By Barry Levites

With the spring semester winding down and summer coming right on its heels, most students in the Boston area will begin heading home for the warmer months. Many students at Northeastern, however, will remain through the summer and, thanks to the Student Activities Office and the Leadership Office, they will have plenty to do.

“Summester,” a program of day trips and events to spice up the summer, is entering its second year, and is shaping up to include some staples from last year as well as some adjustments.

Although the final itinerary is still pending approval from the Budget Review Committee, sophomore communications major and co-op in the Student Activites Office Scott Hulpmen said plans should be released in the next two to three weeks.

“We plan on having as many of the same events as last year and maybe including new ones,” he said.

“Summester” began last year as the brainchild of Director of Student Leadership John Silveria, who thought of the idea while working at Boston University, and decided to bring it to Northeastern.

“There was no real summer programming here so I pitched the idea,” Silveria said.

Last year’s events included concerts and DJs outside, as well as outdoor movie nights courtesy of the Resident Student Association (RSA).

“I had heard about it, and my friends said it was a lot of fun,” said Kevin Vandie, a middler physical therapy major, “I was just too busy with homework.”

Also available to students were reduced-price tickets, ranging from $5-$15 for musicals and baseball games. The discounted price came from funding from the Student Activities Fee and the Student Government Association.

One of the highlights of “Summester” is the Friday day trips that give students the means to leave the city and see what New England has to offer in the summertime. Some of last year’s destinations included Martha’s Vineyard, Six Flags New England and Provincetown.

“If you’re not from the area, we tried to [pick the trips and events] to give a flavor of New England,” Silveria said.

While the trips provided an opportunity for students to use their Fridays off from classes to enjoy their summer, some students said the intense nature of the shortened semester made it difficult to participate.

“Being an engineering student is hard, having so many classes bunched together,” said Ben Davies, a middler mechanical engineering major. “I had about five hours of homework a night – I didn’t have too much time for myself.”

Another obstacle for last year’s “Summester” was leaving out students on co-op by having the trips regularly scheduled in the work week. This year they will be taking those students into account as well.

“We’re going to stagger [the days we have daytrips] to accommodate the students on co-op,” Hulpmen said.

Despite scheduling difficulties with “Summester’s” premiere last summer, the Student Activities Office will be increasing the amount of day trip tickets available from 50 to 75.

Some students say they are already anticipating what this “Summester” has to offer.

“I heard it’s really boring here over the summer,” said Brittini West, a sophomore anthropology major. “I’m just glad there will be something to do during the summer this year.”