USD decides to keep spring break, a departure from fast-paced fall 2020

USD moves forward with spring break with plans in place to combat a possible surge afterwards 

Yana Kouretas/Contributor / The USD Vista

Each year, students look forward to reuniting with their families or traveling to different destinations with friends during spring break. For some, planning a spring break getaway is a rite of passage. Despite the uncertainty that comes with giving students freedom for a week during the COVID-19 pandemic, USD has tried to maintain a sense of normalcy this year by choosing to keep spring break in place over the week of March 29.

While USD discourages students from traveling over the break, which is often a routine part of this annual time off, there is no telling how many students will leave campus, for essential traveling reasons or otherwise, and the impact this will have afterward. 

Carmen Vazquez, vice president of student affairs, shared why USD decided to keep spring break this year. The administration concluded that it is a well deserved break for students. 

“We received some information from the University Senate, our student government leaders, and our graduate student council about what they thought students were feeling,” Vazquez said. “We considered what was described by students and faculty as the mental health and fatigue that students were feeling at the end of the last fall semester as a result of the remote fall experience.” 

The implications of granting students a spring break are unforeseeable, but could potentially give rise to another surge of cases on campus, similar to what took place following the first few weeks of school. However, USD has plans installed to enact more preventative measures following the break, whether or not this occurs. For example, USD will be resuming weekly testing for students living in a USD housing contract and off-campus students who come to campus, requiring that all courses proceed with the remote learning format from April 6-9, and instituting a second set of “Stop the Surge” directives.

Vazquez confirmed that USD is prepared for a surge, though there are a lot of things that can’t be accounted for. The administration hopes there will be a greater chance of bringing the vaccine onto campus following the break, which could potentially open a new conversation about shifting more classes into a hybrid model before the spring semester ends. 

“We hope that between now and the return of spring break, we will have more of a vaccine program that will have been administered,” Vazquez said. “Though we never know what happens with vaccines, this is what we have planned for. We also are optimistic that all of the mitigations we are taking will have a positive effect, and we won’t have a spike.” 

Online school has shown students that Zoom burnout is real. For some, spring break will be an ideal time to escape the repetitiveness of daily Zoom calls. First year Isabella Sanchez explained her thoughts on USD’s decision to keep spring break in place. 

“I think everybody does need some time for themselves, and this break especially feels like a reward because online school can be so overwhelming at times,” Sanchez said.

Although USD’s decision to keep spring break as a yearly tradition was likely not made without ample planning and consideration, there is still concern of how this will affect the possibility of other activities happening down the line. 

Senior Annie Flati was unable to ignore the idea that graduation or other customary senior events would not be able to take place following an outbreak.

“On a selfish note, I’m concerned that another spike in COVID cases will destroy any chance the class of 2021 has for an in-person graduation,” Flati said. “I agree that we all need a break, but I also wish there was a way we could control USD students’ plans.”

Other schools in San Diego, like SDSU, opted to forgo spring break in favor of “rest and recovery days” scattered throughout March. UCSD has chosen to follow a similar path to USD and is also hosting a spring break, yet they have provided a week-long enrichment plan on campus with scheduled activities every day, to encourage students to stay on campus. 

Donald Godwin, Ph.D., assistant vice president and dean of students, echoed concerns for having a spring break but ultimately agreed that it was a necessary mental health break. 

Godwin said that the administration knows students will likely decide to travel over break, but that the university has learned enough at this point to be ready for another outbreak. Regardless, if San Diego County does move into the red tier, USD will consider moving its students into a hybrid model. However the possibility of this could be in jeopardy if an outbreak does occur on campus following students return from spring break.

In the face of these challenging times, USD’s decision to prioritize students’ mental health and relieve them from Zoom has kept the spring break tradition alive.