Thousands of college students flock to South Padre for spring break by Karen Brooks Knight Ridder Newspapers South Padre Island - The tide is high, and the groove This relaxed little island just off the coast of South Texas launched into the busiest week of spring break Saturday, with masses of college kids braving chilly weather to have, as one local lawyer put it, “a raucous good time.” They call it “Texas week” because most of the state’s major universities are on break, and it brings a tsu nami of change to the island as an estimated 150,000 visitors arrive with one mission: To play. Everybody comes down to see and be seen, to have a good time, said Marinda Reynolds, 21, a junior at the University of Rhode Island. The population grows to 15 times its usual size. An estimated $2OO million pours into the economy. About 500 people will spend a few hours in jail. This year, the economic effect may be slightly lower than in recent years when up to 180,000 people flocked to the resort, officials say. But the island needs as many tourist dollars as it can get as it recovers from the col lapse of the Queen Isabella Causeway last year. Eight people were killed, and hundreds of millions of tourist dollars were lost. Some tourists are staying away because it is harder to get into Mexico as a result of tighter border security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A national economic downturn and a recent drop in the number of airlines serving nearby Brownsville are also hindering tourism, said Dan Quandt, executive di rector of the South Padre Island Convention and Visi tors Bureau. American Eagle pulled out of the area in September, and Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines halted service to the area a few months ago. But the island’s residents face the hordes with confi dence. Made famous just a few years ago as the fea tured spring break party host on MTV, South Padre Island is riding a crest so solid that the slight dip in this year’s crowd causes little concern. “We’re strong and stable,” Quandt said, “and from a national standpoint I think we’ve increased our aware ness as a spring break destination.” If this year is going to be a slow one, it wasn’t evi dent this weekend. Despite rain and temperatures that dipped into the 50s, the stpdents masse on Saturday and Sunday, changing vacationing as most know it. “It’s not to say we don’t have families who come here - we do - but spring break is not the time we'd say is family friendly,” Quandt said. “Playboy” magazine activities on the beach, bar par ties sponsored by Nair for Men and Trojan condoms, binge drinking, dancing and sex in a cocktail are de cidedly not for the weak of heart. The bars are so busy that Los Angeles bartender Rob Whittemore flies into town simply for the money he can make for 12 days serving alcohol at Louie’s, a lo cal hot spot. “It’s a great time, and money is good,” he said as a gaggle of Hawaiian Tropics models gyrated to cheer- TANNING CpLVM A T 01 $19.95 T MONTH UNLIMITED $49.95 OLYMPIC GYM & TAN 1206 East 38th Burton Plaza * . MUST 825"7084 MENTION W 1 THIS AD 3 MONTH UNLIMITED SINGLE VISIT $3.00 ing crowds on the dance floor behind him. ‘This is my fourth season. I never miss it.” It’s not just the ambience of the island that changes during spring break. The entire town shifts to accom modate the onslaught. With only 4,000 hotel rooms and rental condos avail able on the island, spring break spillover fills up ho tels in Port Isabel across the causeway and in Brownsville, Texas, an hour’s drive to the south. Hotels raise their rates, sometimes double or more, and set up special registration and reception areas for students. The Sheraton Fiesta Beach Resort requires spring break partygoers to take an inventory of their rooms before they get their room keys. Students wear bright paper wristbands that identify their hotel. The partying can get out of hand. Already, two sexual assaults have been reported by out-of-town revelers. Local law enforcement, federal border agents and state alcohol regulators are doubling or tripling their pres ence. Police expect to make about 500 arrests, mostly for public intoxication or DWI. Most of those nailed for public intoxication, consid ering how many people are drinking, are not jailed, police Chief Robert Rodriguez said. “These are the people who were in pretty bad shape,” Rodriguez said of the arrests for public intoxication, an offense on par with a traffic ticket. “It’s no big deal,” Reynolds said, noting that most students don’t drive because of $2 cab fares and free transportation services. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is dou bling its personnel on South Padre to help stop under age drinking, Rodriguez said. But his officers will prob ably not stop people simply to check for open contain ers, he said. Commission agents are conducting sting operations to hit both the suppliers and consumers, but officials say they expect that the kids will try. “We know that young people will still ignore our warning and still try to get alcoholic beverages just because it’s spring break, and it’s the thing to do,” said Greg Hamilton, the commission’s chief of enforcement. Spring Break by the numbers: Number of revelers expected on South Padre Island. 150,000 Number of year-round residents: 2,400 Number of hotel rooms and rental condof: 4,000 Length of island: 34 miles Estimated economic impact on the island: $2OO million Gallons in the world’s largest cocktail: 7,050 Number of servings in the world's largest cocktail. 44,000 Number of arrests expected: 500 Amount of contract for new national Venus Swimwear model: $lOO,OOO Number of restaurants: More than 50 Number of grocery stores: 1 (Sources: South Padre Parade Magazine, South Padre Chamber of Commerce, Schlitterbahn) NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY national CAMPUS tlE'/JS Friday, March 15, 2002 J 4474 Buffalo Rd. ! Erie, PA 1 ! Giant Eag Rent 1 Video, Get 1 Free w/coupon! Thf Logan VVNtl3&3ardf.n Series ’ ’ >'b?; ....... 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