By WENDELL SMILEY

Staff Intern

Students and summer vacations go together like Oakland University and no parking spaces. For many instructors, the sun comes out and it immediately becomes time to start thinking about one of the wonderful perks of being a professor — summer vacation.  

Some faculty members view the time as a chance to disengage after the rigors of a seemingly endless school year.

“I long for a quick vacation whenever I must deliver an expulsion sanction to a student,” said Dean of Students Glenn McIntosh. “I wonder ‘could our campus community have done more to prevent inappropriate behavior?'”

McIntosh, who considered traveling to Finland and San Juan, Puerto Rico this summer, enjoys being with family and friends during his down time.

McIntosh, plans to be totally energized for OU’s roughly 18,000 students in the fall, and consider Egypt, Africa, France, and New York as good points of destination to consider.

School districts in the United States, Spain and the Virgin Islands are now enjoying the rapture of summer in 2008.

“In the summers we take our 34-foot sailboat either into the lake and just enjoy the views and relaxation if the weather is calm, or the thrills if the weather is stormy,” said Sandra Packard, an educational leadership professor at OU. “Sailing is a great way to see the world from a different perspective and to relearn the power of nature.”

Travel takes you out of your realm of comfort and allows the chance to establish some space between work and the rest of your life.

Vagner M. Whitehead, assistant professor of art and history, views travel as a chance to explore language and lifestyle, bringing the classroom to life and helping students become citizens of the world.

Whitehead is currently spending time in Russia.

Summer vacations extend the opportunity for professors to learn about new countries and new cultures.

Oakland University professors have to be effective communicators, and adept at getting across the most difficult concepts. Travel enlightens and influences professors in a positive way that could add to the classroom.

Many faculty members use the summer vacation to travel and enhance their own education.  

“I am currently on vacation, which is rather work than a proper holiday,” said Pavlo Bosyy, assistant professor of theatre.

In addition to taking the summer to explore the world and continue her education, Assistant Multicultural Communication Professor S. Lily Mendoza is attending a conference with international delegates in the Philippines.  

For Mendoza, travel challenges people by removing technological and cultural crutches. If getting by without e-mail seems fantastical, try going without a working bathroom.

“I will be traveling in a mountain place north of the country and won’t have access to technology for a while,” Mendoza said.

McIntosh considers travel to be high on his list of priorities and a fundamental obligation to step outside of your daily life.

“I like traveling during the period of mid-July to mid-August,” McIntosh said. “Traveling provides me a time to recharge and expand my perspective of life and living.”