Spring Break is a time for hardworking students to take a break for a week and soak up the sun in tropical destinations like Cancun and Miami. Cancun, Mexico has been the Spring Break hotspot for years. It’s become a yearly routine for students.

Recently, a Mexican newspaper, Yucatan Times, called out a group of American students who were aboard a local tourist ship off the coast of Cancun and reportedly chanted “Build that Wall!” despite the fact that they were the ones who traveled across the border to Mexico. The editorial commented that the Americans were committing “acts of xenophobia and discrimination against Mexicans within their own country.” This incident has left Mexican tourists annoyed and frustrated. For the past week, the number of complaints have skyrocketed as Spring Breakers have been offensive, rude and haughty towards Mexican people. “I discovered the incident on Twitter and it irritated me. You’re coming to a foreign country and being disrespectful and offensive. It’s not cute. It’s the reason why foreigners don’t have much respect for American tourists. It’s sad,” Natalie Anthony commented (17’).

Miami is also a frequently visited Spring Break destination. Recently, a group of fraternity brothers were praised for helping beach maintenance clean up the beach after it was cluttered with trash from Spring Breakers. Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Florida International University saw the mess made from Spring Breakers and at dawn, got to work alongside the beach’s maintenance crew. As they were cleaning, other beachgoers noticed the fraternity’s efforts and began to assist in the cleanup. “It doesn’t take much to pick up after yourself after partying,” commented Jourman Triana, a member of the fraternity. “Our fraternity is historically black so we feel the need to want to break that stereotype that many people have on young black adults and as well as young adults in general.”

Spring Break has only just begun and more stories will soon develop. American Spring Breakers that are traveling to different countries are going to be a direct representation of their country. Being disrespectful and rude on foreign soil is not only irresponsible, it’s dangerous. What Alpha Phi Alpha has done was very refreshing to people who tend to hate Spring Breakers for obvious reasons. Have fun, but don’t forget to be respectful and responsible.