COMING off of Spring Break, one ought to feel refreshed and ready to face the remaining weeks of work stretching on to finals. Instead, many students find themselves slammed with midterms, a fact which can be attributed in part to this year's unusually early spring break, one in which many students left for home or on various trips while still in the month of February. This spring break accentuates an academic calendar unfamiliar to some at the University, in which not only did spring break practically begin in February, but Thanksgiving break went from a full week to a few days, the fall reading days grew to two, and Martin Luther King Day added an extra holiday. This schedule, different from the two years past, may seem odd or even uncomfortable for students. However, student interests sometimes clash with academic interests, and sometimes must give way.
To third years like myself, who are in a unique position in terms of the schedule, this can be particularly jarring. We have been used to having only a one day reading holiday in the fall, a full week off for Thanksgiving, and a spring break that does not begin in February. This is the case because for the last two years, the University has been experimenting with its academic calendar within a set of parameters defined by the winter holiday, January Term and graduation. For example, the last two years of week-long Thanksgivings and one day fall breaks have been a test, evaluated by students, faculty and staff.
This year, the schedule returned to its normal function, taking into account feedback from the test period; hence the return to a two day fall break and an abbreviated Thanksgiving holiday. This "normal" schedule included a one day fall break and began Thanksgiving break the Wednesday before the holiday. According to Wynne Stuart, assistant provost for academic support, the extended fall break came about as the result of a consensus between students, faculty and staff that one day was too short. She also said that the shortened Thanksgiving came because faculty believed that after a full week off for Thanksgiving, students returned but were unable to focus adequately over the remaining time before finals. While the same would seem true after spring break, students do not launch into final exams within a fortnight, giving them more time to readjust. Not surprisingly, Stuart said the shortened Thanksgiving break was the one thing students and faculty did not agree on regarding the calendar, and that none of the groups polled wanted to go further into December than the 18th, so the only academically viable solution was to shorten Thanksgiving break. This returns it to its pre-experimental position, leaving those of us who experienced the week off at Thanksgiving longing for it again. At the same time, we ought to recognize and accept the academic limitations of our schedule.
This provides an excellent example of how the calendar at the University, while seemingly quite flexible, is bound by academic limits. The needs of J-Term define winter break, as the University seeks to give those participating in winter classes adequate vacation time before it and after it. The same holds true on a broader scale of the spring semester. At the beginning, J-Term also defines the spring semester, as classes begin the Wednesday after J-Term ends. At its end, the semester must bow before graduation, which in turn, according to Stuart, is defined by its traditional and popular position between Mother's Day and Memorial Day. Fifteen weeks of class give the semester a necessary volume, and thus it becomes very difficult to make substantive changes in the calendar. The University is right to define the calendar academically, as it is first and foremost a learning institution. Students, therefore, must make some sacrifices (such as, unfortunately, the extended Thanksgiving break), and stoically accept their fate as students.
The position of spring break, while early to the point of absurdity in this particular year, comes because the University always takes off the first week of March. This year, the first weekend in March happened to be the first and second of the month. In other months, it could be much later. While it seems preposterous to be kicking off the so-called "spring" break the better part of a month short of the official beginning of the season, its established position rationalizes it. This demonstrates how students are bound to seemingly absurd breaks by the calendar's cyclical nature as well as its academic necessities.
Thus, while breaks may not work out quite as they would please, students generally cannot complain. This year's break merely arrived early because of the oddities of the calendar; in other years its position would feel much more natural. According to Stuart, the calendar seeks to give "as many academic opportunities as possible while respecting tradition as much as possible and making as many people as possible happy." And if students view things academically, they do a pretty good job.
Robby Colby's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily.He can be reached at rcolby@cavalierdaily.com.
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