Opinion: What’s a semester without a break?

This past semester was challenging for most students, to put it lightly. Online classes, limited social interactions and the pandemic negatively impacted mental health and, for many, academic performance.

Not much will be different for the Spring semester.

The University announced back in September that spring break would be canceled. There is a good reason for this; the United States is still reeling from the pandemic and a largely vaccinated population is still a ways away.

However, the plan to replace the week we were supposed to have off is not adequate.

Spring break normally provides a reprieve from tight deadlines and allows students to catch up on their schoolwork and relax. The three-day weekends provided will most likely not be much of a break as students will still have deadlines to meet and tests to study for.

The later start date of the semester, Jan. 19th, does offer more time to recover from the past semester, but many students are already burnt out. The plan to push forward with only two three-day weekends in a fourteen-week semester is going to cause a large increase in student burnout.

This schedule isn’t just hard on students ー faculty need breaks, too.

Professors need time to give feedback to their students and prepare and adapt their material to the new normal. Stressed out and overworked professors make students feel unmotivated and unsatisfied with the education they’re paying for.

The challenges that come with increased online schooling have led to a lower enrollment rates in 2020 compared to 2019. This could lead to increased tuition prices at many schools, which will deter even more students from attending higher education in the future.

Additionally, there is a problem with some of the logic behind canceling spring break.

Yes, it will prevent some traveling and reduce the spread of the virus, but many local students go home over the weekends. Not to mention the number of students who live off-campus but come to campus to study or go to classes. At USU, there are already people potentially bringing in the virus from off-campus sources quite frequently.

The lack of spring break will also contribute to the quarantine fatigue that many are feeling and may lead to more irresponsible decisions that contribute to the spread of the virus. Also, if all students are on campus for spring break, there could be large parties to compensate for the pent up stress and frustration that will inevitably result from this semester.

A better approach would be to give more mini-breaks provided that professors don’t assign extra work over those breaks.

This could be giving students one day off per week, spread over five (non-consecutive) weeks. For example, one week would have a no class day on Tuesday and two weeks later there could be a no class day on Wednesday. Spring break is traditionally a week, so professors are used to having at least one of their instructional days gone as a result.

Also, no one would feasibly be able to travel on a Wednesday if they have classes to attend on Tuesday and Thursday, so this system would help reduce traveling and slow the spread of the virus.

The pandemic has made school more challenging for everyone. Many students, professors and faculty are feeling the negative effects of being online constantly, both mentally and physically. fall 2020 was hard for everyone, and spring 2021 is not going to be easier.

Not having spring break is going to make the semester worse because there are barely any breaks for overworked students and educators. The administration at USU should do more to make this semester more manageable for students and faculty to minimize the negative impacts that will likely be caused by the break schedule this year.

Regardless of what policy changes are or aren’t enacted, mental health should come first.

If you are struggling, you can always reach out for help:

Counseling and Psychological Services

Taggart Student Center Room 306

(435) 797-1012

Ella Olson is an opinion writer at the Statesman. She’s originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and enjoys reading, debate, and hammocking.

ella.olson@usu.edu