While many Fairfield students excitedly await spring break trips to Cancun, Acapulco and Florida, their professors await exciting plans of their own.
Sixty-eight members of the university’s faculty, staff, security, campus operations, retirees and secretaries are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to the South Caribbean. They will be stopping at San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados.
“I got a better response that I thought I would,” said secretary Linda White, who is organizing the trip. “I never expected to get this many.”
According to White, many people going have turned the trip into a family vacation.
However, many are cruising solo, like Professor David A. Zera of the psychology department, who is excited about traveling to a warm destination with his colleagues.
“I’m very excited. I’ve never been on a cruise or have been to the South Caribbean,” said Zera. “It’s really just serendipitous that I’m going … I saw it and said, ‘I’ll go!’ since I have the time.”
Hopefully, the trip will be eight days of paradise for Professor Sandra Billings of curriculum.
“Normally I would be teaching over spring break, since my students in the student teaching seminar get lonely in their townhouses,” said Billings. “I’m excited and anxious. I was afraid of being claustrophobic on the ship, but I decided to do what I always tell my students – take a risk.”
After talking to her son who is an advertiser for the Royal Caribbean cruises, Billings decided to go for it.
Some professors are taking to the air instead of the open seas.
King Jesus Dykeman of the philosophy department is heading east to Norwich, England by plane. He tries to go at least once a year to visit his friends and colleagues at the University of East Anglia, where he taught philosophy in 1977.
One year, Dykeman stayed in a professor’s house near the University of East Anglia. That professor, Nick Everitt, stayed in Dykeman’s house.
“I knew his home, his family pictures, his neighbors,” said Dykeman. “I knew all of his colleagues and he knew all of mine. It was however, more than ten years until we actually met one another.”
Since their meeting, Everitt has visited Dykeman in Fairfield, and Dykeman has visited Everitt in Norwich, England. It has been a tradition ever since.
“It has been amazing to see how similar our lives and our careers have been,” said Dykeman.
He says that the strains and rewards of a professor’s life at a small public university in England are similar to those at a similar sized private denominational college in New England.
“Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing my friends and the daffodils of England blowing in a warm sunny wind,” said Dykeman.
Dr. David McFadden of the History Department will be enjoying himself as well this spring break. He isn’t working at home, visiting his sister in North Carolina, going skiing in Vermont or visiting Colorado like he has in past years. He’s even changing it up from his usual spring break getaways to Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco. This year, he is going to St. Petersburg, Russia.
“I’m excited. St. Petersburg is one of the greatest cities in the world,” said McFadden.
He is going to meet with teachers and administrators at Herzen State Pedagogical University and St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. They are the two major universities that Fairfield has exchange programs with.
McFadden will plan Fairfield’s programs for the summer and the upcoming academic year. He is also planning to visit student Elizabeth Ferris ’05, who is studying abroad, and accompany Fairfield’s Russian language instructor, Professor Jay Sommer.
“Besides, I have lots of friends in St. Petersburg, have been there 19 times in 20 years, and just love the city in any season!” said McFadden.
Some professors will be getting to know their home cities better.
Professor Jocelyn Boryczka of the politics department will be working on her dissertation over break. However, she looks forward to traveling to her favorite Greek island, Thassos, during the summer.
Professor Gabriel Rosenfeld of the history department is editing his 500-page manuscript, “The World Hitler Never Made,” which has been approved by the Cambridge University Press and will come out next spring. This spring break will be his main block of time to work on his book.
“Students who have ten page papers to write over their breaks shouldn’t complain,” said Rosenfeld.
Professor Elizabeth Dreyer of religious studies is going to lectures in Raleigh, North Carolina and Richmond, Virginia on medieval women and Catholic ministers on prayer.
Professor Jesus Escobar of the art history department plans on working on an article to submit for publication and looking for a larger apartment in New York.
“We’ve outgrown our space here, and since I am fantasizing about having a ‘room of my own’ for writing and creative work, it’s time to start hunting,” said Escobar.
For those who are going home for a relaxing break, you are not alone. There are many professors who just plan to take it easy and get things done around the house.
“My plans for spring break go no farther than trying to fix a leaky shower and watching the Atlanta Braves spring training games on TBS,” said Professor Robert Epstein of the English department.
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