Any break from the daily grind of classes and homework is always something to be appreciated, and students often mark Spring Break week on their calendars long before the new semester even begins.

As we slowly limp into the weekend, classes are taking less precedence in students’ mind, replaced with the desires for warm beaches, refreshing mountains or the simple pleasure of home.

However, it is frustrating for many students that VSU has once again chosen to line up our Spring Break deep into the semester, long after our college brethren have put away their bathing suits.

Both UGA and FSU had their breaks last week. Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech are on their breaks this week.
By the time VSU reaches its break – a staggering 10 weeks into the semester out of 15 total weeks – most students have already littered the beaches with Solo cups and are well over their sunburns.

For many of us, the late break means we cannot line up schedules with our friends who attend other universities, so we are stuck seeing the guy from our 9 a.m. English class sitting next to us on the beach.

From the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which falls only one week into the new semester, students are expected to run full steam with no major break until nearly the end of March. This means many students are losing a week’s worth of tuition as the week before Spring Break often sees many students leaving before classes are even over for the week, or, if nothing else, already mentally checked out early on vacation.

The SGA conducted a survey in 2013 regarding the movement of Spring Break, and it was overwhelmingly decided that students wanted a break earlier in March. Ultimately, the faculty senate decided to ignore the voice of the students, despite SGA proposing two alternative weeks earlier in the month.

At the time, President William J. McKinney sided with students.

“In terms of the placement of Spring Break, I concur with the Student Government Association,” McKinney wrote in a letter addressed to Dr. Walker, the president of the faculty senate.

No placement of Spring Break will satisfy everyone, but VSU has to be more aware of the wishes of students when determining when to schedule its breaks.

VSU students need a break that is situated earlier in the semester before apathy and exhaustion have taken their toll.

Most other universities in Georgia have seen fit to put their Spring Break in the middle of the semester; what makes us so different that we have to wait so late?