USD needs more breaks during the semester

RONNIE SAENZ / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

We’re nearly at the halfway point of the spring semester, and many students are feeling tired, fatigued and burnt out. Most of us are counting down the days until spring break begins on March 25, so we can finally rest up, but does it have to be this way? USD typically has spring semesters with two breaks: one for Easter and one for spring break. Yet this year, we only have one break even though USD can give us two. The University needs to give students more than one break during the semester, so we don’t become burnt out and unproductive.

Currently, we only get one break for a four-month semester, and we don’t get any holidays off like Presidents’ Day or Cesar Chavez Day. Yet, according to a research article published in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology, breaks have been found to have incredible benefits that increase productivity and morale. You may believe the weekends make up for these breaks, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Many students, including myself, work on the weekends — whether it’s projects, jobs or other extra-curricular activities. Personally, I’m burnt out, and the stress has literally made it impossible for me to enjoy my weekends. There needs to be more breaks during the semester, so we can refresh and reset and have something to look forward to.

Another benefit of having more frequent breaks during the semester is that students have more opportunities to attend to personal matters. Oftentimes, the semester is far too busy to apply to scholarships, jobs or internships or see family. These are important things that students need to do, but the workload of the semester holds them back. Students need time to do these things to lead meaningful and healthy lives, and in my opinion, the weekend is not enough time to do it. Many students have jobs and extracurricular activities on the weekends, and not to mention school work due the following week. A week break or even a three-day weekend will give students more breathing room to relax.

It’s not just productivity, but breaks during the semester allow students to further bond with their friends. They don’t have to worry about school work getting in the way of their social lives, but enough students are still on campus to interact with everyone, especially on shorter breaks like Presidents’ Day. Even those who leave campus often do so with  their college friends. Some of my best college memories happened during spring break, and these memories are important, as they allow students to bond with each other on a deeper level. 

According to the USD credit hour policy, at least 42.5 hours of total in-class instruction and out-of-class student work is required per credit which puts a limit to the amount of school days we can take off. Yet if we look  at another Catholic private university, such as Loyola Marymount University (LMU), they require a minimum of 45 hours of total in-class instruction. LMU not only has a higher minimum in-class instruction period, but more breaks during the semester than USD. Not only does LMU have two week-long breaks during the spring, but it also has holidays, such as Cesar Chavez Day, off as well. In order to achieve this, LMU has shorter winter and summer breaks to accommodate for the breaks during the semester, but if LMU can do it with a higher in-class instruction requirement, why not USD?

Some may argue, given our credit hour policy, adding more breaks during the semester will have to cut into the long summer and winter breaks. However this isn’t a real issue in my opinion; we can just take a week or two off of our three-month summer break or month-and-a-half-long winter break. We can manage to shave off a couple of days from the summer and winter breaks if it means students won’t be burnt out during the semester.

It’s that time of the semester when students are feeling so anxious and burnt out that they’re avoiding schoolwork. It’s tough to keep up with the grind of jobs, school and other responsibilities, which is why the breaks during the semester are so important to students. I wouldn’t mind getting a few days taken off my summer or winter break, if it means I can have a more relaxed and enjoyable semester with more breaks. In the meantime, if you’re feeling burnt out and need a break, take the day off. You’ve earned it.

Spring break gives students a glimmer of hope during the busy spring semester. Photo courtesy of @alfredstatewomensoccer/Instagram