OPINION & EDITORIAL
Students deserve more rest
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by Letters to the Editor
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Why do UW students get a whole week of vacation for Spring break, but a measly Thursday and Friday Thanksgiving weekend for the entire fall semester? It is not an outlandish request to have more days of break during the fall. Other universities around the nation, including the University of Iowa, have instituted a fall break with no classes the entire week of Thanksgiving. At a minimum, UW students should have no classes the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for travel purposes. A four-day weekend mid-October is another option that would clearly rejuvenate students and change the entire mood for the remainder of the semester.
The most ridiculous scheduling flaw this semester is the absence of a study day between the last day of classes (Friday) and the first day of finals (Saturday). Although governed by the need to schedule finals throughout the week, this schedule is unfair and creates an especially stressful Friday night for students with finals on Saturday. Again, there are other universities that reserve an entire week to give students time to prepare for finals. The University of Michigan has three study days before finals start. Michigan also has a two-day fall study break on a Monday and Tuesday in mid-October. A major obstacle in adding more break days at Madison is the fact that the academic calendar is set on a UW-system-wide basis. Because these calendars are already mostly determined for the next four years, it will be difficult to reconfigure the inflexible semester on a short-term scale.
In asking for more days off, I'm echoing a real student concern - not a complaint stemming from laziness or procrastination. Students are being forced to forego the valuable non-academic aspects of college to focus on classes without a decent break. I agree that the central purpose of attending college is to gain an education through vigorous learning and evaluations. However, this does not mean that students have to burn themselves out to their limits with no hope of an adequate break until December 24th. Pressure to overwork has become a heartfelt problem. The long fall stretch presents a serious burden on students' health. Skyrocketing stress from classes accumulates on students' work, social, and leadership commitments and causes dangerous mental and physical conditions. The anxiety of achieving high grades and the tension of constant work can potentially lead to the most tragic and severe outcome imaginable: a student taking his or her own life.
Students needing effective health enhancement services, counseling, and stress relief can visit University Health Services. Students struggling with school can utilize the Greater University Tutoring outlets on campus or other department academic resources. Students who want to help ASM assemble a campaign to institutionalize a fall break for UW can contact me.
Dylan Rath Chair, The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) dmrath@wisc.edu
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 5:19am):
"The anxiety of achieving high grades and the tension of constant work can potentially lead to the most tragic and severe outcome imaginable: a student taking his or her own life."
Getting two days off in the fall is not going to keep someone from killing themselves....find something important to waste ASM's time on
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 7:26am):
Dylan, you want Madison to be like Iowa? Way to shoot for the stars, tiger.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 8:58am):
I agree with you Dylan, I would definitely like at least 24 hours between the end of my last class and my first final. I've also wondered why UW doesn't have a fall break like most other universities...
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 9:21am):
I don't think Rath is saying that two days off will prevent suicide. I agree with Rath that stress is a big issue and who wouldn't want more break?!?!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 9:38am):
It is also helpful if professors do not assign projects that are due during the week of finals on top of exams...computer science professors...
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 9:51am):
THANK YOU. YES! I have a final on Saturday and I'm going crazy because I won't have time to study until Friday - I have to finish a crapload of other homework and projects due this week.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:18am):
We have finals on Hanukkah! Come on... The University should think about that and make Saturday a study day. Professors will likely make exceptions for students who celebrate Hanukkah, but it shouldn't have been on a finals day in the first place!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:20am):
Exactly. One study day, just one would be nice.
Then we can work on that Fall break. That would benefit all, professors and students alike.
So ASM, can you pull this one off? Please try!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:22am):
To the person who wrote a comment at 5:19am: Why are you up at 5:19am? It seems to me that you could use a little break.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:26am):
Students can rest during the afterlife, if any. Study study study!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:42am):
students have channukah? really?
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 11:11am):
Dear College cry babies,
Everyone else went through the same thing you're going through now, so suck it up. If you can't handle it, drop out and flip burgers.
Love,
Grad
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 11:15am):
Dylan also mentions Michigan in this article. A school all our coastie friends were rejected from.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 12:16pm):
if you cant handle the "stress" of college, just wait until the real world.....grow up.
grad
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 12:45pm):
A Fall Break would be AMAZING!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 1:37pm):
to the real world grads with so much real world stress: where are you finding time to read and comment of your old college newspaper?
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 2:52pm):
Jeez kids, wait until you get a real job. No "study" days there, just deadlines you have to meet. I think the tighter schedule UW imposes is better for preparing students for life after college. Get used to the stress, because it's not going anywhere...in fact, it will only get worse, and the better you learn to cope with it and thrive under it, the better suited you will be for post-college life.
'00 grad
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 4:03pm):
Dear Grads:
You must not be too stressed in the 'real world' if you have time to read the Badger Herald. Maybe you should 'grow up' and read a 'real' news paper for truly relevant news. May I suggest the Times??
Love,
Current Students
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 4:12pm):
right...stress students out (esp. incoming freshman) their fall semester to the point of suicide. at least they'll have a sense of what life is like after college-give me a break.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 4:13pm):
and I'm sure all of you "real world grads" don't have any sick leave or vacation days.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 4:18pm):
An an undergrad, I had two jobs, class, and was in three orgs. Miserable.
It's actually less stress in the real world if you were really involved in college because you usually don't have to work after 5pm.
A break would make for much happier students!
2005 alum
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 4:23pm):
I'll be standing there with you when you go to UW-system with this one!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 4:43pm):
NO STUDY DAY?
Cummulative finals = need to study a lot.
I have been studying bit by bit but I still need more time.
Give us a study day!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 5:00pm):
Dylan Rath, I would be SO happy if you could do this (even if it's not this year)!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 5:53pm):
Would the Chancellor have any control over this?
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 6:17pm):
We could have a week break in the middle of the semester. There are just two problems:
1) We'd have to start the semester a week earlier, just like all the other schools that have a fall break. Would you rather have a week off in the cold of November or enjoy that last week of summer?
2) Idiots like Dylan would get so drunk that they'd forget everything they learned in the first half of the semester, just like they do every spring.
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 6:26pm):
Dear Whiney Procrastinating Students,
You're not that smart. Drop out.
Love,
Your Ball Busting Professors
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 7:23pm):
There's definitely student support for this kind of thing. I say go for it.
UW-Eau Claire Junior
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 8:18pm):
if you have so much studying to do, what the hell are you doing writing comments on this article?? Get cracking!
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:48pm):
poster at 8:18... why are YOU writing comments about comments on the article?
Anonymous (December 12, 2006 @ 10:51pm):
Actually, schools that have a fall break DON'T all start a week earlier.
Anonymous (December 13, 2006 @ 12:14am):
I'm sick of studying for a "midterm" I have tomorrow and not being able to study for my final exam on Saturday. Oh, give me a break.
