The second weekend of October is a holiday weekend with many government organizations, banks, offices, and schools taking a break on the second Monday in commemoration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Declared a national holiday under the name Columbus Day in 1971, this break continues to bring a respite midway through the fall season for college and elementary students alike! At Andrews University, students not only get the second Monday of October but also the following Tuesday off from classes and labs. This gives students a four-day weekend as opposed to the usual two days. These additional few days allowed some students to travel home, rest or just catch up on homework about midway through the semester. And while the break plans for students varied, all were able to rest and relax in their own way.
Some students decided to use the extra time to travel together, travel to visit family, or return home for a few days. Salanah Vaughan (junior, biology) used the long weekend to visit her grandmother. “I spent some time with my gamma in New York, I had four days for a break, and I wanted to spend them with her,” she stated. Spencer Fairbank (junior, architecture) used the time to fly down to Virginia to see his parents and enjoy some time fishing with his father. “I had some errands I needed to run at home, in addition to spending some quality time with my father.”
Other students opted to stay in the dorms for break. Rubi Jean Batiste (junior, medical laboratory sciences) decided to use this break season to enjoy some quality time with her bed. “I did nothing on Friday after classes. On Saturday, I called some family and rested, and Sunday was more resting plus some doom scrolling. On Monday, I called my sister and slept some more, and on Tuesday, I rested and tried to do some homework, but that did not really happen. Basically, I just rested and took a break from classes!”
Still others who live locally off campus used this time to do some maintenance. Mitchell Meekma (senior, computer science) used this time to finish fixing his car in time for the winter season. “Over fall break, I finally got around to fixing my car’s clutch with the help of my friend. We did accomplish this; however, I discovered that the tires were dry-rotted, and my left front tire was completely flat, so they will need to be replaced on another weekend.” I used the weekend to go home and help my parents around the house, as well as sleep in and tackle homework.
So whether you stayed at the dorms or traveled to see family, were productive or took a complete break from classes, I hope you enjoyed your brief respite from the typical routine you have had going on so far and got enough sleep to fuel you until Thanksgiving break in a few weeks. And although fall break is over, still take the time to rest when you need it; there’s still a lot of school left.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.