Next year, spring break should take place later in March or in the beginning of April. This year, since Ohio University switched to semesters, spring break took place at the very beginning of March.
When compared to last year, spring break was almost a month earlier! Everyone knows that spring weather can be very unpredictable, and usually early March temperatures can be pretty chilly at common spring break destinations.
First of all, spring break should be pushed back to late March as temperatures and weather conditions vary dramatically just in the short time frame from the beginning of March to the end of the month. Comparing average temperatures from last year’s spring break time to this year’s spring break period shows a substantial difference. This year, the temperatures were in some places 10-15 degrees cooler than last year’s spring break.
That’s a considerable difference to most people, especially those sporting a bikini! When people think of spring break they generally think about sun, warmth and swimming. This year, those that went to a beach didn’t get that fortunate when it came to overall weather conditions.
Secondly, the early investment of money is a huge gamble when relying on warm temperatures early in March. People don’t want to spend a large amount of money on destinations when the temperatures and weather aren’t as nice as they could be if spring break took place a few weeks later. This is a leap of faith that most college kids can’t afford.
A perfect solution would be to push spring break back to the end of March or coincide with Easter. I think this is the best solution because it makes the most sense. First off, spring doesn’t even officially start until March 20, so how can you have spring break when it’s still winter? That just doesn’t make a lot of sense! It is still snowing in some places at the beginning of March for goodness’ sake.
Tying spring break with Easter would also benefit many students. There are a lot of Christian students that attend this campus that would love to spend Easter with their family and loved ones but can’t due to lack of time to go home. So they are forced to stay here for Easter instead of being home with family and celebrating Easter together.
A later spring break would be more desirable for the reasons stated above and more. People would be happier with warmer weather conditions, and the risk of receiving their full money’s worth from their destinations would be more acceptable.
I believe that spring break should take place later in March when it’s actually really springtime and warmer outside. After all, everyone looks better tan! Right?
Katherine Yelle is a sophomore at Ohio University.
