Fiona Greaney ‘29
Opinions Editor
Fall Break is a longstanding tradition at the College of the Holy Cross. Recently, some professors and students have questioned its usefulness and applicability, especially for students who live outside of the driving distance of the college. Some members of the Holy Cross community wonder if the break days should be reallocated to other parts of the Academic Year, such as Labor Day or Thanksgiving. Fall Break is gorgeous, like the season it is named after. It provides students with an opportunity to choose how to spend their time, all while embodying the principle of cura personalis: care for the whole person. So let’s all take a moment to admire the beauty of Fall Break.
By October, the pace of the semester has reached its peak. Assignments pile up and energy is depleted by the ever-encroaching midterms. “By that time in the year, we are all in need of some time off, especially considering how intense and rigorous the course load is at Holy Cross,” according to one student. The faculty notice the need, too. One professor noted that “students seem more relaxed, better-rested, and better able to learn after Fall Break.” First-Year students in particular benefit, as many are experiencing life away from home for the first time. After a jam-packed orientation week, freshman at the college experience new academic, living, and social circumstances. “You need time to digest what you just went through, then you come back ready to immerse yourself again,” says one freshman at the college. The mental reset that Fall Break provides prevents burnout and allows students to return to their studies with greater focus and motivation.
One idea posed is to reallocate the Fall Break days to single-day holidays like Labor day and extend the Thanksgiving Break. One professor sees “a number of students skipping class in the days before Thanksgiving, some of which are to do with flight prices, and some of which are students just wanting to take longer vacations.” This is frustrating for faculty, who struggle to find ways to keep students in class for the few days before the break begins. “It’s hard to try to be fair: you can penalize the students who are not in the room, through offering a graded activity in class or something, but… suppose students can only afford to fly home on dates that mean they are skipping class?” While prioritizing the Thanksgiving Break is a valid concern for students who travel long distances, the fact that roughly thirty-seven percent of students are from Massachusetts, fourteen percent from New York, and nine percent from Connecticut suggests that many do not face this challenge. Most students at the college are within driving distance, and flight prices differ depending on the destination. For one student looking at flights home on Thanksgiving, “flights are actually cheaper on that Tuesday as opposed to Sunday, which helps (her) out.” If the college reallocated the Fall Break Days to single-day holidays, that would make it so that even less students would travel home for the shorter holidays. If Thanksgiving Break is extended, flight prices are not guaranteed to drop for every student.
Students’ experiences of Fall Break differ, but its value remains for students who travel and students who stay. For students who don’t travel during the break, there are plenty of opportunities. This year, the Fullbridge Professional Edge Program, offered during Fall Break, provided students with “workshops that help prepare (them) for the finance world,” according to a student pursuing a Business Fundamentals Certificate. If Thanksgiving Break was extended at the expense of Fall Break, students might be less incentivized to participate in programs like the Fullbridge Professional Edge because they would rather spend time with loved ones. A student who remained on campus during the break said that “although it doesn’t make sense for (her) to fly home for both breaks, (she) appreciates the rest it provides.” Fall Break allows students to choose how they use their time away from classes, instead of the school choosing for them. Holy Cross prides itself on cura personalis: care for the whole person. Fall Break is an embodiment of that value. It provides students with an opportunity to care for themselves in a way that they choose. Some use the time to see their families and old friends. Others use it to further their careers. Some just spend the time admiring the gorgeous colors of Mount Saint James in autumn. Fall break is a pause with a purpose. To keep it is to affirm that Holy Cross is a community that values relaxation and reflection as much as achievement. Let’s all admire the beauty of Fall Break this autumn.
Featured image courtesy of Holy Cross Magazine
Leave a Reply