Faculty and students discuss homework over spring break

Spring break is a time for students and faculty to refresh before finishing the remaining weeks of the semester.

In a March 10, 2022, spring break release shared directly with faculty, the Provost stated students should not have tests and assignments during the week of spring break.

The statement elaborated students could utilize this time to make further progress on projects and assignments, but it encouraged faculty to not assign due dates during the spring break week. The release from the Provost stated the spring break week is not included in the 16-week academic calendar, and faculty are encouraged to take this into consideration.

Despite this statement, some students said they were still given assignments that required them to work during their time off.

Agriculture professor David Dunn said he assigned some spring break work that involved talking to friends and family to get their attitudes on a topic discussed in class. He said the assignment was due Saturday, March 26, after the break had ended.

“I think it's a valuable tool. I don't want my students to get out of practice over spring break. I myself didn't enjoy it when I was a student, but I did find it very beneficial. I didn't come back and be totally out of the loop on things,” Dunn said.

Mass Media professor Pamela Parry said she believes in homework so students can practice concepts they learn outside of the classroom.

Parry said she assigns "quite a bit of homework" so students learn better, but she also believes students and faculty should not have to work during breaks.

Graphic created by Kylie Harris

“I even tell my students that philosophically, I'm opposed to homework over break, that it's wrong, that they should work hard during the semester, but when it's break, I forbid them from doing homework,” Parry said. “And so I don't give any, and I purposely schedule things in my classes so they're due before the break or after the break, but substantially after, so they don't have to do it during [spring break]. So, I just think, you know, you work when you're supposed to work, and you play when you're supposed to play.”

Some students feel homework interrupts their restful week. Dance and exercise science freshman Jaclyn Sexauer said she felt having homework over spring break blurs the line between working in school and relaxing. Sexauer said spring break should be “a break from school and a break from having to worry about due dates.”

Communication disorders sophomore Mckenna Carpenter said although she had homework over break, she felt it was not strenuous and did not interrupt her time off.

“I definitely don’t think that we should have homework over break, but the assignments I did were not very time-consuming, so I was still able to enjoy my break,” Carpenter said.

According to the university, the official period of leave for spring break was Monday, March 14, through Friday, March 18. Some students were assigned homework due on Sunday, March 6, and Sunday, March 20, which were not included in the official dates of spring break.

Some students leave sooner and come back later than the University’s set five days. Due dates are up to the discretion of the professor with anything outside of the set break.

Social work senior Belle Halfhill said many students she knew were going home “the weekend before break…[and then] Sunday the 20th, people are coming back.”

Multimedia Journalism student Miya Andrews said she started her spring break on Tuesday, March 8, because the rest of her classes for the week ended up getting canceled. She said she left Monday, March 7, and came back to campus Sunday, March 20.

Outlined in the university and Provost statement, spring break is intended for students and faculty to have a break from assignments and due dates. Faculty is encouraged to consider that the week of March 14 through March 18 is not a part of the academic calendar.

View the university’s academic calendar on their website.