While many UA students will spend Thanksgiving at home with their families, some students cite work, travel expenses and a short academic break as reasons to stay in Tucson over the holiday.
“”Pretty much everyone I know is going home,”” said Mallary Owen, a speech and hearing junior. “”My freshman year, I got stuck staying here because I had to work. … I was pretty much the only one in my dorm.””
Owen said she wishes her dorm had organized some sort of Thanksgiving dinner.
“”I think it would be a really good idea. If even just one (resident assistant) is hanging back, they could get a survey of how many people are staying and just have a potluck – how easy would that be?”” Owen said. “”But no one ever does that, at least not (Manzanita-Mohave Residence Hall).””
Owen’s mother is coming to Tucson from their home in Phoenix for Thanksgiving this year because it is “”incredibly difficult to get that time off … so you just have to ride-the-tide, do what you’ve got to do,”” she said.
Lisa Zohnnie, a psychology senior, said she usually goes home to New Mexico over break, but is staying in Tucson this year because she “”couldn’t get the time off work.””
Zohnnie also said the short break makes it difficult to go home.
“”I think an extra day would be nice. … I usually drive back and forth because there are no airports on my reservation,”” she said.
Brian Diaz, a mechanical engineering sophomore, said, “”It is easier to head home when you can stay there for longer than a period of three days.””
It is also “”cheaper to schedule flights around less choked periods – where all of a sudden the prices skyrocket.””
Diaz said he will not be going home to Chicago for the holiday but will instead spend the day at a “”non-traditional Thanksgiving: (an) off-roading turkey-fry”” with his fraternity, Theta Tau.
“”Park Student Union also offers a Thanksgiving buffet, which was something I went to last year,”” Diaz said.
The buffet, which costs about $8, is always scheduled on the last Tuesday before break and “”includes turkey, mashed potatoes stuffing and all the regular Thanksgiving food,”” said David Szymonik, an information specialist at the PSU.
Owen said she used to work at the PSU and remembers how “”everyone would get really excited about (the buffet) because it was like having two Thanksgivings.””