Senior Jenny Osterhout will always fondly remember Myrtle Beach. "I want to name my first-born Myrtle," she said. "I wouldn't miss [Myrtle] for the world." Although she doesn't yet know where she will stay, Osterhout will be at the South Carolina beach along with hundreds of other Duke students the week after exams end.
However, the "old" Myrtle--when Duke students all gathered in shabby motel parking lots where social lines blurred and the drink of choice was "purple passion" from a garbage can--is long gone. Instead of The Rocking K and Bahama Sands motels, students now book rooms at fancy high-rises that are far less conducive to a student's budget or wishes for a college beach week.
Despite the changes last year, everyone went to Myrtle anyway. But with a spread out social scene, bad weather--including a hail storm one night--and several groups facing eviction after the first night, many undergraduates are not as enthusiastic as Osterhout about returning this year.
Senior Colleen Nolan and her group of friends originally wanted to break away from Myrtle Beach, even though it was their last chance to take part in Duke's unofficial beach week.
"With the enthusiasm down for returning to Myrtle this year, we contemplated many different things, even as far as saying we were going to hang out at the Belmont pool all weekend," Nolan said. "For the most part, the places we stay in Myrtle aren't always the nicest and it was getting kind of expensive. We figured we may as well stay someplace nice, and people say that Charleston had nicer beaches and... good bars."
But in the end, Nolan and her friends decided to return to Myrtle anyway. "Myrtle is the only place where everyone is going to be," she said. "It's a place to run into friends you may not normally see. Especially for seniors, it's our last weekend to see each other all together, like your freshman roommate you don't always run into."
Nolan said she wished underclassmen could have experienced the Myrtle she knew as a freshman and sophomore. "I feel bad that the freshmen don't know what real Myrtle is. [But] like everything, things change and it's harder for us to like the changes," she added.
As another class graduates, the old memories will fade, and students now primarily travel to the beach to catch up with friends, hang out and get some sun.
"I think Myrtle is a wonderful opportunity to bond as a school," sophomore Russ Ferguson said. "One of the things that makes Duke great is that everyone goes to the same place after exams, and fraternities and other student groups aren't exclusive. It's a community building experience without the pressure of class."
But not everyone goes to Myrtle, whether because they simply don't want to go or because they have other plans, such as spending time with family, saving money or starting a job.
Sophomore Alan Leung, for example, didn't go last year and plans to attend his sister's college graduation this year. "I'll probably go next year with friends," Leung said.
Jenni Boyd, also a sophomore, won't be attending Myrtle for a different reason--she must move to Boston for her summer internship.
For those students who are going to Myrtle this year, there is hope that it won't be as disappointing as it was last year. Because students were so spread out over North Myrtle, many fraternities, sororities and selective groups have tried to plan ahead and stay within walking distance on the South Ocean Boulevard strip. And, even though many students talked of going elsewhere, they are returning to Myrtle and taking the newcomers with them.
The first week in May will be sophomore Amy Rosenthal's first trip. A recent transfer from the University of Pennsylvania, the closest thing Rosenthal has seen to beach week was her school's Spring Fling, a week when the campus comes alive with bands, carnival-type activities, food and partying.
"I know that a lot of Duke students go to Myrtle and it turns into a party," Rosenthal said. "I'm just excited to go to the beach and not do homework."
Rosenthal has not been put off by the changes incurred by the destruction of The Rocking K two years ago and the recent changes in the party scene. "The reason I really want to go is because with papers and exams there's no time to hang out with friends before saying good-bye," she said. "If you went home, you wouldn't have a chance to reconnect with friends, especially if you're going abroad next semester."
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