The Observer, November 16, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 11
USG recommends more "break" in fall break
Fall break, to students, is a mixed blessing. The academic calendar provides two days away from classes, but students often find themselves having more work over fall break than during a regular school week. To address this situation, the Undergraduate Student Government passed a resolution on Nov. 6 recommending that there should be no â€"significant evaluative workâ€" in classes for the Wednesday through Friday following fall break.
David Poerschke, vice president of Academic Affairs, explained the impetus behind this resolution. From the point of view of student services, students are encouraged to leave campus over fall break. The University Programming Board sponsors a trip every year to a different city. The dining halls close from Friday afternoon until Tuesday night, and Kelvin Smith Library has limited hours, reflecting the expectation that students will not be on campus studying over the break.
Though the break seems to allow students to take a breather from the stressful academic atmosphere at Case and relax after their midterms, many professors see it differently. A four-day weekend is the ideal time for students to work on projects, study for exams, or finish writing major papers for their classes. Unfortunately, after weeks of midterms, having projects and papers due in the days directly after fall break means that many students have no time to rest.
Nikki Frankenstein, a junior pre-med student, understands the stresses that students feel during fall break. â€"It becomes difficult to study for exams and write papers over fall break due to the amount of travelling made by many students. Classes are so difficult leading up to that point and once fall break finally arrives all any student wants to do is take a few days off where they donâ€'t have to think about anything,â€" said the biology, chemistry, and psychology major.
With this resolution, USG is not trying to extend fall break for a week, but is trying to ensure that students get a chance to actually enjoy their break. â€"Breaks should definitely be a time for rest and relaxation. It seems like a good idea to at least have a day or two after break to get back into the swing of things,â€" said junior Jessica Chrzanowski. By voicing the studentsâ€' concerns through this resolution, USG hopes that in the future, professors will plan their syllabi accordingly.
If professors are forced to move big exams and papers from the week of fall break, some students have the concern that their midterm week will be even more stressful, as professors will just move the due dates to before fall break, giving the students less time to work on them. Alternatively, the professors could move the due dates back a week, and then the week after students return from fall break will be very busy.
However, most students at Case are accustomed to having multiple tests and papers in a week, and the USG Academic Affairs committee felt that the benefit of having a few days to relax with no obligations more than offsets the slightly higher stress levels that students would experience. For engineering students, there may not be a significant difference, because weekly assignments and problem sets are not affected by this resolution, and most engineers have already had their midterms during midterm week prior to fall break. In general, however, it is hoped that this resolution, if implemented, will improve student happiness and morale on campus.
