Fall semester is finally back into full swing after a month of classes. Students can be found studying on the quad with friends, reconnecting with their favorite professors and attending various sporting events.
While Illinois Wesleyan students are enjoying their courses in a maskless environment, I question if the delayed start to fall semester being in such close proximity to Labor Day Weekend was really a beneficial choice made by administration.
IWU students are used to returning fairly early to campus from summer break in recent years. In the 2020-21 school year, IWU’s first day of classes started on August 17 and in the 2021-22 school year, on August 23.
This year’s first day of the fall semester began on August 29, nearly a week later than last year’s start date with Labor Day Weekend to cap off the first week of classes. Is starting later worth Labor Day Weekend’s brief disruption ourselves into our college experiences.
When classes started earlier in August, Labor Day Weekend came as a treasured and much needed break. Although it only allows one day off, it served as an opportunity to relax after some stressful weeks of transitioning back to campus life and adjusting to the demanding nature of college courses.
This year, with only five days of classes under our belt, having that Monday off felt undeserved and almost a waste having it placed so early in the semester rather than a few weeks in. After all, our next day off is Fall Break, which lands on October 21- a whopping seven weeks after Labor Day.
If we’re already going to push the first day of classes back, then why not postpone it slightly further until after Labor Day? This would allow for students to fully adjust to campus life without any disruptions and enjoy the holiday with their families before the start of classes.
According to History.com, Labor Day is dedicated to celebrating the contributions and achievements of American workers. Illinois Wesleyan students are hardly able to participate in the holiday’s intended purpose as they are immediately given the following week’s assignments on the first day of class.
If IWU were to allow students to continue their summer break through Labor Day Weekend, they would be able to spend more time with family as they could take advantage of the long weekend to go on a last minute getaway before the start of school.
Postponing the start of classes would benefit the overall wellbeing of students and faculty, and IWU administration should certainly consider the possibility in years to come.