As spring break approaches fast, students are tasked with making plans that align with COVID-19 restrictions, frugal budgets and the university-wide need for rest.
This past year, K-State replaced spring break with a single three-day weekend in April to prevent travel-induced spreading of COVID. Having stringent guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has devolved in rigidness, but students might still feel the effects of the pandemic on their spring break plans.
Seth Bednar, sophomore in animal science, said quarantine requirements halted his plans to visit his father overseas this spring break.
“My dad is currently deployed in Korea for the next three months,” Bednar said. “We were supposed to go see him over break, but they extended the quarantine time there, so if we went, we would have to stay inside for 20 days.”
Nestled right in the thick of the busy school year, spring break grants students an opportunity to work on mental health. Lauren Boughfman, freshman in strategic communications, said she is using the break as a time to re-charge.
“I’m heading home so I can have family time and see my friends from high school,” Boughfman said. “I’ll most likely end up relaxing a lot. I should be productive – but I’m probably not going to.”
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Hailey Case, junior in strategic communications, plans to keep things lowkey, much like Boughfman. She is choosing to take this year’s break and spend it at home, with little worries about COVID.
“I’m going to go back to my hometown to help my dad farm and to spend time with family,” Case said. “I’m from rural Kansas, so COVID won’t be a problem there.”
Travel restrictions and general academic burn-out aren’t exactly catalysts for the kind of wild week most students might have originally planned on. While Kansan suburbia is no Daytona Beach, K-Staters are still making the best of their time off.
In lieu of his trip overseas, Bednar plans to make the most of some much-needed time for himself through the activities he enjoys.
“I’ll probably finish reading my book, catch up on TV shows, play some Legos and take some pictures over break,” Bednar said. “I’ll be productive in the sense that I’ll be able to go to the gym every day, but I’ll still be resting and taking time to breathe. My body and soul need rest.”
A week without classes is a perfect opportunity to cultivate a new hobby, nourish relationships and perform self-care. With busy schedules, it can be hard to take time to stay mentally healthy.
“I’m tired,” Case said. “I’m ready to go home.”
While the stereotypical college spring break experience might feel a little out of reach under current circumstances, students might find a week of leisure is exactly what they need to face the rest of the semester.
