The cool breeze, overcast skies and crispy leaves on the Quad mean that my first fall at Syracuse University has arrived. Unfortunately, Graham Dining Center’s festive decor and visits to 3fifteen have not been enough to distract me from the fact that I need a fall break if I’m going to prevent a mental breakdown before Thanksgiving.

In between stressful late night study sessions, it’s impossible to avoid the Snapchat stories of friends from home enjoying their fall breaks. From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to schools as close as Cornell University, many universities across the country have just concluded their fall break. These schools offer fall breaks to provide students with a much-needed mid-semester break after midterms. In order to protect the mental wellness of SU students, the administration should add an annual fall break to the academic calendar.

Carolyn Hedges, a professor of communications in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, talked about her experience with attitude changes in the classroom after midterms, saying there is “a palpable change in temperature in the classroom during the first two weeks of October.”

Right now, students are facing stress from midterms, frustration over local and national events and anxieties about the transitioning post-pandemic world. Hedges believes that SU needs to make changes tailored to bettering the mental health of students. “Now more than ever, (the university) needs to account for ways to support students and their mental wellness,” she said.

First-year College of Arts and Sciences student Kaylee Ramirez believes that a few days off may help students de-stress during these chaotic times. “A fall break would be used to recharge our mental states, and it’s unfair to see the schools around us have the break that we need,” she said.

It is true that students are free to visit home whenever they choose. For me, home is a six-hour drive or a $150 plane ticket away. But after traveling and completing my homework, I wouldn’t even have that much time to spend with my family. A designated fall break would allow students ample time to travel home and leave social and work responsibilities on campus.

A fall break would still be beneficial to those who can’t regularly visit home. After completing outstanding assignments, students who choose to stay on campus would be provided the opportunity to explore the local community.

Nahid Kalam, a first-year student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, rarely has the time to venture off campus due to his busy class schedule and heavy workload. “We need to bridge the divide between the city of Syracuse and the university. I would use a day off to visit downtown and see what type of stuff is available off campus,” he said.

Of course, there are students who won’t use their break in the previously outlined ways. But it doesn’t matter how a student spends their wellness days. Students relax in many different ways, and a four-day weekend represents a checkpoint that re-energizes students before they start the second half of the semester.

After battling homesickness and illness last week, I learned that you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking a break. Although SU does not currently have a fall break, I encourage you to take some time to take a break from your study sessions and rest when you are tired. In future semesters, though, SU needs to make an effort to improve students’ mental wellness and academic success by implementing a fall break.

Laura Jayne is a freshman environment, sustainability, policy and food studies double major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at lnjayne@syr.edu.

Published on October 19, 2021 at 10:46 pm