Summer session two is underway and campus is beginning to fill out again, although it will stay far from maximum capacity. Students are busy being students again: some taking classes, some working, some taking on internships, some managing all of the above. Champaign summer veterans and novices agree: summer changes this campus in a strange yet attractive way. How are you spending your summer?

Stephen Kocher and Andy White, two fourth year students from the University of Bristol, are here on exchange for the summer. White said they were here last week, and it was much quieter without the summer session two students.

“We’ve got a summer internship. It’s a research exchange in the materials science department,” Kocher said. We’re here for 10 weeks.”

White said that while they are here, a couple of guys from Illinois are working in the same field in Bristol.

“It’s materials science physics-y stuff,” White said. I’m working on some, it’s kind of like artificial bone replacement material ceramics.””I’m looking at the defects in materials,” Kocher said. “It’s a lot of work now.”

Hayfa Aboukier, senior in AHS, is working with freshman registration and preparing for the GRE this summer.

“(Freshman registration) is a bunch of things: having them come in; taking them to college meetings; doing Quad tours, which sounds really lame; welcoming them here and answering questions; taking them around campus,” Aboukier said. “They’re usually really confused and have no idea. They’re lost still by the end of the day, which is OK because I was too.”

Aboukier said summer on campus is worth experiencing first-hand.

“It’s relaxing, and it’s nice to be here,” she said “It’s a beautiful campus, the weather is nice so it’s a different feel. You don’t have the pressures of schoolwork that you can’t go outside and play.”

Sarah Troutman, sophomore in LAS, is taking Political Science 241 and Anthropology 230 during summer session two.

“I definitely know it’s going to be a much faster pace, so I’m going to have to really be on the ball,” Troutman said. “My first class only had 12 people in it, so that’s definitely different.”

Troutman said she also works at the Illini Union Bookstore and sees friends she has down here from time to time.

“I kind of like the feel of campus right now,” she said. “It’s kind of laid back, not like the hustle and bustle of the fall and spring semesters.”

Allison Chin and Michael McQuinn are graduate students in Education and Engineering, respectively. Chin is taking classes this summer, while McQuinn is doing research.

“They’re different than regular semester classes because they’re kind of jam-packed and everything, but it’s also kind of more laid back,” Chin said.

“Class in the summer is horrible,” McQuinn said.

“Well yeah, but it’s easier than working all day,” Chin responded.

Chin said this is her fourth summer in Champaign and she loves the mellow atmosphere.

“I love it all the time here. Having it a little bit thinned out isn’t so bad either,” McQuinn said.

Taylor Killough, junior in LAS, is working at Espresso Royale this summer.

“I actually just started working here over the summer, but from what I gather it is much slower and more laid back,” she said. “They always joke about ‘Wait until the fall, wait until the students, it’s going to be crazy, you’re going to be so busy.'”

Killough added that busy times have not been few or far between so far.

“The past couple weeks have been really crazy with registration,” she said. “The morning shifts, they’ll make a ton of money in tips in one hour because the new students and the parents come. They all want their early morning coffee.”

She said she spent her last couple of summers at home in Danville, but is glad she decided to live in Champaign this time.

“I like Champaign as a town, there’s a lot of really cool things going on,” Killough said. “I think it’s just a neat place to hang out. Since I’m from so close, we’d come over here and hang out anyway, because there’s not a whole lot to do in Danville.”

Amanda Moore, senior in LAS, Stephany Unruh, senior in LAS and Cristina Rebellon, sophomore in LAS, are all freshman summer orientation interns.

“We run the freshman through the LAS program,” Moore said. “We assist at the college talk in the morning and work in the computer lab in the afternoon. We help them pick classes and stuff like that.”

“It’s been pretty busy, but it’s fun,” Unruh said.

Rebellon said she enjoys the way summer life operates on campus.

“I like it … you just go out on random nights and do whatever because although you can take summer courses like we all are taking, it’s just one course as opposed to 16 hours of courses,” she said. “When you do go out, I don’t like seeing drunk people walking around Green Street. I’d rather just go out and have fun, but not have to worry about drunk people.”

Emily Schell just graduated from LAS and works at the Animal Poison Control Center in Urbana.

“It’s actually my second (summer on campus), but it’s my first where people I knew were here,” she said. “It kind of sucks when there’s not anyone you know, and if you don’t have a car.”

Schell said she spends most of her time working during the day, and that this was her first day just relaxing on the Quad.

“It’s kind of nice because I have a lot more time now to actually do things that I (want) to do,” she said. “I just went to the CRCE pool like two days ago and it’s been open for like three years now.”

Aditya Koul, senior in LAS, is taking a math class and preparing for the GMAT and LSAT this summer.

“I’m double majoring, I just decided to do that,” Koul said. “I’m taking one math class just to make sure I can get it done.”

Koul said summer classes are more conducive to good study habits.

“I prefer summer classes, actually,” he said. “I have one class but I have it every day, for an hour a day. I like it better that way because I feel like I get more work done every day. If I have classes twice a week, like Tuesday and Thursday, then I’m not going to do any work until Monday night for that class.”