A Change of Plans : Nonstop partying in exotic locales? Not this spring break. As many college students take stock of their lives--and wallets--serious pursuits take priority. Some opt for volunteer work or--gasp!--studying.

Ft. Lauderdale. Daytona Beach. Palm Springs. Lake Havasu. All are time-tested spring break datelines.

What about Bluff, Utah? Or East Palo Alto?

As the weather heats up and classrooms empty out this week and next, TV newscasts will glow with images of sand and surf. But many Los Angeles students say their spring breaks won’t be anything like the party on TV.

Rather than head-banging, some choose to do volunteer work locally or abroad. Others head home to the folks’ house to dodge the costs of living for a week. And still more work traditional jobs, flipping burgers or pulling heavy hours at an on-campus site to finance the coming semester.

Dinesh DeSilva, a 22-year-old USC senior, spent last year’s break painting houses and doing light construction work on a Navajo Indian reservation in Utah.

“(Partying) can be done anytime,” he said. “But an opportunity like (that) doesn’t come very often.”

Alternative spring break programs--low-cost trips sponsored by colleges and universities that offer an educational or public service component to the vacation--are catching on. “It’s a growing national thing,” said Martin Gonzalez, a graduate assistant at USC’s Student Volunteer Center. “A lot of universities are doing it.”

USC has been offering programs for three years. Stanford has been doing it for nearly a decade. UCLA also offers a program, and Loyola Marymount has in years past.

At Stanford, the goal of the spring break alternative is articulated clearly in the promotional flyer.

“Within the walls of a private, privileged institution, one is sheltered from poverty and other problems that a large portion of the world’s population experiences,” it says. “Thus, Alternative Spring Break Projects are designed to help students go beyond their Stanford campus to explore and learn about issues concerning the community.”

Stanford’s program sends students to Native American reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as Oakland, East Palo Alto and San Francisco’s Chinatown.

At USC, students can opt for the reservation in Utah or choose to learn about environmental issues while cleaning fire damage in Altadena. A third program focuses on the roots of homelessness and the crisis in public education locally by taking students to an elementary school in the Pico-Union district, a homeless shelter in Pasadena and a women’s shelter in South-Central Los Angeles.

All USC trips cost about $100, Gonzalez said. Students eat their meals and spend their nights in the shelters or on the reservation and, when they aren’t working, are treated to lectures by experts.

“It’s a great interactive experience,” Gonzalez said. “Last year, we got people who had done no volunteer work and found it intriguing. We get people who just want to do something, and we get people who are looking for an adventure.”

Susana Bugadin, 20, is enrolled in USC’s Homelessness and Education program that will take place here in Los Angeles. A sociology major, Bugadin said the project is a way to keep productive over the break.

“Volunteerism, for me, is a distraction from school work,” she said. “I enjoy it tremendously. Most important is the sense of satisfaction I get from doing something for the community. I like to give. I’m not rich, so what I give is time and dedication.”

DeSilva said last year’s trip was entirely different from anything he had done before. He liked it so much that he is going to volunteer again this year, this time locally.

“Instead of the normal ‘go to Cabo’ spring break, I was able to go to a community I’m completely unfamiliar with and help others,” said DeSilva, whose major is international finance. “It’s nice to help people who really need it and to make a difference, even if it’s a small one. It’s nice to get out of L.A. and submerge yourself in a culture you know very little about.”

Whether or not they are volunteering, many students have chosen this year to pass on the traditional party destinations. Although Mexico, Hawaii and other holiday locales continue to draw, travel agents say exotic destinations are becoming less popular.

“(Students) don’t have the disposable income to spend on a week drinking in Mexico,” said Lucie Lena, manager of the travel service at UCLA. “Times are changing.”

She said concrete figures were not available but added that the number of students traveling this year is probably lower than last year, despite a recent surge in last-minute travel plans. Other local schools report the same.

“There are less people traveling,” Lena said. “A lot just don’t have the money to go.”

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Frank Harris, a Loyola Marymount University freshman, said: “I have to work. It’s a drag, but then I’d probably just sit around here anyway. Most of my friends aren’t doing anything for the same reasons--work and finances.”

Although expensive trips may be out, local destinations are still in vogue. San Diego, where MTV taped its popular Spring Break special this year, will swell by 200,000 this week and next if the weather is hot, said Sgt. Terry Degelder of the San Diego Police Department. Lake Havasu and Palm Springs are other popular destinations.

But many students who may once have been part of the action say they are tired of the crowds and of the booze.

“It’s OK when you are 18, but it gets old,” said Phoebe Gifford, 22, a senior at UCLA. “I don’t know if it’s declining (in popularity), but you get sick of being drunk and not knowing what you’re doing.”

Ian Ford, a 24-year-old student at Santa Monica City College, said: “The party scene is over. It’s time to grow up. There are lots of risks out there. The big one is AIDS, but the old ones are still around.”

Camping--usually in areas such as Joshua Tree, the Angeles National Forest or even Yosemite--is another substitute for nonstop partying.

“I can’t afford to go to Cancun or Mazatlan, so for me it’s my tent,” said Clarice Chavira, a junior at Loyola who plans to camp in Del Mar for five days.

Denise Jackson, a 22-year-old senior at UCLA, said: “Camping is fun and inexpensive. It’s a good way to get together with friends when you have the time.”

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While some travel, others see spring break merely as a chance to catch up.

Dave Charles, a 20-year-old biology major at Loyola, is a good example. Hoping to get into medical school, Charles will spend his break studying for the entrance exams he will take in coming weeks. To further cut costs and maximize his time, he plans to live with his parents in Las Vegas--a popular move for many students.

“I’m one of those nerd students who studies over spring break,” Charles said. “Every year I say I’m going to do something, but I don’t have much money, and I’m trying to be more disciplined. I can go home and live for free and get free food.”

Charles said many of his friends are doing the same: “A lot of my friends are working 24 (hours a day)-7 (days a week). The economy has a lot to do with it.”

Jon Monastero, a 28-year-old history major at Loyola, said: “I look at spring break as a chance to get my papers done. But I enjoy my major, and I like to read, so I try and look at it as a positive. I plan to go to grad school, so it’s all part of the goal.”

For Derrick Gwynn, however, spring break is an opportunity to make money that can’t be passed up.

“I wouldn’t mind going somewhere, but it’s just another week for me,” said Gwynn, 19, of Santa Monica City College. “I might as well get some money while I can, because I’m still going to have school when I get back.”