Sarah Beck, Staff Writer

Shenandoah University doesn’t have the typical “spring-breakers” like other universities do. There are only a handful of those that go to OBX, Florida, or to another country for the week that school is out. Spring Break is meant for a time of relaxation and time spent with family and friends, but for some, their experience is quite different.

Spring athletes at Shenandoah are conditioned to have to stay on campus or in off-campus housing throughout spring break.

“[Spring break] consisted [of] softball. I had two-a-day practices and, let’s be honest, I was a little worn-out,” explains junior Haley Koienger, an outfielder on the women’s softball team. “But it was rewarding because I got to spend time with my teammates.”

Koienger and her team went to Virginia Beach for a tournament, winning both games, but they did not get to go out on the beach. “We just stayed in the hotel, and only stayed for a weekend, but [we] also got to go to CNU.”

It is not only athletes that do not get to enjoy their spring breaks. With the amount of work that they are given right before, many students spend their breaks in the books. Professors like to say, “I hope you all got rested and ready to come back to school!” after break, but they are fully aware that they gave an overwhelming amount of work.

Furthermore, exams, presentations, and other assignments are usually due right after spring break, which means that students usually devote a lot of their relaxation time to working on their assignments.

“I had a quiz that I wasn’t aware of and only had three hours to finish it before leaving for Virginia Beach with my team,” Koienger explained. “I was stressed and thought that I wasn’t going to make the bus in time.”

Spring break should not put this kind of stress on students. We deserve more of an actual break from classes and work. Professors should be aware that they are putting unfair and strenuous responsibilities on their students by assigning work, and that students are going to spend their entire spring breaks studying instead of unwinding and coming back later to learn.

Whether students want to rest up at native homes or go on a vacation with friends, they should be able to have the opportunity to spend their spring break the way they want to, so that they are recharged and ready to face the next half of the semester.

Feature photo courtesy of Shenandoah University Student Life