After a tumultuous year of pro- and anti-war demonstrations, affirmative action debates, gender identity discussions and rallies for domestic partner benefits, David Mitchell said it's time for students to recharge.

"After a while, you get so many issues thrown at you that you want to get back to the ideas behind them," the human biology junior said.

Mitchell, a member of Students For Economic Justice, said his group and other student groups will spend more time organizing small discussions, learning more about current events and preparing for the fall semester.

But it won't deter the students from planning bigger summer events, he said. The group plans a rally May 17 in Lansing, but an exact location has yet to be chosen.

"We get isolated in East Lansing," he said. "A lot of people don't realize that we're part of a fairly big city."

Mitchell said he's anticipating the number of students at events to drop, but hopes members of the community will fill the void left by their summer absence.

And the summer is when many of the questions raised this year could be answered. The MSU Board of Trustees will set tuition rates and the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to render a decision in the University of Michigan's admissions policy case sometime during the summer months.

No-preference sophomore Tom Gunnells, who demonstrated against affirmative action with other students during a rally at the Administration Building on April 1, said if no one is here during the summer, no progress will be made.

"Protests and rallies only go so far. You can only accomplish so much," said Gunnells, who is returning to his hometown for the summer.

Trustee David Porteous said although he's seen student interest in current events die down over the summer, he would love to see the students continue to speak up while away.

"All of us on the board enjoy the opportunity to meet with them periodically," he said. "It's helpful to the board and helpful to the students."

Porteous said during the summer, the Board of Trustees begins to plan for the upcoming semesters and he welcomes any input from the students.

"I'm certainly open to ideas or suggestions people might have," he said.