It is that time of year again; the time when thousands of college students nationwide trade in their textbooks and parkas for bikinis and sunscreen for a week of tequila-flowing debauchery in select Southern hotspots. Of course, I am speaking of Spring Break, one of my, and every other college student who has a brain and a social life, favorite times of the year.

My decision to write on Spring Break stems from a variety of reasons. First, since this column comes out on the Friday before Spring Break, I figure the first half of the student body will either be on a plane headed for anywhere but Iowa, or well on their way back home. The second half of the student population will more than likely not attend class today because they officially started celebrating Spring Break last night and well into this morning, the prediction of sub-70 degree sunny weather, or the mere fact that it is a Friday.

The minute percentage of the population that actually did haul their butt out of bed this morning to attend class is probably light years away from caring about any subject requiring brain stimulation, and instead are counting down the minutes and seconds until they can forget about class and stress for nine days. So, adhering to recent comments that I should “dumb up” my columns in order to appeal to the average reader, all I am going to say is I hope you are happy.

Spring Break has always been synonymous with wild and crazy behavior. According to www.tripsmarter.com, and in concurrence with the dad from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” Spring Break originated from the Greeks, after Athens’s elders noticed that their adolescents became particularly frolicsome come springtime.

Spring Break didn’t catch on in the United States until the early sixties, when baby boomers flocked to the coasts, eager to forget war, social progress and tests, and ready to start getting drunk and laid. Since then, Spring Break has developed into a full-fledged media circus, with network heavyweights such as MTV and E! broadcasting from various Spring Break locations, holding concerts and contests and hosting an array of celebrities.

Even though corporate sponsors have cashed in on the opportunity to exploit college students, the objective today has remained the same: booze, sex and undomesticated behavior.

So why has Spring Break become so notorious? Maybe it is the media’s portrayal of what really goes on, as in the shows “Girls Gone Wild” and “Spring Break Undercover.” I don’t consider myself naive by any means, but I have seen some actions on those shows that make even my eyes bug out and my jaw drop. Or, it could be the fact that liquored up college students will do anything with the cameras rolling and a monetary incentive.

It may also be the recognition by the travel industry of basic supply and demand. College students with money to burn plus places for them to go where they can party dirt cheap equals a potential for a really, really big fiesta.

I reason that it could be the combination of the aforementioned reasons, the timing and circumstances. Spring Break falls at the conclusion of characteristically long, harsh Iowa winters and students will all but sacrifice their right toe to hop on the next plane to palm trees and sandy beaches.

Spring Break is also exactly what it says it is: a break. Conveniently located directly between or after midterms, Spring Break occurs at the height of our stress levels, and gives us that much needed release so that we can return to the daily grind refreshed and renewed.

Now, it is time for a confession. I am a Spring Break virgin, kind of. For the last two Spring Breaks, instead of flying south, I have opted to head west and tame the Rocky Mountains (or let them tame me). While some argue that I am not a true Spring Breaker, I beg to differ. Not that I won’t eventually give in to the blurriness and beachcombing that is Spring Break in Cancun, Mexico, but the view from the top of an 11,212-foot mountain can be just as exhilarating.

My point is that although notoriously famous for its wild ways, Spring Break can be celebrated in manners other than drinking 12 margaritas and flashing random cameramen. Although this Spring Break I will be traveling no place special, besides Ames and Forest City, I have a hunch that it will be comparable to breaks of the past because of the people I will surround myself with and the time I will spend with them.

So in parting, I wish everyone a wonderful and safe Spring Break. You can stop thinking now and continue counting down the minutes.