Spring Break: the Economic, Socio-Cultural and Public Governance Impacts of College Students on Spring Break Host Locations
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University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses 12-19-2008 Spring Break: The Economic, Socio-Cultural and Public Governance Impacts of College Students on Spring Break Host Locations John Laurie University of New Orleans Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Recommended Citation Laurie, John, "Spring Break: The Economic, Socio-Cultural and Public Governance Impacts of College Students on Spring Break Host Locations" (2008). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 876. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/876 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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Spring Break: The Economic, Socio-Cultural and Public Governance Impacts of College Students on Spring Break Host Locations A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies Economic Development by John Laurie B.A., Flagler College, 1997 M.S., University of New Orleans, 2002 December, 2008 Copyright, John Laurie 2008 ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, David and Sandra Laurie, who have always believed in the value of education, and made many sacrifices that allowed me to complete this pursuit. This would not have been possible without your support. Thank you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to extend my appreciation to the members of my Dissertation Committee, Ivan Miestchovich, John Wildgen and Fritz Wagner. Each provided invaluable input and guidance during the dissertation process, from my first concept on the subject matter through the final product. Special thanks go out to Ivan Miestchovich, my advisor and committee chair, who not only helped me clear the normal hurdles in writing, refining and defending the dissertation, but went above and beyond in fighting the battles, roadblocks and unforeseen obstructions that have, unfortunately, also become part of the process. Without such help, the difficult would surely have been impossible. John Wildgen, though retired from academia, readily and enthusiastically agreed to be on my committee. And, as he has since being my advisor in the master’s program, was a willing mentor who acted as a sounding board, provided new avenues of thought and at key moments pointed out the irony and humor involved in undertaking such an academic challenge. Fritz Wagner, now the University of Washington, in addition to serving on the committee from afar, gave me honest feedback and suggestions, which greatly improved the quality of my dissertation. Thank you. I would also like to thank Jane Brooks, Chair of the Urban Studies Program and Bob Whelan at the University of Texas-Arlington. Although not committee members, you have always been in my corner. Also, Janet Murphy, the Head of Interlibrary Loans at UNO, deserves thanks for pulling and scanning all those articles, especially during the revisions. Additionally, I would like to thank my friends, who at the very least, experienced the process vicariously and were there for support when needed. Paul Breslow and Stephanie Lawrence, iv provided understanding that can only be given by those who have traveled down the same road. Stephanie especially, listened to my complaints and frustrations and at key points was there to give me the necessary motivation to finish the job, not to mention valuable and timely advice in organizing my methodology and framing my arguments. Thanks! And I cannot forget my friend and business partner, Neel Sus, who took time away from his busy work schedule and family obligations to help me work through the parts of the dissertation that required the necessity of transforming large amounts of unorganized data into a workable product. Without your technical expertise, this dissertation would have taken weeks longer to complete. Finally, there were the people in the various organizations that provided me with timely help. From officer Keith Huskisson of the Lake Havasu City Police Department, who readily provided me with organized crime data for the city over a five year period to Thomas Graham, my former professor at Flagler College, whose assistance in getting me hospital data saved me thousands of dollars. To these people and all of the others that I have crossed paths and worked with during my pursuit, you have my sincere thanks and appreciation. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiv List of Pictures ...................................................................................................................xv Abstract ............................................................................................................................ xvi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1 Research Questions ..............................................................................................................3 Operational Definitions ........................................................................................................4 Organization of the Dissertation ..........................................................................................7 2. HISTORY OF SPRING BREAK ...................................................................................9 First Modern Phase ............................................................................................................10 Second Modern Phase ........................................................................................................11 Third Modern Phase ...........................................................................................................12 Fourth Modern Phase .........................................................................................................14 A Brief History of Spring Break ........................................................................................16 3. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................19 Tourism Events ..................................................................................................................19 Tourism as Economic Development ..................................................................................21 Impacts of Tourism ............................................................................................................23 Economic Impacts ..............................................................................................................24 Socio-Cultural Impacts ......................................................................................................26 vi Public Governance Impacts ...............................................................................................29 Travel and Motivation........................................................................................................31 Push-Pull Framework.........................................................................................................32 Why Should One Travel During Spring Break ..................................................................32 Where Should One Travel During Spring Break ...............................................................34 Student Culture ..................................................................................................................35 Institutional Impacts...........................................................................................................36 G.I. Bill ..............................................................................................................................37 Student Self-Autonomy .....................................................................................................38 Business Model of Education ............................................................................................40 Internal Impacts .................................................................................................................42 Explanations of Student Behavior .....................................................................................42 Peer Groups ........................................................................................................................43 Student Values ...................................................................................................................46 Drinking .............................................................................................................................48 Dating