Give me a break

Im about 30 seconds away from tossing my computer out the window. I'm in my last semester at IU and the computer doesn't have the decency to hold out a mere two months before telling me it doesn't have enough memory to keep Netscape and Microsoft Word open at the same time.\nMy frustrations don't lie solely with this piece of crap that also happens to be one of the most vital learning tools in my college career. Rather, it is this very college career and all the homework I need to do on this computer that is getting to me. It's not that I'm taking 18 credit hours ... okay I only have 12. But when I'm not in class I'm at work. So, I've fallen a bit behind on homework. I'm willing to bet that most of us are behind, we just have different reasons for our academic stress.\nIt really hit me a couple of weeks ago. My professors apparently got together for happy hour and discussed ways in which to thoroughly challenge me by assigning their papers, homework, projects and tests in the same week. Realizing I would have two days to complete mountains of work, I of course had to go home that weekend for a family event. While at home I spoke with a friend from Purdue who was basking in that time off of school known as "fall break." Hmm. That sounds nice. If Purdue students can take a break, then why can't IU students? \nI think I could deal with starting school a couple of days early to get some relief halfway through the fall semester. Thanksgiving still seems like a long way off. We all have papers and projects due before that break. After Thanksgiving it will be time to prepare for finals. Yet how many of us have a significant amount of time to devote to homework while chowing down on turkey with our families and getting a head start on Christmas shopping? \nFall break would provide students with a time that is relaxing and could be used for studying. The benefits go deeper than simply having extra time to sleep, study or party. Research at schools that have introduced fall breaks show many benefits. For example, the University of Illinois discovered that students' grades improved. Even more significant, the university saw a decrease in the suicide rate of students after introducing a fall break. So in case I was thinking of joining my computer as I threw it out the window ... sorry, that's a little morbid. \nLet's switch to any university's favorite topic: money. Retention rates were also improved when the fall break was introduced. In just two days, with less-stressed students, IU could keep those tuition dollars rolling in! \nPerhaps I am just lazy in my desire for a break. But school can be a stressful and unrelenting environment. In the "real world" a person can typically leave his or her job at the office and relax on evenings and weekends. Plus, they get holidays off like Columbus Day. Students, on the other hand, spend their days in classes and when they aren't in class, they have to do homework or work to earn money for school. Two days off would not pose a major inconvenience for the University, and it would give students exactly what they need right now.