Students at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA, didn't get a spring break this year. Too many snow days had forced the school to cancel the time off to make up for lost classroom time. But necessity being the mother of invention, students and staff did manage to find a substitute, a tropical-themed "spring break on campus" complete with beach music, frisbee tossing and even a dip in the pool…well, okay, a kiddie pool but still…
Assisting in the celebration, which stretched from Tuesday March 18 to Wednesday the 19th, was Bob Meyer, general manager for campus dining services provider Sodexo, who managed to scare up a makeshift tiki bar. Meanwhile, Executive Chef Char Hartley concocted a tropical tasting special fruit punch for the occasion (non-alcoholic, of course), which was served in cups with little paper umbrellas to provide that spring break tropical feel. "In fact, students insisted on getting an umbrella in their drinks," Meyer says.
The event was staged in the college's food court and students showed up in tank tops, shorts, sandals and even some leis. Joining them was school president Dr. Mark Erickson, who was only too happy to help the students make up for their lost days of leisure. Erickson helped Meyer man the "bar" and dispense drinks. Meyer says they served some 250 of the tropical cocktails each day.
