Spring Semester Plans Released, Students Express Concerns
Spring semester will include a hybrid of in person and online classes. (Photo by Hailey Danielson | Daily Utah Chronicle)
November 2, 2020
On Oct. 1, the University of Utah announced its plan for the Spring 2021 Semester — a one-week extension of winter break and the removal of spring break. The new schedule contains a two-week online instruction period to replace spring break, similar to that of the Fall 2020 “circuit breaker.”
Dr. Martha Bradley-Evans, Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Undergraduate Studies said she has been impressed by the creativity and commitment of U faculty as they have changed to teach in remote or hybrid situations.
In regards to the upcoming spring semester, Bradley said she and others who teach or work with students “look forward to the day when we can all be together on campus, in our classrooms, our labs or studios. But we aren’t there yet.”
“We are looking out for each other, staying safe and acting responsibly. Importantly, we are being flexible and resilient,” Bradley said.
Some students are concerned about the format of this schedule requiring them to work for three months straight, without any breaks.
“It’s just having us have deadlines, week after week with no break. So it kind of puts a lot of stress on students, like for me, I never feel like I have time off,” said an anonymous third-year student majoring in computer science.
The student emphasized the importance of giving students time to focus on other aspects of their lives without deadlines looming over them.
“I think having a dedicated week off where there are no classes, where people can just breathe, try to be a kid again — with how stressful life is right now, just having class after class isn’t easy,” the anonymous student said.
They also said they do not believe the fall circuit breaker was effective, to begin with.
“I live on campus, and just looking at people’s windows at night, people aren’t home. So them canceling a break and then just putting everything online isn’t really keeping people from going on vacation,” the anonymous student said.
Abby Broadbent, a senior studying piano performance, also said a lack of a spring break is stress-inducing.
“I usually don’t go out of town, It’s a time for me to catch up and do homework or run errands that I haven’t been able to yet. It’s not really a frivolous thing,” Broadbent said.
Broadbent, who recently recovered from COVID-19, said even when she had the virus, she was worried more about schoolwork than her health.
“It was just really hard having [the virus] while being in school. That was honestly my biggest stressor while I had the corona was that I was like, ‘oh my gosh, I’m so behind, but never gonna catch up,’” Broadbent said.
Broadbent said she also disliked the circuit breaker because she tried to practice piano on campus, but the buildings were locked.
“These past two weeks, I just haven’t been able to use those resources. And my professor had to go find another piano to teach his lessons,” Broadbent said.
Broadbent hopes the U will respond to student feedback, but the anonymous student suggested this may not be the case.
“I don’t want to put the school on blast, because I know they are trying… but they’re kind of ignoring what the students want. They say they talk to the student body president, but the average student doesn’t have any interaction with them,” the anonymous student said.
The anonymous student said they just want a break at some point.
“I would be okay with starting the semester earlier, but having a dedicated week or two off where we all agree that we shouldn’t at least travel outside of the state and gather in big groups, and they give us that trust — in return, we don’t have to worry about deadlines for a couple of weeks,” the anonymous student said.
Keisha Crawford • Nov 11, 2020 at 8:54 am
I’m exhausted. I work at the hospital, I work from 6-4 and get home around 4:30. I listen to lectures on the way to work, during my lunches and on the way home from work. I do this because there is no other way to keep up with the demands and make a living to afford school. I need these breaks to help myself mentally catch up. We are still paying additional fees for a sub par learning experience. If I had a dollar for every time one of my professors said ” If we were actually in class we would…. but we cant”
I’m a senior, graduating in the Spring and at this rate I know everything I’ve worked for I wont get to celebrate it like I normally would. Its just a bummer all around, I’m doing my best to keep my head down and stay healthy, mentally & physically. The current structure is not conducive to this.
Chrony_Anony • Nov 9, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Oh, additionally, maybe now that we’re getting weekly covid testing by January, we might have more ground to request spring break.
Chrony_Anony • Nov 9, 2020 at 12:15 pm
I think the circuit breaker is less about keeping students safe and WAY more about liability for the U. In the case of an outbreak, they can claim that they did everything they could to prevent travel, even though we all know that the circuit breaker doesn’t stop anyone. It sucks because most people have mostly online classes already and all the circuit breaker actually does is cut people off from campus resources. I’ve also heard that it might be just a way to pretend that the Fall circuit breaker wasn’t just for the VP debate. Anyway. I hate it so much. Thanks Theo for the suggestion of emailing Academic Affairs – I will definitely be doing that!
Kelley Anne Severinsen • Nov 6, 2020 at 2:40 pm
I completely agree! We need a break. Every student that I have talked to has talked about being majorly burnt out at this point, and so am I. My calc professor even mentioned how many messages she’s getting from students about needing a break. I understand the rational around not wanting us to travel and bring covid back, but that’s not really working anyways. Since most people have their classes online, I know of a number of people that have gone out of town during the semester because they can do their homework from anywhere.
Ann Marie Sheets Sheets • Nov 5, 2020 at 8:54 pm
Not having the fall break hasn’t been helpful. I use fall and spring breaks to take a breath, get caught up on any work I’m behind on, and catch up on other errands and responsibilities that I haven’t been able to complete due to school and homework. But instead of having that this year, I feel burnt out, running on fumes, and haven’t been able to complete everything I’ve needed to. Taking away spring break isn’t going to help either. I feel like by taking away spring break, I’ll be stuck in the same position and it will be stressful and overwhelming. I really want the school to reevaluate their choice and figure something else out! Please for the sake of the students!
Theo • Nov 5, 2020 at 12:44 pm
I just sent an email to Academic Affairs addressing this concern, and I’d recommend others do the same! Let them know why you think this is a bad idea! I’m burned out from this semester for a number of reasons, and a break would definitely have been appreciated at some point in between. Doesn’t stress lead to a lowered immune response, thus increasing risk of complications from covid if you catch it?? Sure hope they extend some empathy to us.
Logan Jensen Falslev • Nov 4, 2020 at 3:05 pm
I’m with the anonymous student on this one. I understand the rationale, and maybe they’re right. Still, all my classes are online this semester and most will be next semester. Break or no break, if I had a mind to I could travel or meet up regardless of a break. All that’s accomplished by removing the break then is to condense the school year. Bad call.
Courtney • Nov 4, 2020 at 2:09 pm
Is the purpose of not having a fall and spring break to prevent travel? If all our classes are online we would be able to travel anyway. And sure, traveling would be easier if you didn’t have school to worry about that week – but I feel that the U is completely ignoring the fact that we need a break and we are feeling quite burnt out. Breaks are milestones for me to look forward to every semester, especially even 3 day weekends. Maybe they don’t see the toll it is having on students because there’s no way to have a natural and authentic conversation with the students.
jonathan • Nov 4, 2020 at 1:52 pm
I agree with the CS major. This Fall semester I have barely been able to get my house prepared for the Fall/Winter. Where I normally would use the Fall break to do things such as winterize my swamp cooler and house, shutoff exterior water faucets and such. I find it would be much better to start the semester at the normal time, but give a few breaks, maybe no full week off, but a few Thursday+Friday off or some other combination in the middle of the semester to give people a break.