Give us the day off

As you read this, you're probably wondering why you have to be on campus for Labor Day. So are we.\nThis holiday commemorates the advances made by working-class men and women everywhere. Coincidentally, the availability of a quality education is arguably the most important of these advancements. It is nothing short of ironic that IU would do nothing to commemorate the advancements of the working class.\nBut perhaps more importantly, we should recognize there is more to the world than just IU. Since so many other people are able to take Labor Day off, it makes it more challenging for us to participate in what's going on around us.\nMany of us have friends who will go camping for the weekend. We can't join them. Many of us have families who want to go on vacation. We've got classes. \nWe've heard a holiday would throw off IU's schedule -- that we need to spend a certain amount of days in class. But that's no excuse. Other universities managed to figure out how to give their students this Monday holidays off. IU can't be the only exception.\nFurthermore, the number of vacation days in the fall semester are not the same as in the spring. A semester schedule doesn't remain consistent from one term to the next. \nWe're not saying school isn't important. What we are saying is Labor Day is too important to be ignored. If we're not going to spend the day in classes learning about important labor conflicts and reflecting upon the significance of the holiday, we might as well take the day off.\n

DISSENT: Celebrate Labor Day with learning

\nLabor Day is a celebration of all the working class has strived for and accomplished in more than 200 years as a nation. It is a day to remember those who came before us and made our lives better. It is also a day to honor the values and dreams of the working class. Chief among these dreams is that each subsequent generation will live a better life than the one that preceded it. \nFor almost as long as we have been a nation, we have placed a particular value on education as a means to self-improvement and advancement. Many who attend IU are the first in their families ever to attend college. Many of us represent what countless generations before us have worked for -- the opportunity to advance. What better way is there to honor the sacrifices of those who have gone before us than to attend those classes that they toiled, sweated and bled for? What better recognition is there of their dreams of self-improvement than to spend the day learning? \nSo, stop whining and go to class.