Wednesday, February 17, 1988/The Battalion/Page 7 ■■to ravel agent: Caution necessary hen choosing Spring Break trip Bv Tracev Streater ’ — ■suit of the high amount of dai iRJ ter 7W By Tracey Streater Reporter nly 23 days. lat’s all that’s left until many s A&M students will head for caches of South Padre Island or lopes of Colorado. Or maybe istlthe back yard in Dallas. By now, everyone probably has is made and reservations con ed for Spring Break 1988. If the search is on! here are many great trip oppor- ties, but when deciding on a ^ig break package, scrutiny is a it, said Karen Howry of -ITS rs. Howry suggests looking clo- at the small print, lot of the quoted prices are misleading,†Howry said, en you see them, remember you getting the bottom-line prices, like comparing Motel 6 to the ■on.†[he prices that companies print eir advertisements are the low- lossible prices, usually including amenities, rooms filled to or ve capacity and a distance from beach or slopes, she explained. J. Muzik, a junior exercise tech- ogy major from Pittsburgh, n., was drawn to a tour by the good-to-be-true prices last year regretted not investigating it. We went because of the price,†said. “We thought it was good pared to the others. As it turned there was only one bed for four pie — and with three guys and elf — it didn’t work out well.†owry said some companies offer r accommodations closer to the of interest, but at a price, ennis Haskin, a junior account- wrntmmmm Battalion File Photo Randy Corliss, Joe Ascolese, John Day and Chad Davis celebrate the approach of Spring Break. ing major at the University of Hous ton, had hoped to get more for his money on his last spring break. “The accommodations that we had on our trip to Acapulco were very nice, but I had to spend much more than I planned on,†Haskin said. “The price that was advertised was a lot lower than what we actually had to pay to get the location and the condo we wanted.†Howry also warns that if students make their own hotel reservations, they should make sure the hotel al lows college students. “Some properties in places, like in Padre, either don’t allow students or they require a security deposit,†Howry said. Exclusion of the students is a re sult of the high amount of damages caused by college students in past years, she said. But not all tours try to swindle stu dents and not all hotels prohibit them, Howry said; some of those low, low prices really could be legiti mate. Sally Watson, of The Travel Com pany, gives an explanation for the lower rates. “When companies go in and buy out huge lots, they get cheap rates,†Watson said. She said these lower rates keep the prices down for stu dents and still allow the tour compa nies to make a sizable profit, which keeps everyone happy. John Slaughter, a senior meteo rology major from Temple, has been to Steamboat Springs, Colo., for the past three spring breaks and had no problems at all. In fact, he was so pleased with the trips, he became a student represen tative for the company. When investigating the tour com- E any offers, students don’t have to e negative, they should just be care ful, Watson said. There are many good offers for trips, but students should make sure what comes with the price before signing on the dotted line, she said. ' The final option for some stu dents is a vacation with their fami lies. Tonya Bolton, a junior speech communications major from Jack sonville, went to Miami Beach last year with her family for spring break. “It’s a great place for college stu dents, but my parents were — they said — ‘appalled at the debauche ry,’ †Bolton said. Only 23 more days. arker may elp protest ageant prize EL PASO (AP) — Bob Barker, o resigned as emcee of the ss USA pageant because the uner receives a mink coat and ket, said he might join animal hts protesters who plan to ket the March 1 contest. The Las Cruces, N.M., chapter i Sangre de Cristo Animal Pro- hion invited Barker to join the btest after the El Paso City oundl granted a picketing per- lit last week. Barker said Mon ty he will decide within 10 days. J‘Tm totally supportive of jingre de Cristo in this protest,†arker told the El Paso Times in (phone interview Monday from p Angeles. Barker, best-known as the host [ir the game show “The Price is bght,†had been the Miss USA Bgeant’s master of ceremonies j)i 21 years before resigning over le fur coat issue last month, jg He said he worries that people Bight view his participation in t|e picketing as a vendetta gainst Miss USA officials instead as a protest against the treat ment of animals whose furs are fed to make garments. “The producers (of the Miss ISA pageant) are friends of mine, and I admire their talents,†Barker told the El Paso Herald- pst. “I simply disagree on the [hies and morality of awarding furs.†Hospital program exposes volunteers to medical field By James Johnson Reporter A College Station hospital is offer ing college students the opportunity to volunteer their services while gaining essential experience often needed in making a career choice in medical and other related fields. Humana Hospital, which is lo cated off of Highway 6 on Rock Prai rie Road, has promoted an “Aggie Volunteer Program†for the past two years. The program allows students to be exposed to a variety of hospital- related experiences, which include assistance in the emergency room and in the intensive care units. Stu dents also are exposed to the activ ities on the nursing floor. An organizational meeting set for Thursday in the hospital’s classroom section will cover volunteer policies and procedures and determine work schedules. Students will request the number of hours that will be most convenient each week to avoid any problems with class schedules or other various priorities. “Our main purpose for the pro gram is to provide opportunities for those who are considering health care careers to witness and practice what exactly goes on in various de partments of a medical facility,†Marsha Herring, director of the vol unteer program and public rela tions, said. Herring said there are no major requirements to become a volunteer, just a willingness to assist others. The more serious services are prac- “Our main purpose for the program is to provide opportunities for those who are considering health-care careers to wit ness and practice what ex actly goes on in various departments of a medical facility. †— Marsha Herring, program director deed through non-direct patient care, so during these situations, the volunteers don’t actively participate in the relations between the patient and physician. She said that the patients never object to the volunteers’ help. In fact, they immediately become close and relate to each of them well, she said. “It really impresses them (pa tients) to see how dedicated the stu dents are,†she said. “They’d much rather see them assisting those with needs than hearing about them be ing on the streets involved in some thing less rewarding.†The hospital’s program has main tained good results in the past. Some student volunteers have worked be tween 400 and 500 total hours, which proved impressing to both Herring and the 325-member hospi tal staff. Many former volunteers have been accepted by highly-regarded medical schools based on the rele vant experience they obtained through volunteer work. The stu dents also find it a positive addition to their resumes. Jody Bartee, a senior community health major at A&M, became em ployed at Humana after three months of volunteer work for the hospital. “I really needed some type of job experience to go along with my de gree and my starting here as a volun teer really improved my resume,†she said. “And the experience is re warding because the staff really knows how to utilize its services.†Duties of the volunteers range from assisting nurses to helping clerks or observing surgical proce dures. Furthermore, those who dis cover that they may not be fit for a certain job may transfer their efforts into another field that may be better suited for them. Herring recalled many volunteers deciding to change their college ma jors because of specific duties they never knew were part of the job. “Even though the work is strictly volunteer, the adequate environ mental experience allows students to determine what type of career they are realistically suited for. “It’s a great way to make friends, meet new people, and enjoy the feel ing of self-accomplishment in help ing those who need extensive assis tance and care.†Service Special 17 95 Free Road Test mt mmt ■jm A JT B A Standards and Automatics Foreign and Domestic V Joints • Cutches • U-Joints 1507 Texas Bryan 779-0555 Every Wednesday $7 00 off any 20" 3-item pizza Gumby Says "Have a Lunch Damnit" A 12". 1-item pizza with a 16 oz. Pepsi or Diet Pepsi $4.65 plus tax Valid weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday Special 16" 1-item j. pizzas $13.99 plus tax Call 76-GUMBY 764-8629 Hours Sun-Wed: 11 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Thur-Sat: 11 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Study Abroad ITHACA COLLEGE LONDON CENTER ■SEMESTER OR YEAR PROGRAM ■ITHACA COLLEGE CREDIT ■BRITISH FACULTY COURSES — British and European studies are offered in literature, history, art history, drama, music, sociology, education, psychology, communications, and politics. Special program offered In theatre. Intem- ehipe eveHabie to qualified etudents In Internettonal buelneee, eociai eervtcee, comrmmicatlona, political edence, economics and theatre. Visits to the theatre, museums, galleries, schools, social and political institutions are an integral part of the curriculum. For further Information write or caN: International Programs Ithaca College Ithaca, New York 14850 607-274-3306 Please send information about the Ithaca College London Center to: PHONE SCHOOL YEAR MAJOR Return to: Office of International Programs, Muller 218. Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850