"Everybody will enjoy them," he says. "I even advertised in the local newspaper...We expect a full house."

So Many Students!

Because the nightlife in Bermuda is rather limited, Harvard students do tend to congregate frequently at the island's clubs and bars.

"You see all these people you know," Ma says. "It seems like Harvard owns the island."

Having so many Harvard students in such close quarters can become stifling, some members say.

According to Ashkenazy, the Bermuda spring break had its start as a Harvard performing arts institution with the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The Kroks followed suit some 25 years ago, followed in turn by the Pitches and finally the Dins, who only recently began to make the trip south.

"It's such a small island," Ashkenazy says. "Sometimes I think it would be nice if every singing group could find its own island...It's nice to be able to call a tradition your own."

Of course, Ashkenazy says, the need to preserve "your little subculture" must be balanced with all the benefits of spending spring break with "very good friends" from other groups.

The four Harvard groups on Bermuda do, from time to time, get together. One tradition that has persisted is the annual Hasty Pudding-Krokodiloes volleyball match, when members of the two groups gather for an afternoon of good-spirited, non-musical rivalry.

One year at said volleyball game, Ashkenazy says he broke his arm thanks to "a little bit of horseplay and wrestling" with a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Because the quality of island hospitals was a little dubious, Ashkenazy says, he had to be flown back to Boston in the middle of the week to have surgery.

"I'm going to be the referree this year," he adds.

The More the Merrier

Although some say the island is getting a little crowded, the tourist industry is delighted by Harvard student groups' apparent attraction.

"We will welcome as many of you as possible," says a spokesperson for the Bermuda Department of tourism. "Bring your whole school!"

A few more years and Harvard might do just that.