By JENNA CRAIG, NATALIE TSUR and TALIAH WHITSON
Theater student Grace Diaz submits her final assignment at 3 a.m. again, which has become routine for the past year. After COVID-19 hit, she’s still learning how to manage her homework and personal care. Another student, Debra Breheny, social work major, is overwhelmed with campus obligations and online classes, finding it difficult to navigate the strictly virtual world. Without any respite from the usual strenuous work conducted through Zoom or WebEx, students are struggling.
Ramapo College of New Jersey officially cancelled spring break on Oct. 27, 2020. The decision aimed to contain the coronavirus, asserting this change can potentially mitigate travel and spread of the virus, according to an email distributed to students and faculty.
“I felt that it was a decision made without truly taking into consideration the mental health of the students,” said Breheny.
The college is one of many in the U.S. revoking spring break due to COVID-19. Now, students are left to manage their mental health, utilize time off and find their own solutions to survive the semester.
Ramapo students struggle with mental health burnout
Despite the Student Government Association advocating for the continuation of spring break on behalf of student mental health, Ramapo’s decision to terminate it has not budged.
Healthy Minds Network, an organization that annually surveys college student mental health, reports in their Fall 2020 study that 83 percent of students say emotional and mental difficulties have hurt their academic performance in some way.
With an increased workload due to remote learning, Diaz, 21, said she has felt continuously burnt out since the first quarter of the new semester.
[AUDIO: Diaz talks about what happens when she feels burned out.]
Some professors have implemented their own spring breaks by providing students with minimal work during one week in March, according to Breheny and Valerie Shwalb, a senior theater major.
“We understand the reality of burnout, and we were trying to come up with a way to allow spring break to occur this semester,” said an SGA member who wished to remain anonymous. “Unfortunately, due to the fear of student traveling, it obviously did not happen.”
Several students who oppose the cancellation of spring break expressed frustration when acknowledging the mass of U.S. citizens who still travel on holidays, especially this past December and early January.
Senior psychology student Alena Strobel has previously vacationed outside of the U.S. with her family, but they have not since the pandemic arrived.
[AUDIO: Strobel and Diaz share their thoughts on the likelihood of students still traveling recklessly despite the cancellation of spring break.]
Of the 12 students interviewed for this story, everyone reported feeling burned out in some capacity. For Luka Marjanovic, his emotions and productivity constantly fluctuates. He uses spring break to catch up on assignments.
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The desire for a break is especially understandable granted that most students likely suffer from Zoom fatigue, not to mention that extensive screen time has been proven to increase depression rates in adolescents.
“I thought it was the smartest move for [Ramapo], especially after hearing that other schools have done it,” says Valerie Shwalb. “You just gotta like, roll with the punches I guess.”
Colleges introduce “wellness days”
Research conducted by the Ramapo Record indicates that out of 19 major colleges in New Jersey, Ramapo and nine other state campuses have failed to introduce a compromise, designated “wellness days.” This alternative closes in-session classes for the allotted day and has been administered by a growing number of American universities as a means of replacing the usual mid-semester break.
This compromise has received diverse responses from students of participating universities. Muhlenberg College student Alison Cummins sees that the only viable option for containing the virus is implementing a day off. “I think the wellness day is serving as a way to connect with friends and have some time off from doing work,” she said. “The day is helping students, but also isn’t enough. Still, I don’t know what the better option is.”
Isabella Lopez, a junior at Temple University, believes that the substitute for spring break is a concession and not entirely equivalent to the week-long period students are routinely offered. “A lot of teachers didn’t know [wellness days] were being administered and still wanted to hold classes or labs, saying there would be repercussions if you didn’t go,” she said.
the "wokeness" of higher education is such a joke, we had two "wellness days" and i was still asked to work my campus job and received several assignments to do "on my time off". so basically i went to work and then did a few hours of homework. so basically every day of my life.
— lesbian brotherhood (@happysaplings) March 6, 2021
Though there appears to be faults in the execution of wellness days, students at Ramapo seem to advocate for a variation of spring break nonetheless.
While senior Ramapo student Danielle DeAngelis understands the implied safety hazards of issuing a spring break, she finds that students still deserve relief during the semester. “What I don’t understand is not giving us a break at all, even a day or two,” she said, explaining that “a lot more [students spend spring break] focusing on their mental health,” despite the opportunity to travel. “I don’t think this plan was made to benefit students at all.”
Some Ramapo faculty members have issued their own adaptation of “wellness day,” canceling a scheduled class meeting next week or assigning a lighter workload when spring break would have taken place. Although not all professors are participating, it appears that this substitute should suffice, however its effectiveness remains unclear.
The college currently does not offer wellness days, but de facto “wellness” is being delivered with the support of the provost, as philosophy professor Marta Vides confirmed. “Faculty members were not consulted in advance about the decision to cancel Spring Break and to do so without ‘wellness’ days. It was imposed upon us. It seemed like best practice if our curriculum was being delivered mostly in-person as it would keep students safely within a campus bubble. Of course, that is not what happened,” she said. “We are all doing our best given the continually changing circumstances.”
Classes and Vacations
Now that bedrooms and dining rooms have turned into the new classrooms, college students have taken their own initiative and started traveling while taking their classes with them.
with school being online this the best time to travel and go see the world?
— H U S T L E R . (@1Hunch0z) September 14, 2020
“Now that they’re [classes] remote it does not limit when I go [on vacation]. I’m not physically obligated to be in person, there is no difference between my room and a hotel,” Sibyn King of Villanova University said.
While the coronavirus pandemic is over a year old now, many young people have continued to go on vacations regardless of the CDC’s recommendations to stay home.
“The countries that I choose to go to are not to interact with other people, but a change of scenery. In comparison to the fact that I live in a heavily populated city, I’m more at risk here. My biggest challenge would be the flight to and from my destination.” King said.
Airplanes are COVID-19 hot zones. According to the TSA’s checkpoint travel report, about 3 million people fly in and out of U.S airports every day. These numbers have changed within the past year due to the pandemic, but still, at least 1 million people are still traveling each day.
it makes me so mad how some people are taking advantage of online school to go travel like NO BRUV that’s litchrally the biggest thing u should not be doing ????
— Nora (@verycoolnora) March 4, 2021
“Even though I don’t have a spring break I still have the opportunity to travel,” King also added.
King recently traveled to Mexico with friends who still had classes during the trip.
Carnela Cady of Georgetown University, featured in the video, talked about her experience having finals while on vacation.
“I missed out on some fun because I still had work to do. I don’t recommend bringing school on vacation, because you’re supposed to relax and create new experiences. But if this is the only time you’re able to go on vacation creating an itinerary will help you optimize your time,” Cady, who attends Georgetown University.
While it is not yet determined whether travel during spring break will result in an outbreak, especially with the increase of vaccinations, students are planning trips regardless of college safety measures. Many feel that this is the perfect time to travel. Given the flexibility of online schedules, students can be in class almost anywhere they choose.
“Now that I don’t have a rigid schedule so I can fill my day with different activities. I have to find different ways to entertain myself.” Armoni Foster, Duke University.
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