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Jessica Yoder While some religious fanatics stockpile Campbell's and cartridges and giant corporations work toward Y2K compatibility, GC students are planning their own millennial celebrations to bring in the New Year. From Times Square festivities and club hopping to mountain climbing and flying overseas, students are planning to make this New Year's a night to remember. Anticipating a night on the town, Junior Julie Albrecht will be spending her evening on a tour bus in Chicago, the "Party Bus." According to Albrecht, the bus takes you to all the "happening clubs" in the city for a flat rate of $35,."You don't have to worry about parking and driving," she said, "just hop on the bus and party." Junior Jonas Yoder is also looking forward to the party scene for the turn of the millennium. With Times Square in New York City as his destination, Yoder will be watching the crowds with a friend who lives in an apartment two blocks from Times Square. From the vantage of his friend's third-floor balcony, Yoder anticipates an eventful night. "It's never going to be like that again," he said. "There are going to be so many people. It's going to be a sight to see." For others, however, celebrating the millennium will involve solitude and the serenity of nature. Sophomores Rebecca Waltner-Toews and Sarah Steinenger plan to spend Christmas with their families, after which they will tackle a two-day, 14,000 foot treck up the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. "We're going to camp at the bottom New Year's Eve and then summit to the top New Year's day," said Toews. "We just wanted to do something different this time, not just some party." She added that their hike away from the commotion of cities may preclude technological problems. "We won't have to worry about any power failures," she said, "just our Coleman stove." Also planning an unconventional New Year's is frosh Mary Leigh. Leigh will be spending her New Year's in the tropics of Panama when the United States (U.S.) hands over control of the Panama Canal. As required by the Panama Canal Treaty of 1979, the U.S. military must withdraw from the isthmus by Dec. 31, 1999. Leigh, who grew up one an island in Panama, looks forward to returning home to witness this historical moment and celebrate the New Year with old friends. "I'm particularly looking forward to one of my favorite traditions, the 'rafture,' when everyone floats out on a raft and goes skinny dipping together after midnight. It's a great way to bring in the New Year," she said. |