4 minute read
Balancing Act
By Kora Quinn, Culture Staff Writer Photographed by Annika Ide, Photography Director
At the beginning of the 2020 fall semester, the University of WisconsinMadison faculty voted to cancel spring break in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. They opted instead to extend winter break an extra week and start the spring semester late, leaving students and staff with 14 straight weeks of class, without the mental break many students and faculty needed.
The World Health Organization shared that after the initial outbreak of the pandemic, mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide were disrupted or halted altogether.1 This came at a time when the need for these critical services was increasing.
“Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones,” the World Health Organization said. “Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety.”2
UW-Madison’s decision to cancel spring break did seem rational given the state of the pandemic at the time. I believe taking any precaution against spreading the virus is important, especially before the vaccine is widely available, and attempting to prevent travel is a good way to do that. But it also walks the delicate line between two important choices: prioritizing public health or prioritizing mental health?
“I think that’s a really difficult question,” Koda Parker, a sophomore at UW, shared. “Because of how long COVID-19
1 “COVID-19 disrupting mental health services in most countries, WHO survey,” World Health Organization, October 2020. 2 Ibid. has been going on, mental health has become more and more of a concern. But at the same time, it’s really important to take care of people’s physical health. But I think given that the University has been taking a lot of COVID-19 precautions, maybe putting a little bit more focus on mental health right now would be important.”
With UW-Madison’s strict response to COVID-19 on campus this spring semester, I would agree that focusing attention on mental health would benefit students more. Emma Cholip, a senior at UW, said spring break should not have been canceled. She shared, “I feel like a lot of the reasoning behind it [canceling spring break] was to keep students from traveling to other places and prevent the continuous spread of COVID-19. But, I find the issue with that to be that students are traveling anyway. Especially with so many classes being online, I think it’s going to be a pretty trite effort.”
With many professors not taking attendance and recording Zoom lectures, students who want to travel can easily miss class without any drawbacks. While traveling frequently during a pandemic is irresponsible and should still be avoided, canceling spring break had little effect on COVID-19 prevention. Instead, it only added stress to students and staff who had to work the entire semester without a break.
When asked about whether or not the University should prioritize public or mental health, Cholip claimed, “That’s tough because they’re both incredibly important things . . . certain things matter more to certain people. People who have anxiety and depression and things like that are going to need more care for their mental health. People who are a bit more neurotypical are probably going to need more of the public health point-of-view.”
As someone with all online classes, not having spring break didn’t affect my ability to get away from Madison if I had wanted to. While I chose to stay in Madison, zoom fatigue caught up with me, as I know it did with many others. Without that breath of fresh air to break the semester up, motivation can start to dwindle. This, paired with academic stress and any personal struggles, would have an adverse effect on a lot of people’s mental health.
Making these decisions for everyone on campus is a balancing act because, as Cholip mentioned, different people need different things. Even without a built-in break to alleviate stress, the University has mental health resources — for stress, families, healthcare providers and more — specifically in response to COVID-19.3 Outside of University decisions, some professors even canceled lectures in the week that would have been spring break, and students started a petition for wellness days similar to other universities.4
In the end, we all need to be kind to our bodies and minds and take care of ourselves. Balance news intake with activities you know help relieve stress. Focus on things that calm you when school gets difficult. The end of this is in sight, but know that in the meantime you — and everyone else — should do our best to help end this pandemic and prepare for a fun, safe summer. ■
3 “COVID-19 Mental Health Resources Guide & Support,” UW Department of Psychiatry. 4 Avery R., “Give UW-Madison Students Wellness Days,” petition, 2021.
