DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Summer Wildcat Members of the UA marching band play volleyball outside of the Park Student Union Monday night to stave off the summer boredom. Among activities in Tucson to keep summer boredom at a minimum are pick-up volleyball games, miniature golf, and bowling.

Once spring classes end in a spattered climax of two-hour finals and coffee binges, many students are left with an overflow of caffeine-induced energy and nowhere to spend it. Semester friends go back home and the emptied campus can give the semblance of an abandoned town.

It often seems like some silent summer vacuum has replaced the once sparkling nebula of campus life.

But nature abhors a vacuum and the University of Arizona community has learned to both adapt to its summer changes and to scramble around in the heat in attempts to keep itself entertained in the Old Pueblo.

On Sunday night, international studies junior Alex Holznienkemper stood, crouched over inside lane 22 at Lucky Strike Bowl, 4015 E. Speedway Blvd., his left arm behind his back and his right cradling a purple ball against his shoulder as he studied a number of white pins in front of him.

"Once a week I've got to come bowling, at least," said Holznienkemper, who is also taking two summer courses. "Other than that, I kick back and watch movies if there's time."

I don't think I can have fun in Tucson in the summer, I'm going back to my country. - Selin Kalaycioglu, UA graduate student

Zach Wolfenbarger, a molecular and cellular biology junior playing with Holznienkemper, has dealt with summer boredom by upping his work hours at Rent-A-Techie, where he repairs computers. He also plans on going to Las Vegas in July.

Since her teaching position in Nogales doesn't open until August, recently graduated Alicia Lindner has had to time to kill. She was playing volleyball by the Park Student Union Monday night.

"What I'm doing with my free time is coming out here and playing volleyball with lots of friends, taking my dog for a walk, going camping," she said.

Ecology and evolutionary biology senior, Erica Hudson, was also playing volleyball under the stars and said she is taking it easy this summer.

"I've been going to the gym because I have more time," said Hudson. "I go out on the weekends. Sometimes we'll have people over and have a barbeque and stuff."

And in cases of boredom, it pays to have friends in high places.

"We go see movies," said Hudson. "My friend is the manager of a movie theater so we call her up and go in for free. My other roommate works at Blockbuster, so we get free movies. So I guess I watch a lot of movies, but all for free, which is good."

The desert heat usually keeps students at bay inside their homes. Brittany Montoya, a retailing and consumer science incoming freshman, said she critiques music videos on MTV with her sister during the day.

She ventures outside too.

"The other night, we hung out at McDonalds in the parking lot for like two hours, doing nothing, listening to music, playing rummy," she said, looking at a group of friends laughing and joking behind her.

On Monday night, Tanya Hladky walked out of Sharks Bar, 256 E. Congress, having performed her first karaoke song.

Hladky is staffed at the UA's Campus Agricultural Center.

"I like to work out," she said, explaining how she tries to beat the slow summer months. "I like to swim everyday." She added that she also goes out to dinner twice a week.

Ted Watson is a1970 UA alum and, as a retired accountant, tries to beat summer boredom by hitting the greens and planning summer vacations.

"I'll be playing golf a lot," said Watson. Watson goes about once a week to courses around town.

Not everyone in the UA community is willing to make do with Tucson's limited entertainment resources.

Selin Kalaycioglu, a graduate student and counselor for a math camp this summer, is leaving Tucson after the camp ends.

"I don't think I can have fun in Tucson in the summer," she said when asked about summer boredom. "I'm going back to my country."

Kalaycioglu lives in Istanbul, Turkey.

Another graduate student, David Whitehouse, is from Virginia and said that while there a lot of things to do outdoors in Tucson such as hiking, the heat is too much for him and that life in the west just isn't cutting it.

"As far as keeping busy, the scene out here is very different," said Whitehouse. "It's not like back east, where there's a lot of things to do. Going to the movies seems to be the go-to solution, you know.'

'This club scene isn't too tight here. The music scene isn't too good. Right now, I'm just going to pick up some beer, actually. I hang out with my girlfriend. That's what I do. I play scrabble."

Amber Jones, who plans on attending the UA in the fall said she has been swimming at a friend's apartment. And while she agrees that it is hard to find something to do in Tucson, she said she thinks things will change once she begins classes.

"I definitely think it will change," said Jones. "Lots more people. A lot more things to do. I'm optimistic about entertainment and parties and friends. I'm looking forward to joining some clubs and stuff and just really getting into it, really having a good time."