It's Not Too Early to Talk About Spring Break - Part 1

Contrary to popular belief, many students just go home, stay on campus, or take a long weekend instead of a full-blown beach or ski vacation for spring break. If your child is travelling with friends however, it's vital that you have a detailed discussion about your expectations during spring break.

Spring Break Tips for students - Part 1

Be Prepared - Remember the Boy Scout motto and plan ahead for the unexpected. A stocked first aid kit and road emergency kit are always helpful to have and keeping them in one's vehicle is a good habit to establish. Kits can be assembled from items on hand or purchased complete. If traveling to remote locations, extra blankets, an emergency hammer, water and food are good to have in the vehicle as well.

Write an itinerary - Even with everyone carrying a cell phone these days, asking your student to send you an itinerary can help you know approximately where they will be and when. It can also help your student plan their trip. Most students have never planned a lengthy trip by themselves, so creating an itinerary for you can actually help them see where they may be short on time or need an extra stop. If they're hiking or camping remind them that it is sometimes required, but always a good idea, to sign in with park staff before they hit the trail.

Have a plan "B" - The itinerary will help your student plan for the obvious, but what about those hiccups that invariably happen along the way while on a trip? This is a good time to ask your student about their Plan B and offer some advice on how to handle emergencies. Is the spare tire inflated? Do they have extra cash or travelers checks? Do they know that they can still call collect from a land line phone? (Try 1-800-CALL-ATT or a similar service.) If you belong to a motor club or have access to roadside assistance, this is a great time to remind your student about the benefits of your plan.

Pests on campus: Lice and Bed Bugs

Winter is the time when lice and bed bug infestations start to make their appearance on college campuses. Not only are more people exposed to these pests while they travel for the holidays, but lice in particular seem to thrive when students start sharing hats, scarves, and jackets. 

Bed bugs, lice, and other creepy bugs exist on college campuses just as they exist everywhere else. While bed bugs and lice certainly have what one Residential Life veteran calls the “yuck factor” the good news, if you can call it that, is that these pests do not vector diseases and there are plenty of ways to get rid of them. 

Lice can be treated with over the counter shampoos and sprays and a complete laundering of all fabrics (clothing and bedding) in hot water and a hot dryer. Bed bugs, however require heat treatments of the affected rooms and everything in them by a professional exterminator.

Students should notify staff as soon as possible if they suspect bed bug infestations because they can easily spread from one room to another on clothing. In fact, when students travel, they should also inspect hotel rooms and hostels for bed bugs and lice to avoid bringing them home with them. Complete information and pictures to help identify these creeps is available at these Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/

Of course, prevention is the most effective way to avoid any infestation of anything from insects to rodents, but college students are not necessarily known for their outstanding housekeeping skills. Students who leave food and other attractive items out for any length of time are sure to become magnets for pests. Keeping rooms and apartments clean, and free from clutter and open food items is the best prevention. Also, students who live on ground floor levels should keep doors and windows closed and pay close attention to any pests they see.  Generally, if there’s one cockroach or ant, there’s a whole family somewhere nearby and the student should immediately contact staff for abatement.