Winter in North Carolina is cold. Occasionally we get a warm few days, but for each of these, there is a week of rain preceding or following it. All in all, the last few months have been frigid at least and freezing at most. Nevertheless, students still walk to class in the cold, the rain or the wind. And at the end of miserable days, we go home, wrap up in a blanket and get warm, waiting for a break from the harsh weather to finally enjoy the outdoors.
Traditionally, this comes in the form of spring break. Functioning to give students a well-deserved reprieve from both classes and the elements, it’s no surprise that many students count the days until they can enjoy seeing the beaches. A chance to bathe in the sunshine and not worry about classes. Yet, when I went to organize plans with my friends in the week’s leading up to the break the realization struck me that NC States’ calendar ignores both the logical definition and spirit of spring break.
Lasting from March 11-15 (March 9-17 including weekends) no part of our break takes place in the season of spring, which starts on the March 20 (the spring equinox). It doesn’t take much debate to say that in this way the university completely ignores the definition of the word “spring”.
Historically, March is a cold winter month. From March 9-17 the temperature in North Carolina only broke 60 degrees three times; the last three days of the period. Functionally this makes a huge difference to students. A spring break taking place in winter crushes the hopes of those confined to North Carolina. Our beaches at 50 degrees are not ideal students like these, and with the state’s temperature not going above 50 for the majority of days during the time period, trips to these beaches usually include depressing weather.
If one wants to enjoy the break in our state, they must lean into the cold and travel to the mountains. But why should they have to? North Carolina has plenty of renowned beaches to enjoy, all of which will become much more enjoyable if students could go just two weeks later. NC State has managed to cut students off from the resources of the very state that they reside in.
One solution is travel, leave our state and go somewhere warmer. For those who can afford this solution, I am sure it’s nice, but with most students being financially crippled, an expensive trip including travelling expenses, food and AirBnBs is simply not an option. Only students who are well off get to travel, the rest of us are stuck for a week in the cold. Again, why should students have to travel? For many in the United States, North Carolina is a travel destination, during the right time period. Yet here we are, residents of North Carolina only free to enjoy it before it becomes enjoyable.
For many college students, spring sreak may as well be a religious holiday, it is a time generally recognized as a key part of college culture. Yet NC State has decided to limit its student’s celebration of this time. Decisions like this make little sense logically and needlessly put a struggling student between a rock and a hard place: pay for spring break travel or spend more than a week in the cold? By scheduling our spring break so early NC State has disrespected its students in a clear way. The timing of spring break creates an entirely artificial problem that bears itself on those in the worst positions and it must be resolved by pushing back our break.
