Every year since I have attended The University of Alabama, I, as an out-of-state student, have had the opportunity to go home fall semester during fall break. Fall break, though short, is a great mid-semester opportunity to head home to my hometown of Seattle. This time is perfect because it takes me a few flights to get back to my home state, essentially taking almost an entire day to travel. It would not make sense for me to go home for the weekend when I would spend all day flying on Friday, only to leave just a day later and spend all day traveling to get back to Tuscaloosa on Sunday evening. This is why I am devastated that they removed fall break from next year’s semester calendar.
“Steph, why don’t you just go home and take another long weekend?”
I, like nearly every other college student, can recognize that academics are my first priority, and I should not miss an excess of classes just to relax at home for a few days.
But also because roll tide.
Alabama football consumes most all of fall semester weekends for many UA students. Obviously, when games are hosted in Bryant Denny Stadium, students will likely stay in town to watch the Crimson Tide roll over their competition (see that pun I slid in there?)
Something I didn’t realize when I came to the University of Alabama as an out-of-state student was that one of the most fun things to do on the weekends when Alabama is playing away is to visit other schools in the Southeastern Conference. (SEC, Best-EC, am I right?)
Needless to say, if you aren’t a UA student doing either of these fun activities every weekend, you are likely busy with extracurricular activities and homework and need a break once in a blue moon to go home and de-stress with family. This is why fall break has been the biggest blessing in a long fall semester.
If you’re like me, without fall break, students could be far away from home from July to December. That is half the year here, Dr. Bell!
Now, many may argue that this all balances with the extra week added at the beginning of the school year, but those people are surely mistaken.
Most leases in Tuscaloosa begin and end on July 31 or August 1. This requires students be back in the state of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, far earlier than we need to be for school. Many people cannot afford to either fly or drive down to move in or out of their off-campus housing twice in just a matter of weeks. Though it may be nice to spend more time with family, it is not fiscally feasible.
By this time in the summer, students are itching to get back to Title Town, USA. Not too many students are complaining about having to head back to Tuscaloosa early, but many hate to go knowing they will have to go nearly six months without being able to go home to their parents, siblings and, most importantly, their dogs.
We can all agree that the University of Alabama is hands down the greatest school in the nation, and I dread the day I have to leave such a fine institution. However, for the time being, and for the sanity of our students, fall break is utterly essential for students to have an opportunity to go home to see their families during the lengthy fall semester. If we are continuing to promote mental health awareness, we should support our students in giving them breaks from school when necessary.
