Unlike students who sometimes travel to exotic locations during Fall Break, faculty use their week away from students to work on research and catch up on grading.
Fall Break, which became a week-long event a few years ago, lasts from Monday through Oct. 18.
Kay Harward, senior associate vice president for academic affairs, said the U has always had a two-day Fall Break, but years ago a faculty member said that it was peculiar to start the semester on a Wednesday, which was a by-product of the shorter Fall Break.
Harward agreed that starting school on a Monday would give students a better beginning to the school year. To make up for students missing a full week of school, administrators added two days at the beginning of school and one day at the end of the semester.
“I feel that students need a break about this time of year anyway,” Harward said.
Some professors, however, feel differently. Richard Dorsky, an associate professor of neurology and anatomy, feels that Fall Break wastes valuable time.
“I do not think Fall Break is helpful for my students,” Dorsky said. “(It) disrupts the learning process during the semester.”
Jayme Day, a graduate student and sociology instructor, said she doesn’t feel the mid-semester break detracts from learning. She said the mental break is a chance for students to work on their studies.
“One concern that I have is that the extra days added to Fall Break might have been better utilized around the Thanksgiving holiday,” Day said. “I cannot count on students to be in class the week of Thanksgiving, and therefore, students often miss the material presented during that week, which can hinder their performance towards the end of the semester.”
Day said she is looking forward to Fall Break so she can catch up on her own research that tends to get put aside during the busy semester.
Cynthia Burrows, a professor in chemistry, said she also uses the time to work on her own research.
“I have a big stack of manuscripts piling up and I really need a week of no distractions from teaching and committee work to make some headway,” Burrows said.
Some students have other plans. They’re going to use the break as a time to relax and catch up with life.
Tricia Sullivant, a junior in sociology, said she is planning on going to Cape Cod, Mass., for the break.
“I am excited about the break,” Sullivan said. “(It gives me) time with my family.” Roy Stevens, a junior in mechanical engineering, said that on top of classes, he works 48 hours a week and has three kids.
“Fall Break will give me an opportunity to spend some time with the kids and maybe take the wife out to dinner and a movie,” he said.
Stevens said that he will not forget his studies and has a “nasty” and difficult lab coming up that he has to work on.
Some students choose to spend the extra time reaching out to others. One group of U students is traveling to Iowa to help with disaster relief from flooding. The Lowell Bennion Center is sending students to Southern Utah and Denver, Colorado on service trips that all focus on different issues, including helping the environment, urban poverty and immigration.