Students use Dead Day to explore many realms of college life

Contrary to popular belief, not all UA students drown their end-of-the-semester sorrows in booze. Of course ÷ and this goes without saying ÷ many of them do.

However, given the choice, most students prefer the Dead Day concept to an often-fantasized Dead Week.

Chuck Bedard, a regional developments junior, said he plans on hitting the bars this Dead Day.

His motivation?

ãTo forget about finals,ä he said.

ãFor Dead Day I plan on going to a bar, (but) definitely not Gentle Benâs,ä Bedard said. ãGentle Benâs is overrated ÷ (it) never treats me good ÷ so I try to boycott that place and go to Dirtbags or OâMalleyâs.ä

While not all University of Arizona students have a place in their hearts for Gentle Benâs, 865 E. University Blvd., others most certainly do.

The brewery is holding its annual Dead Day drink specials, accompanied by a live D.J., beginning tomorrow night at 8.

At least one UA student plans to go to Benâs ÷ undeclared sophomore Ross Demner.

ãI might be there to get really drunk and have a good time and party,ä he said.

While Bedard and Demner plan to use their time on Dead Day to dismiss finals, other UA students expect to use the day to study or just kick back.

Family studies sophomore Katherine Christian is going home to Phoenix for the day to see the Broadway musical ãRent.ä

She said she is doing so to take a break from studying, get away from school, and most importantly, she said, because ãI really like ÎRent.âä

Zachary Wrobel, a UA graduate with a BA in creative writing, said he remembers spending Dead Day relaxing and taking a break from the pressures of the semester.

ãDead Day is one where you can either sleep in and waste most of the day, or you can pair some light studying with depressurizing from the semester ÷ getting ready for finals,ä Wrobel said.

He reminisced about the Dead Days he spent at UA pursuing such activities as playing Frisbee or football on the Mall, doing some recreational reading, or taking short trips to Mexico, Mt. Lemmon or the desert.

Surprisingly, most students favored not switching to a Dead Week in lieu of Dead Day; most students said they were satisfied with the one day the UA permits for students to rest before being thrust into their grueling finals.

Several students said they were more interested in finishing the semester completely than in prolonging it for another week.

Biochemistry freshman Brandon Joseph Linch said that he is ready to return home for the summer and that he finds the concept of Dead Week unnecessary.

ãActually, Iâm excited to get out of school and get back to Flagstaff,ä Linch said. ãSo Iâm glad (Dead Day) is only a day.ä

Many other students agreed, saying Dead Week would be excessive, serving to create a mere illusion of more study time while, in reality, catering only to procrastinators.

Wrobel said he could see a compromise between Dead Day and Dead Week working to studentsâ advantage.

ãA day might be too short,ä Wrobel said. ãThursday and Friday coupled with the weekend would be cool, but an entire week seems excessive to me.ä