Spring break is finally here, and Eastern’s students share their intentions for the upcoming week-long break from classes.

Some students plan on going back home to visit with family while others have plans to leave the state and go on trips.

Senior psychology major Nick Bamert belonged to the latter group.

“(For spring break), my brother and I are driving to South Padre, down at the tip of Texas,” Bamert said.

He said South Padre is home to “good beaches and, hopefully, warm weather.”

Bamert also said this is his first time going to South Padre.

“A couple years ago, (my brother and I) went to Florida, kind of on a whim, and we wanted to try something new this year,” he said.

Another senior, Abigail Crowne, who has a double major in psychology and neuroscience, said she is going to see a musical in Champaign with her family.

“I’m going to see ‘The Producers’ at the Paramount Theater in Aurora, (Illinois),” Crowne said, which she added was a family tradition.

“Every spring break, my family goes and sees a musical, so now we’re doing it professionally because my sister is not in high school anymore,” she said.

Sabrina Warren, a freshman with a double major in business finance and accountancy, said she plans to go to Chicago with friends over break.

“I’m going to Chicago with my best friends because one of them is leaving for Air Force basic training this month,” she said.

She said her friend would be gone until September, and spring break gives her a chance to spend quality time with her.

She said she and her friends are going to The Bean and Navy Pier.

Other students, like freshman computer information technology major Jarrett Williams, plan to visit with their family, rather than take a trip or observe a family tradition.

“I’m going to see my niece and nephew who live in Mississippi,” he said, adding that he has not seen them in over a year.

Alyssa Bettenhausen, a freshman biological sciences major, said she is also visiting with family over spring break.

She said she is visiting her sister in Champaign, but she usually goes back home to Chatsworth, Illinois for break.

Students also had advice for people regarding what to do over spring break.

Bettenhausen said students should “definitely not stay here” when debating what plans to make over break.

“If you’re seeking a classic spring break party experience, go somewhere in the gulf with a beach,” Bamert said, “anywhere from the tip of Texas all the way out to the panhandle of Florida.”

Crowne recommended Six Flags, and said, “you can’t really beat roller coasters.”

Williams said visiting family is usually a good idea over break, given that students rarely see their family while they are away at college.

Warren said to avoid going anywhere down south near the ocean, contrary to Bamert’s plans, because of the volume of people that would be in the area.

“I would go somewhere up east,” she said, “like New York or something.”

Austen Brown can be reached at 581-2812 or at albrown6@eiu.edu.