From the Editor: The downfall of a fall break
We’ve all wondered why we’re sitting in class while our neighboring schools, Princeton University and The College of New Jersey, are enjoying their fall break. You might be surprised to find out that not having a break can actually be a blessing rather than a curse.
The last time the issue of a fall break was brought up was in 2009 by the Student Government Association (SGA). The idea passed on the Westminster campus but not on Lawrenceville. The main reason was the break would push back the finals schedule, causing the Lawrenceville campus to have exams as late as Christmas Eve, according to Dean of Students Anthony Campbell.
Obviously, if there were an additional break during the semester, there would be some consequences. For one thing, we would need to start the school year before Labor Day instead of after, according to Campbell. Additionally, the Lawrenceville campus has more exam blocks and we would have to move them around to later dates.
Many of us would rather have more time during the summer to spend the last few days at the Jersey Shore. August is still a vacation month and the last thing I want to do is sit in class during the dog days of summer just so I can have a break in the fall.
Many students on the Lawrenceville campus believe that Westminster has a fall break; however, it does not. Westminster has a one-day break on Columbus Day that they call “Intermezzo.” It is simply a day for students to catch up on their assignments since many are required to spend some days off-campus because of performances, according to University Academic Policy Committee (UAPC) chair, Dr. Joel Phillips. At the end of the semester, however, they have to make up that day of class in order to have the same instructional time as the Lawrenceville campus.
It’s enviable that Westminster students get this day to catch up on assignments, not to mention sleep. Students on the Lawrenceville campus might think that they should have this day also. If there were a way for this to happen, maybe we could give up a reading day during exam time for our own “Intermezzo” on the Lawrenceville campus. But no one wants exam dates to extend later into December.
Ultimately, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be getting a fall break any time soon. In the meantime, we should just enjoy our last days of summer break at the beach, while students at our surrounding colleges are already hitting the books.
The weekly editorial expresses the
majority opinion of The Rider News.
This week’s editorial was written by the Opinion Editor, Danielle Gittleman.
Printed in the 11/13/13 edition.
