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Syracuse University gave its students two wellness days this semester, but only after students petitioned for a break. Two days is not enough – especially in the middle of a pandemic, where our contact with friends is limited and our mental health is already at an all-time low. Many people had very different experiences with the first wellness day, but all were in agreement that they could use more.

Sure, some students enjoyed the wellness day and believe that it helped them mentally. For SU freshman Julia DiCesare, the week before was extremely chaotic and stressful, and she needed the wellness day “more than anything.” Alex Lund, a freshman, felt the wellness day gave her a break from school-related stress and a chance to enjoy the weather. Though freshman Ashley Shapiro wishes we could have a full spring break this semester, she said she had a fantastic wellness day because she went hiking at Clark Reservation State Park with her friends.

I think everyone can agree that having a wellness day was incredibly beneficial if you were able to go outside and enjoy it. But many students couldn’t get out and enjoy the weather because they were using the day to catch up on work. For them, this day did not help with their stress because they did not get a break from school or school work, which was ironically the entire point of the wellness day.

While having this day was somewhat helpful to get work done, the wellness day was supposed to be a break for everyone, not a day to catch up on work. The concept of a wellness day is a great idea, but the execution is flawed due to the overwhelming number of assignments that students have to complete. Many only did homework that day because their professors moved assignments to the following day.

Students are in need of a real break, not just a day off. Their mental health depends on it.

Also, the inability to eat inside dining halls being closed and go to other dorms already makes being a student right now incredibly difficult. Before the pandemic, I knew that I could go hangout with my friends and have fun at the end of the week and after all my effort I put into my work. But COVID-19 restrictions make me and many of my friends feel confined to our dorm rooms. It puts our mental health on a slow decline, and a single wellness day won’t change that.

On the other hand, other students felt bad about themselves because they were not productive all day. I told myself not to do any homework because the point of the wellness day was to get a break. But when I went to sleep at the end of the day, I felt bad about myself because I had not gotten any work done.

We need more time off. Only having two wellness days in a 14-week semester is not enough for students to take care of their mental health. With only two days of break, students are bound to get burnt out.

Students are already going through a tough semester because we cannot hangout with many of our friends, dining halls are currently closed and we are limited in the amount of mentally-freeing activities that we can participate in that are both fun and COVID-safe.

Overall, students are struggling mentally. Only having two days off is not helping.

At George Washington University, students received three holidays off and a week-long spring break this semester. Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a total of five wellness days, spreading the equivalent of a spring break throughout the semester. Both George Washington University and UNC understand that students need a mental break, especially during a pandemic. But SU is failing to prioritize its students’ mental health, and it shows.

We are having a difficult time being students in the middle of a pandemic semester with very few breaks. We need more time off to be happier and more productive students.

Melanie Wilder is a freshman information management and technology major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at mewilder@syr.edu.

Published on March 29, 2021 at 11:02 pm