The Badger Herald: Opinion: Give me a break

Opinion

Give me a break

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By Badger Herald Editorial Board
Thursday, September 30, 2004 12:00 a.m.

2 Vote 0 Votes

With the perpetual rigors of college life, students deserve a good break every now and again. The burdens of course loads almost necessitate a time to sit back, relax and play catch up. Many colleges and universities across the country offer a break in the middle of the fall semester to allow students and faculty time to ruminate and rest.

Currently the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a four-day weekend in late November during the fall semester to allow time off for the Thanksgiving holiday. This break offers the only time off for students in the epic four-month stretch that is the fall semester. Many students — certainly those from out-of-state — would certainly appreciate some extra time for travel around Thanksgiving.

UW’s academic calendar and restrictions on the number of class hours limit UW’s ability to offer such a break — whether it be an additional four-day weekend or an entire week. Several other Big Ten universities offer such concessions to students. The UW System, however, fails to give its students and administrators a break when many feel as though it would only be of benefit.

“It’s an awful long semester without much of a break,” Associate Dean of Students Lori Berquam said. “It’s just such a long period, and I think students would benefit from some time off.”

The UW System’s Board of Regents has the power to open up our fall schedules and provide a break that will give our minds time to relax and help to facilitate more comprehensive, less exhaustive learning in the latter half of the semester. You can e-mail them at board@uwsa.edu.

2 Comments | Leave a comment

Anonymous | September 30, 2004 10:53 PM | Reply

awwww, poor me, i go to school for four hours a day. i deserve another break in addition to my one month in winter and three in summer. please. someday when you work a 40 hour week year round you'll realize what a prissy bitch you were, complaining about how overworked you were as a college student. unbelievable.

Anonymous | October 4, 2004 9:15 AM | Reply

Stop complaining. College students have it made. Groups of alumni get together to discuss re-enrolling and renting our old place on Monroe Street so we don't have to face our same day routine over and over again. I would love to have a month off from work in the middle of the winter.