Quinnipiac University cancels Spring Break, implementing a few self-care days in its place: Here’s how everyone feels about it.

Quinnipiac University is replacing the longstanding tradition of a spring break with two “self-care days” as a way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The university will hold the self-care days on Tuesday, March 9 and Wednesday, April 21. While there will be no classes on these two days, university offices will remain open and faculty and staff will still report to work as usual. 

While some professors agree it was the right decision, several were disappointed in the implementation. 

“Everyone’s mental and physical health matters,” said Dr. Rebecca Bamford, professor of philosophy. “It would be good if employees could take a break. I have no realistic way to take a break, despite “self-care” days. I must work every single day to keep up with the teaching overload assigned to me again this semester.” 

“While I’m a doctor of philosophy, rather than of medicine, it’s widely known across disciplines that social determinants of health, including work and working conditions, affect our mental and physical health,” Bamford said.

Some students were disappointed Quinnipiac only offered two self-care days instead of several days to make up for the loss of a week-long spring break. Not only are students losing out on a spring break, but they are still expected to complete work during their days off.

“As a student, I feel that professors should not assign work during the two self care days because it’s not a self care day if the students still have work to do. The purpose of the self care day should be for students to focus on themselves, not assignments from professors,” said Darius Chester, a computer information systems student at Quinnipiac. 

Though some expected there to be more self-care days, some feel the university made the right decision in cancelling spring break. Quinnipiac wants to ensure students don’t travel like they did in the past, and that they will follow COVID-19 guidelines on campus.

“I think that it was a good idea for QU to take away a week of spring break and only give two self care days because it minimizes the risk of students leaving campus and getting COVID then bringing it back to campus after spring break ends,”  Chester said. “I believe that not including a spring break was necessary because it’s less likely for a covid breakout to start on campus if students do not have spring break.”

Some professors, like Bamford, are used to using the spring break for research and relaxing. 

“My favorite thing about spring break is the opportunity to switch gears for a few days and get some research done. As a teacher-scholar, I enjoy doing research just as much as teaching; that my job enables me to do both research and teaching, sometimes at the same time, is what I like most about it,” said  Bamford. 

For students, plowing through the semester without a break may be difficult, but some are hoping the self-care day will be refreshing.

“Last year, spring break gave me a chance to relax and time to focus on myself,” Chester said. “After every spring break I always come back to campus highly focused and engaged in the classroom. The break definitely helps with that. I hope the self-care days will leave me feeling the same way.”