Spring break looks different for every student. For some, it includes going on a vacation to somewhere sunny. For others, it means extra hours at work or a trip back home to spend time with family and friends.
But there is one thing that is consistent across the board – returning for the latter half of the semester is challenging.
With no more breaks until the semester is over, the time between spring break and the semester’s end is a constant and overwhelming rush.
Students, staff and faculty need a day off in the second half of the semester.
During the fall semester, days off are more split up than in the spring. Instead of the week-long break like in the spring, the fall semester includes Labor Day, fall break and Thanksgiving break. Due to the removal of J-Term, classes started earlier this spring and we did get Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. That break was just a week into the semester’s start, though, so it didn’t serve as a break in the same way as other days off have.
Getting a full week off is beneficial, and we wouldn’t propose changing that. But with no time to take a breath post-spring break, end-of-semesteritis kicks in early and immediately.
Mentally, it is a challenge for students, faculty and staff coming back from a week off and being bombarded with an expansive amount of work.
Adding just one extra day off would help everyone on campus take a breath and regroup to finish the semester strong.
Many students are unable to travel home over Easter weekend since we don’t get the Friday before or Monday after off. Plus, those who do celebrate the holiday and travel home don’t have time to rest over the weekend due to festivities.
Adding a day off either before or after Easter would add a much-needed break that would sustain us to the end of the semester. More students who want to travel home to celebrate would be able to, and it would give an extra day of breath to the unrelenting second half of the semester.
Many students skip class around that weekend anyway so that they can travel home. If we were given a break, students wouldn’t have to make that call and risk hurting their academics.
Some professors cancel class around that weekend or during other points in the semester, so one extra day off won’t change the trajectory of our courses any more than those do.
Our academics and classes are important – that’s why we are here. We don’t discredit the importance of attending class and having enough days in the semester. Still, there are enough reasons to have another set day off that would limit the number of days students would skip or professors would cancel just because.
Also, if the University has to call a snow day, it throws off the number of days we spend in the classroom anyway.
We understand a change like this is a big ask and there’s a lot that goes into it. This is a University System-wide change, but we believe it’s not an unreasonable or impossible one.
Our team suggests adding an extra day off around Easter. It tends to fall at a good time between spring break and the end of the semester and would be convenient for students who celebrate. Other state schools, like Wayne State and Chadron State, have one. It wouldn’t need to be called Easter break, so it is inclusive for students of all backgrounds.
One other option would be to have a built-in snow day that, if not used, could be applied later in the semester. It isn’t uncommon for the University to have to close due to weather. These closures are expected, so if we don’t have any, that’s a good opportunity to use a break that professors were already prepared for.
While it is a big ask, it is one worth considering.
