Between breaks

Thanksgiving break is over. We've been back on campus for a week and, by now, even the least academically concerned students are no doubt attentive and absorbing new course material. At the end of finals week we can all sit back, relax and anticipate next semester's intellectual stimulation and academic processes over the holiday season. \nRight. \nInstead, it's time to wake up from that drunken stupor of an academic dream world. It's time to drag the mismatched shoes and smell of liquor to the next class on a list of courses that are not only uninspiring but do little to contribute to one's education. ("Electives," my ass). \nMost IU students (at least the undergrads) checked out of this semester, like a cheap hotel on the morning after, over Thanksgiving break, if not before. Instead of hitting the books and working hard during this time -- the period that might have the largest effect on the outcome of course grades -- many are skipping class, neglecting reading and shunning homework. That little taste of free time has sent students into a downward spiral toward apathy.\nThe break from class in late November is intended to be a time-out, giving students a chance to rest and spend time with their families before the arduous tasks that fill dead week (or what should be renamed "Make any major project that has been assigned this semester due here so we can trick students into thinking they have time to study" week) and finals week.\nBut Thanksgiving break has a reverse effect. From that first mouthful of stuffing or first sip of beer with high school buddies, students at IU are done for. And who can blame us? We've spent the last 13 weeks with our heads in books, studying for exams and generally dreading our essay grades. It's high time we got a chance to stop worrying for awhile. Unfortunately, the real world smacks us in our tired faces. \nBeing near enough to our junior-high days, when free time was plentiful and we spent so much of it in front of the tube, having class so close to winter break is kind of like being slowly cooked in a boiling vat of grease. But we've found a solution to that "burning-alive" sensation: Just stop caring and start drinking. \nThis is a red flag for the student body of IU, including me. Don't let a little apathy at the end of the semester ruin the hard work of so many weeks. I know that Sam Adams is ready for you to stand up as a patriot in the best way you know how. But even if you don't place school high on your priority list, you might as well just finish it up, take the C+ instead of the D -- and wait until after Dec. 15 to enjoy those drinks.