Fall break is a time for students to mentally collect themselves after enduring the stresses of midterms but for many students, especially those from out of state, one day is not enough time to go home and relax.
Discussions about extending fall break have gone on for years, according to Matt Hoffman, secretary for academic affairs, but no action has been taken –– until now.
Sean Jacobson, off-campus senator, partnered with Hoffman to write a bill recommending the extension of fall break by one day.
Jacobson said the bill was written with out-of-state students in mind.
"We want to attract (out-of-state students), and if this is something that makes them feel more comfortable at Miami University during the first semester, that's a good reason to have the extension," Jacobson said.
Hoffman said many students have approached him with concerns about the current one-day fall break being too short.
"As an RA, I've seen it with my own guys," Hoffman said. "Before fall break, you could tell tension was building. People were cranky and just wanted to go home and see friends because, except for Memorial Day, this is the first chance most of the students have to go home."
Research by Susan Mosley-Howard, dean of students and associate professor of educational psychology, suggests that fall break is a vital time for students to de-stress.
"The data that I used were from our Student Counseling Service," Mosley-Howard said. "It suggests that that time of year can be stressful for students."
Mosley-Howard said the weeks surrounding fall break are one of the times during the year that a peak number of students seek support from Miami's Student Counseling Service and the Rinella Learning Center. This dramatic increase signifies the high levels of stress students feel around the time of first-semester midterms; and Hoffman and Jacobson argue that it suggests that an extension of fall break would be helpful in mitigating student anxiety.
Hoffman and Jacobson were welcomed by applause when they presented their bill to Associated Student Government (ASG) Tuesday, March 30. Student senate will vote on the legislation Tuesday, April 6.
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If student senate approves the legislation, the recommendation would then be presented to university senate's calendar committee, Jacobson said.
"We would have to present it to (the calendar committee) and try to sell them on it," Jacobson said.
Hoffman hopes the calendar committee would be receptive to ASG's recommendation, should it pass. He said the calendar committee's recommendation would then be expressed to Provost Jeffrey Herbst who has the final say about whether or not fall break would be extended.
"The provost will take into consideration what the calendar committee has to say," Hoffman said. "But it's basically left up to the provost … it's his call."
The Ohio Board of Regents recommends that Ohio public universities have 75 days of class each semester. This year, Miami had 75 days of class in the fall and 74 in the spring. Hoffman and Jacobson's proposal recommends that Miami have 74 class days in the fall –– decreasing fall semester by one day, by increasing fall break by one day.
"The provosts of different universities are given some leeway to decide if they want to have more or fewer class days per semester," Hoffman said, explaining how the number of class days per semester is determined.
Hoffman said if the provost decides to extend fall break the change would come into effect during the 2011-12 academic year.
First-year Allison Rubin said even though she lives only two hours away from Miami, she would like more than just one day to relax after midterms.
"ASG should definitely pass this bill because only one day of school off is not enough time to go home and relax," Rubin said. "It's also a lot of driving in three days, especially if your parents have to pick you up … I can't imagine people living out of state benefit at all from fall break as it currently is."
Sophomore Parker Walton said it takes him about seven hours to drive back to his home in Wisconsin and he absolutely supports the extension of fall break.
"The three-day weekend doesn't feel like a break … I virtually only get a day and a half at home if I leave Thursday night," Walton said. "It's a long enough time for me to want to go home, but when I get home it literally feels like I drop my stuff and just pick it up and leave again."
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