Stereotypes abound, with visions of scantily clad young adults running around, stirring up trouble, causing a ruckus and generally disrupting the quiet lives of the families and retired folks in the community.

This break my sister, a freshman at MSU, and I headed down to Siesta Key, Fla., to visit my grandparents. We are fortunate that their condo is on a private beach where we can enjoy the pleasures of a relaxing vacation without worrying much about other people. Although it was a great experience, I also was privy to the grumblings of many retired individuals gearing up for the “landing of the college spring breakers.”

Many were worried about the excessive drinking, partying and inappropriate behavior attributed to students our age and already were awaiting the moment that undergrads headed north for good. Ironically the Herald-Tribune, the major paper in the neighboring city of Sarasota, Fla., ran a feature March 8 discussing the idea of banning alcohol on the beach. Sarasota County, as well as a few adjacent counties and much of the “panhandle” of Florida, does not ban drinking on the beach. Alcoholic beverages are not prohibited, and there are many tiki bars and lounges within a short walk of the beach.

This in combination with the grumblings made me wonder if things get out of hand here for traditional “spring breakers.” I’ve also come down to visit my grandparents, so I have never really been around my own age group during break. A quick glance at the Herald-Tribune article, and I had my answer.

The March 8 article featured a photo of none other than Michigan State University undergrads enjoying some age-appropriate beverages on the beach, clearly in control, enjoying themselves and causing no harm to anyone else. Siesta Key’s Pelican Press also ran an article last week with quotes from police in the area stating that many spring breakers from Michigan State had traveled to Siesta Key, and they had reported no problems.

I just want to take the chance to acknowledge that fact. Often our school gets a bad rap for partying, being out of control and condoning and spreading our reputation as a “party school.” Although isolated incidents do occur, often the communities where spring breakers frequent fear the time of year we all head south.

Spring break is a time to enjoy time with friends be it at home, on the beach, on a community service outing or at a tiki bar throwing back a few cold ones. The ability to have fun in moderation and still represent the university well is not a widespread undergrad trait, and I was pretty proud to open up those papers and see MSU represented proudly. It demonstrated our ability as Spartans to have fun while also respecting others and the communities around us.

Some might argue that having MSU students in a paper supporting the use of alcohol isn’t something to be especially proud of. To you I say, these individuals were of legal age, demonstrating consumption in moderation and showing that you can have fun and be responsible at the same time. My hat goes off to MSU students. Glad to see Spartans enjoying spring break responsibly.

When boarding the plane to head home on Friday, an older couple behind me was relaying their relief to be getting out of the Sarasota area as all the college spring breakers were there and more were coming to stir up trouble. I could smile at them and mention that MSU students publicly were acknowledged for bucking the trend and stereotype this spring break.

Victoria Merritt is a State News guest columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy senior. Reach her at merrittv@msu.edu.