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Give us a Break, Administrators!

Editor’s Note: On Jan. 28, UST President Ricard Ludwick wrote in an email to students that there will be a spring break this semester.

Spring break and college go together. Sure, to some it may conjure up groups of college students partying on beaches in Mexico or South Padre Island to celebrate the one week off from the other 19 weeks they attend class. (At least that’s what we hear they do; the rest of us usually just sleep.) 

But for every college student, no matter if they choose to go to parties or even stay in bed the whole week, spring break is a time to relax without the constraints of impending due dates and countless Zoom calls–if only for one week. 

Since the start of this semester, student discussions have centered on the fateful decision that UST administrators plan to make Feb. 1 about whether to cancel spring break, currently scheduled for March. As a result, the Celt Independent wishes to help the University understand why we deserve a spring break.

Students often feel burnt out, unmotivated, and just plain tired by the middle of the semester; in some cases, the lack of motivation that hits mid-semester causes students to skip classes often, or do poorly on assignments. Case in point: during the 2020 fall semester, some UST students were overheard saying they had begun to skip class following midterms in October, citing mental exhaustion, and that they embraced the Thanksgiving break that followed nearly a month later. Comments made in other UST classes noted that break came at just the right time.  Clearly, the break motivated students, and faculty, to tackle the rest of the semester. 

The Celt Independent believes the same would happen if we had a spring break this year. 

Spring break is more important than ever this year because it will take some of the weight of being a college student during a pandemic off of our shoulders–and that weight is heavy. The added stress of living through a pandemic has been a major challenge to students’ mental health.

Multiple studies show a staggering 62.9% of college-aged people are experiencing increased stress and anxiety as a result of the pandemic, citing the stress of school and an uncertain future. With a spring break to alleviate some of that stress, students will have the chance to focus on their mental and physical health rather than living in Zoom purgatory for 20 weeks straight. 

The Celt Independent believes that two days off in April for Easter is simply not enough. Administrators, please: let us keep spring break!  We promise not to party on the beach.

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