In an effort to save money to help its struggling budget, Chicago State University is canceling spring break.
“It is definitely an unconventional way to save money,” Oklahoma Christian University senior Megan Hendricks said. “It is not really clear on how much the university would save so I don’t know if it is really worth it. I would definitely say that it should be a last resort to save money.”
School breaks are a part of the school system and spring break is one of the only breaks in the spring semester.
“Although many breaks had actual significance when they were created, like summer break was for farmer’s children, it mostly serves as a time-out on the typical rigor of classes,” senior Nathan Vielmette said. “Spring break is firmly entrenched in the American mindset.”
Students use spring break as a time to recoup energy from the beginning of the semester to finish the end.
“I definitely would not like spring break cancelled,” Hendricks said. “That is my time to get away from school and relax after Spring Sing and midterms. It is also a good time for me to catch up on projects and papers as well. Losing that week would really hurt.”
Despite monetary concerns, some students said they would not want to loose the break in the semester.
“I can see that there may be monetary gains, and if a college was in a place where that was the only option, I would understand the decision,” senior Hannah Vogt said. “However, as a student, having a break is very beneficial for physical and mental health. The semester gets very long and the end is especially stressful, so to have time for relaxation, to see family or to give back to a community in the form of a mission trip is very important to many students and faculty.”
Vogt said she hopes that administrative staff at Chicago State makes the best decision for the university as a whole.
“I would hope that college administrations look at all of their options and consider not only the monetary gains or losses, but also how the decision to get rid of spring break would impact students, faculty and staff,” Vogt said. “If a school were to cancel spring break, it would be respectful to make the decision before the semester began, if not at the beginning of the school year.”
Vielmette said he hopes that Oklahoma Christian would not consider cancelling spring break like Chicago State.
“As a student in the classroom 26 hours of the week, having professors that expect I take two hours out of the classroom for each one in it, I am working too much to have my one respite cut out by financial stinginess,” Vielmette said.
Oklahoma Christian has made several budget cuts over the past year but Vogt said she hopes spring break will not be cut in the future.
“I hope it never gets to that point for OC where they have to cancel break in order to shut the campus down faster and save money,” Hendricks said.
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