Editorial

A Fall Break From Classes…Not Campus

The days leading up to fall break are supposed to be a time for some last minute studying for midterms or finishing papers so that no work has to be done over break. Unfortunately, too many students find themselves stressing over getting everything packed in time, how they are going to get home, and accommodations they may need if they are unable to get home.

In some cases, students also find themselves worrying about how to move out at the end of the semester while still getting to their exams on time.

Under Monmouth’s current policy, students are required to vacate campus at a certain time regardless of whether or not they have class or exams, and this tends to put pressure on a lot of students. Although the university does give students the option of requesting longer stay, the required paperwork is an unnecessary hassle.

The Outlook staff suggests that students be given at least two days after all exams end to move their things out at the end of the semester. During fall break, students should have the option of staying on campus without filling out forms. Mandating students to go home for fall break is unnecessary and inconvenient in some cases. Everyone has a different work load, schedule, and priority demand. Therefore, more flexibility should be allotted to students in regards to if or when they must leave campus.

Many students find themselves having to rely on others for transportation, and many parents are unable to make the drive to the University to pick up their kids before the University closes.

Because the university is responsible for such a high volume of people, it is understandable that it would prefer that students leave campus at certain times so that Residential Life staff members will have enough time to oversee whether or not everything in the dorms were put in their proper places, a task which takes a great deal of time.

However, students should have a choice as to whether or not they want to leave. Those who choose to leave campus should then be required to adhere to campus policies in regards to vacating the premises.

The most feasible method to keeping track of who is staying and who is leaving would be for the residential assistants to determine which students in their dorms either need to move out later or which residents will be staying for the break. However, a process like this could still require a decent amount of paper work.

A system with more options for students could potentially eliminate the extra fuss of students having to receive permission to stay on campus, and it could also eliminate the paperwork. The Outlook staff believes that by keeping track of who is in and out of the building, residential life staff members will still have enough time to oversee safety as well as ensure that the dorm’s policies have been followed.

The purpose of breaks and vacations from school is for students to have some time off to relax, but who says we can’t relax in the comfort of our dorms? One Outlook editor believes that because students are paying for a full year of room and board, they should be able to take advantage of it by spending breaks from school in their rooms if they choose to not go home for short breaks.

The pressure of making transportation arrangements over short breaks from classes only adds more stress to the students around a time that is already stressful. Students should have more of a say in where they choose to spend their breaks from classes. The University’s policy of encouraging (or requiring) students to vacate their dorms is more to the benefit of the university than it is to the students.