There should be no school for the entirety of Thanksgiving week.
UCCS’ official Thanksgiving break starts on Wednesday next week and does not include the Monday or Tuesday preceding it.
Mental health is extremely important, and students and staff all deserve to not only spend time with the people they love, but also have time to take to themselves and recharge. A full week’s break for Thanksgiving would allow them to finish off the semester on a high note.
As an out-of-state student, the current break schedule can create conflict. One of the most important things to me is time spent with my family, so I do not attend my Monday or Tuesday classes of that week in interest of maximizing my time with them.
Since I am an out-of-state student, attending my Monday and Tuesday classes on Thanksgiving week would mean I would have to stay on campus not just for those days, but also the weekend before. I can’t afford to lose those days at home, so I have to talk to my professors early in the semester to figure out a plan that will allow me to miss those days.
Typically, it works out, but not always. I’ll always prioritize time with my family over missing a day of class, but I shouldn’t have to make that decision to begin with.
There is no reason that we should have those two arbitrary days not included in our break if we are to have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off.
Many students, especially out-of-state students like me, do not attend class on these days anyways. Many professors deliberately cancel class on these days because they recognize the importance of the break.
I am very grateful for professors who choose to do that, but it shouldn’t have to be up to the professor to make that call.
UCCS should recognize the unnecessary demand placed on students, professors and other staff and allow Monday and Tuesday to be included in the official Thanksgiving break.
Students like myself are missing classes they would otherwise be excited to attend because we have familial obligations, and we shouldn’t have to be put in that position.
UCCS does not have Election Day or Veterans Day off. While the university should have these days off (especially Veterans Day), the administration could make up for this lack of break days by extending our Thanksgiving break.
Photo from howardcountymd.gov.