This semester has been one for the books. With the controversy surrounding the FSR, President Murray announcing her resignation and the various adaptations we’ve had to make because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe to assume that everyone is experiencing some degree of burnout. The weariness we’re feeling is further amplified by the lack of a traditional spring-break this year, which I believe was poor decision-making by the administration.

This past mid-term period was a stark reminder that we are only halfway through the semester, with about nine more weeks to go. Within these remaining weeks, we only have three more “spring-break” days left, which do not help relieve exhaustion in any way. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful that we can catch a breath of fresh air for a day, every two weeks; but that does very little to make up for the accumulated stress and tiredness from the days before it. 

As if that’s not enough, some people still have tons of homework and reading assignments to do for the day after these “spring-break” days, or they use these days to catch-up, making it much less of a break for them.

The typical response to the complaints made about the “spring-break” days is that the semester started a week later than usual, and that week took away from the standard fourteen-day spring-break. It may also be that having individual “spring-break” days was a way for the administration to eliminate the incentive to travel during the break, which I doubt was necessary. I think we have proven ourselves capable of following protocol, so having one long break would not have been an issue.

Even if that’s the case, I think it would have been better if the administration had looked into giving us an entire week off sometime during the semester instead of spreading these five days over such a long period. That way, we would effectively recoup and not have to worry about class or work the next day. 

Additionally, students would be able to guarantee their full presence in their professors’ classes, resulting in better performance. As it stands, people are barely making it through their courses this semester, and that’s partly due to the lack of a break.

That being said, we can only hope that the rest of the semester passes by quickly and that situations begin to ease up by the summer so we can enjoy the break we all deserve. Until then, we have no choice but to persevere through these last weeks and make the best out of our situation. 

Also, do remember that it’s completely okay to take time off outside of these breaks for self-care if you feel like you need it. Hopefully, the sun will begin to shine more and the days will get warmer, making things more bearable.