By Ashna Balroop
Some University of Maryland community members believe that UMD should institute a fall break, arguing that it would help students’ mental health.
The fall semester lasts 15 weeks—from Aug. 26 to Dec. 9. Labor Day and Thanksgiving break are the only scheduled breaks during the semester.
Other universities in the Washington, D.C. area, like American University and George Washington University, have instituted fall breaks. The breaks typically begin at the beginning of October and vary in length.
Jessica Nguyen, a freshman aerospace engineering major, supports the implementation of a fall break because it would reduce student stress. Nguyen said it would be easier for students to pick classes and find internships during the busy semester if there was a fall break.
Nguyen said that a fall break would also benefit working students. She believes that by implementing a fall break, students would have time to catch up on school work or pick up more hours at their jobs.
“I work three part-time jobs, and I have to pay my own tuition, so I have to have a lot of hours throughout the day,” Nguyen said. “It would induce productivity because I feel like a lot of students by this time feel burnt out…I would take advantage of time and study, especially if it’s before midterms.”
Justine Decamillis, a professor and associate director of the College Park Scholars Justice and Legal Thought program, believes a fall break would benefit students.
Decamillis said that during one of her classes, the idea of implementing a fall break came up, and a group of her students made a poster advocating for this change, leading her to believe that a fall break is essential.
“I think the semester is really long, and I think that the pacing of it should be kind of broken up into slightly smaller chunks for both faculty, staff and students,” Decamillis said.
Decamilis said she has also noticed signs of burnout from her students during the fall semester.
“I do a mid-semester check-in, kind of anonymously, with my students, and they all mentioned the stress and the beginning of burnout towards the middle of the semester, with all the midterms and all of that work is coming to a head,” Decamilis said.
A fall break would help the campus community rejuvenate and practice relaxation, according to Decamilis.
“I think we need time to recharge and be out in nature,” Decamilis said. “I think that this could definitely help give people some breathing space if they’re feeling really stressed out to go somewhere or do something fun or recharge in whatever way they need to.”
Chetan Joshi, the director of UMD’s Counseling Center, believes implementing a fall break would help students manage their stress.
“I think, in general, there is an agreement that the spring semester, for the most part, is interrupted by the spring break, which allows a little bit of a pressure release,” Joshi said. “The fall semester tends to be long, and [we do] not really have a break all the way until Thanksgiving.”
Joshi explained that a fall break is possible, with UMD leadership calling together a task force to discuss the issue. He acknowledged that while the fall semester can be stressful, there are potential drawbacks to having a fall break, which he discussed with the task force—one being academic scheduling.
“Senior leadership called together a task force to look at the advisability of having a fall break, its positive impact and its negative impact,” Joshi said. “The work of that task force started early last year, and it resulted in some recommendations, and the leadership of the institution is now currently looking at those recommendations to decide what the next steps are.”
Students at UMD feel that a fall break is necessary for refocusing and recharging for the end of the semester, ultimately reducing academic stress. Despite this, it is unclear whether UMD will take action to implement a fall break.
Featured Image: Students walking by Somerset Hall. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.