Fall Break? Give me a break!

[bg1984]

Really excited to get back to the Doyt for tailgating and watching the most exciting football team in Ohio play, but first I'm going to rant like an old fart! I'm not sure who in the administration first proposed the notion that after 6 weeks of college, students need a break but it makes me laugh every time I hear about it. I was in college at BG for four years which basically amounted to a 4 year break! I've been a HS educator for over 30 years, and if any group of students need a break it's HS students who are forced to get up at an insanely early hour, spend 7 hours in the same building, and then for most, go to an after school extra-curricular activity. If they are lucky, they finally arrive back home at 7:00 pm, completing a 12 hour day! Fast forward to college where students have more control over their school schedules and routinely are only in a classroom for 4 hours per day leaving vast amounts of unscheduled time since most are not involved in heavy commitment extra-curricular activities. Oh, and by the way they are only in school 30 weeks per year instead of 36 in HS! And someone decided these are the students who need a break! I'm not suggesting that college is not difficult, but needing a break after 6 weeks of living the dream? Come on Man!

That aside, I now wonder why the administration and the athletic department can't work together to at least make sure this break does not come during the weekend of a home football game. (It seems to me that this is not the first time this has happened). We have a generation of students now who have been brainwashed into thinking that O$U is the only FBS program in the state worth following, so we already battle student attendance. Having home football games when students might be leaving campus certainly does not help. Going forward, I would really like to make sure that we rectify this scheduling conflict if at all possible.

Rant now complete!

[factman]

We ALL need to send a note to President Mazey, but other sports also occur during break.

[bg1984]

Very true, but Football is the beast that drives the athletic department and they only have 5 or 6 chances per year to get fans in the stadium so unlike basketball and hockey that have so many more home opportunities this is one that seems controllable.

[jpfalcon09]

I believe Fall Break coincides with Columbus Day which may have something to do with the school putting it in place as federal and state employees do not have to work on Monday.

[manager]

Probably more of an issue with the MAC scheduling and you all know how "friendly" that has been the past decade.

As I recall Fall Break came about when the city and university got tired of the extended party that occurred when classes did not start until Wednesday after everyone moved back to town by the previous weekend. Because of the "extra days" that would create in class (what's wrong with that?) Fall Break was born.

And thanks for your work as a teacher. Both of my nieces and a sister are teachers. I admire their continued work ethic in spite of all of the crap they get from politicians and people who think we spend too much money on public education. Wake up people. End of my rant!

[Beaker]

I believe Fall Break coincides with Columbus Day which may have something to do with the school putting it in place as federal and state employees do not have to work on Monday.

And a very deserving holiday it is! Had Columbus not discovered the new world, it may as yet remain undiscovered today and we would all still be living in Europe, Asia and Africa. Clearly a valid reason to get a Monday off of work and heck, why not parlay that into an entire week off if you can get it.

I don't recall such an animal as "fall break" when I was at BG. Must be something that came along after my "4 year break".

[Falconfreak90]

Fall break...what a joke. lol. I was at BG from 86-90 and fall break was Thanksgiving break.

[transfer2BGSU]

It's the MAC that scheduled the game at BG knowing we were on fall break.

I tried to drop fall break at the college I worked at in NC when I chaired the Calendar Committee (back in the late 90's) and the people who complained most about dropping it were the faculty. Undergraduate Student Government thought kill the two days before Thanksgiving and just make that a week long break.

[bgsufalcon24]

Wait a second. I thought this week was homecoming? They wouldn't have that in the same week as fall break would they? Or is homecoming next week? Now I'm confused.

[cameron]

Homecoming is next week vs Akron