Walking into a quad in Moore, the door is ajar, the lights are off and three first year students holding laptops sit on the couch facing the TV.
"You're looking at the way we've spent the past two weeks—except 'Dexter' was on the screen," said first year squash player Stephan Danyluk, who, along with his three teammates (and temporary roommates), has been on campus since January 2. "We watched the first three and a half seasons of 'Dexter' in two and a half weeks."
Despite the absence of schoolwork and the Office of Residential Life's watchful eyes, the students who stay on campus for part—or all—of Winter Break do not drink and party every night.
"We had one fun party," said Miko Lim '14, another squash player. But mostly, the students on campus—many of whom are athletes—have been, according to Lim, "sleeping, eating, practicing and watching TV."
The track team's winter break schedule included team activities as well as organized practices. The itinerary listed roller-skating, a volleyball tournament, bowling, go-kart racing, a scavenger hunt and cookie baking at Brunswick's Wild Oats Cafe.
Special track workout sessions included sledding and tubing hill workouts, rock-climbing and swimming.
Most teams do some bonding activities.
"Recently a bunch of the hockey guys took a trip down to Portland, to Old Port, and that was a blast," said hockey captain Kit Smith '11.
When the swim team got an afternoon off last week, they went to Portland as a team as well.
"I've had a couple Winter Breaks when some guys get together and play a little poker in one of the freshman dorms—something I wouldn't really do during the school year," said Smith. For the most part, though, he agreed on the general lack of activity on campus.
"We really do end up on the couch for a lot of it," he said. "[We watch] a couple seasons of 'Lost' or 'Dexter.'"
"I'd say we've done very little," said Danyluk. "I was planning on getting ahead for next semester and I was going to apply for internships, but [I've been] so lazy."
"For me, I've been trying to get a job... and some guys [on the team] are working in Admissions," said men's basketball captain DeFeo '11. But overall, he agrees: "it's a lot of nothing."
"It is a lot of sleeping, eating and swimming...it's pretty low-key," said swim team captain Caitlin Callahan '11.
Friends of Bowdoin and town residents also host athletes for a dinner over Winter Break, in a tradition that all teams participate in.
"We try to spend time with the women's team, if we both have the next day off," said DeFeo.
"Sometimes basketball parties with girls squash," said Lim, "but mostly it's each team by [itself]."
Danyluk elaborated, saying "each team has a different practice and game schedule, plus you eat after practices so you might as well eat with your own team. Teams also room together." He was staying with three of his first year teammates, including Lim.
Most on-campus housing was closed over Winter Break. All college-owned apartments remained open (Brunswick, Elm Street, Harpswell, Mayflower, and Pine Street), but Moore Hall and Osher Hall were the only first year dorms were open.
Reed House, Stowe Hall, and Coles Tower were also available for occupancy.