Usually, LSU’s Fall Break is in October, but this year, it is not until Nov. 7.
But I need my breaks — and I need them evenly spaced out.
I enjoy learning, I really do, but when I haven’t had an extended break from the college grind in two months, I get frustrated.
We only have two weeks of classes between Fall Break and Thanksgiving break, and a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving break, the semester will be over.
I want to know why pretty much every other student in the country has a break this weekend or next, and we’ve got to wait another three weeks.
A professor informed me of an administrative email from last spring which said that the fall schedule for this semester had not yet been determined, because the football season’s schedule was still in flux.
While the administration has not publicized the reason for Fall Break being so late, it seems pretty apparent that the reason involves LSU Athletics — and money.
Bizarre as it may be, this should come as no surprise, considering that LSU ropes off commuter parking spots on Fridays before game days, even though we paid a pretty hefty fee for that parking pass.
Considering LSU’s love affair with athletics and money, it is enraging. The football schedule shouldn’t have any bearing on our academic schedule.
Remember the pep talks at freshman orientation? LSU told us that we weren’t just a number, that LSU was about us and that they cared about our success.
But my experience has shown me that, while there are some outstanding professors who truly care about their students, LSU as an institution just wants my money.
They’ve done this before. Last semester, LSU shortened winter break by a week due to the scheduling of the Bayou Country Superfest, which brings in money for LSU sports and the community.
I understand economic necessities, but the 30,000 students here to learn don’t want to hear any more about it.
By mid-semester, it’s easy for us to get burned out. We need a break before November.
Even if football players, the esteemed ones dictating our break schedule, work out for too long without resting, their muscles tear down instead of building up.
They’ve got bye weeks to help out with that. Students need the same for our psychological and mental health.
I know from personal experience that when I set aside one day of the week to rest, my entire week goes much more smoothly than in weeks when I continually spend myself. I notice a difference in my emotions, mental capacity, attitude and motivation.
But as the semester moves forward, we start to feel we can’t afford to rest, due to never-ending amounts of homework, tests, quizzes and other responsibilities. As soon as we finish studying for a quiz in one class, there’s an exam in another class to study for, and homework due in another.
We haven’t had a break since Labor Day — which was only a week after classes began. It’s midterms week, and we’re tired.
If LSU cared about us as students, they would take our academic and mental health into consideration when scheduling breaks. We — not just the Athletic Department — are LSU, and we deserve a timely break.