NATHAN GARBER Entertainment Editor
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this academic year has been vastly different at Bethel College. These changes have affected everything from our sports teams to our musical ensembles. While changes to ways that specific groups on campus operate have not affected everyone in the same way, one thing that has been changed are the breaks that we get throughout the semester.
Changes to breaks have been different throughout the year. For instance, fall break was moved to the beginning of Thanksgiving week giving students the whole week off to travel home and prepare for the rest of the semester which was remote. Spring break however, was split up and sprinkled throughout the course of spring semester.
The reason that spring break was split up in such a way was to deter students from traveling off campus on their days off so that there is a less chance of causing an outbreak of the virus on campus. While the measures that the Bethel College faculty has taken to protect the “bubble,” are focused on keeping the students healthy, it does not take into account the benefits that consecutive days off give to students.
College students typically look forward to spring break because it provides them with an extended time where they do not have to think and worry about school work that is due and allows them to get a second wind before finishing out the semester. Students typically struggle more during spring semester because it feels like it just drags on and on, and the added weeks to this year's academic calendar does not help with this.
While students are typically assigned homework over spring break, they do not work on school related work throughout the entirety of spring break. However, because this year’s spring break days are split up throughout the semester, Bethel College students are typically given one day off in the week every two to four weeks. This means that students are forced to work on homework during these “breaks” because of the way that they land in the week. Because of this, students do not really get a break at all; they do not have the time to relax and recharge like they normally would during spring break. Also, many sports teams still have practice on these spring break days so they do not even get a day off.
Even though the way that spring break is split up this semester is frustrating, I do understand why the Bethel College administration chose to change it this year. The safety and health of students is very important, and I would rather have an administration that takes steps to ensure that the students of their institution remain safe and healthy over one that does not take these issues seriously.
That being said, I think that students should have been given consecutive days off, whether that be long weekends, or two days off in the middle of the week to give time to rest and recharge. One day in the middle of the week just does not feel like it is enough, especially not when assignments pile up as the semester goes on.