaining the four-month relationship with his girlfriend didn't seem feasible, said Aanand Geria (sophomore-biobehavioral health.

Geria is aware of the freedoms and spontaneity that summer can bring. But most of all, he said, he is looking forward to using the time to figure out what he wants in a relationship.

"I'm not sure if I want something long-term or not," he said. "Maybe I'd just like something that has the potential to be a serious relationship. I'll just wait and see what happens."