Fall Break has come and gone, and honestly, it went by too fast. This isn't just a trick of the mind, either; it really was too short. Though Fall Break is designated to four days at the beginning of October, half of that time is a weekend - and weekends don't count. That would be like saying, "Congratulations, no school on Saturday because we decided to give you a breather!" No school on Saturday is great...but it is also a given in the University of Dayton school system. Classes are offered Monday through Friday, and Saturday and Sunday are designated off days. So technically, Fall Break is two days long. Now, we are grateful for the days off, but... there needs to be more. I'm not saying that Fall Break should be longer because I hate school and I'm petty; Fall Break is honestly too short to fulfill its purpose as a break. The following is a list of reasons why Fall Break should be extended - read on and see if you agree!
1. Everyone - students, teachers, university staff - is burned out by the time October hits.
It has been a long month and a half of school. It's basically a zombie apocalypse by the time Fall Break rolls around. Everyone is burned out from work and stress, and probably questioning their life choices on a daily basis. Besides Thanksgiving - which is unforgivably far in the future - and Winter Break - even more ridiculously out of reach - the UD populace has little consolation that there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is Fall Semester. UD needs a longer Fall Break, because it is going to take more than two days without school for students (as well as professors and staff) to remember what it's like to be human (living, not the zombie kind).
2. Students need to sleep.
With midterms coming up, and the semester getting heated, it can be a challenge - sometimes an impossible challenge - to get a healthy amount of sleep without running behind in classes. The issue here is people need sleep in order to work at their full capacity. So the less students sleep, and the more they work, the worse their work gets; not to mention, it isn't healthy. There needs to be a balance. Since college classes cannot supply this balance, Fall Break is the opportunity for students to try and catch up on their much needed Zs.
3. Family comes first.
Two days off from school just isn't enough; how are students supposed to fit in enough time with their families if they are given such a small window to do so? With travel time, necessary rest time and work (I'm getting ahead of myself) students aren't able to spend a sufficient amount of time with their families. Speaking from personal experience, I am going to school out-of-state. My home state is Texas, so if I want to go home for Fall Break, I'm going to be spending a full day (total) of break flying. So, subtract one day from break. Then take into account that I need sleep, and subtract about another full day from break. Now take into account, and I'm getting ahead of myself here again, that I have homework and projects and tests waiting for me when I get back - subtract one full day at least. Yup, that leaves approximately...one day for socializing with my family. I barely get to see my family, and the only way I can see them more is if there are longer breaks.
4. Work work work work work.
The real kicker to Fall Break is all the midterms, projects, papers, etc. are due immediately after it ends. So, in order to be ready for all these extremely important assignments, students are forced to work on school....while they are taking a break from school? Hmm, this doesn't seem to make much sense. Now, no one likes to do work over breaks, but when the break is only two days off from school, the looming storm of exams and projects is a serious source of stress and anxiety. Fall Break is meant to be a time for students to take a breather, so that they can jump back into school revitalized and motivated. If students are spending every day of break working on important school assignments, which, trust me, they are, then what time is really being put aside for "break?" Answer: none really. Sure, students will squeeze in an hour here and there to hang out with family and friends, or watch a show on Netflix, but that isn't any different from the rest of the school semester. Students need a balance of work, sleep and socializing. This isn't usually possible, but it should be during Fall Break. There are two ways this can be accomplished - have Fall Break not fall around midterms (which is highly unlikely to impossible), or .... have the break be longer.
