On Tuesday Oct. 27, Geneseo had its second and final rejuvenation day of the fall semester.
In place of fall break, which would’ve increased the odds of students leaving town and catching COVID-19, the Geneseo administration scheduled two rejuvenation days throughout the semester. These days “are meant to be days in which the entire campus can pause and focus on health, well-being, and enjoyment of our campus community,” as stated by Charles Matthews in an email about the first rejuvenation day from Sept 29. Although these days were created with the intention of giving students a mental break from schoolwork, a lot of students felt that their workload wasn’t lightened by much, if at all.
While the same can’t be said for every professor, some professors assigned more work to make up for the classes they had to cancel. A student shared their experience on the Instagram page sunygeneseo_whispers by stating, “kinda sad how I have to spend my whole rejuvenation day doing all the homework my professors piled onto me instead of taking a day to relax.”
Although many students reported that their labs were canceled on the day or week or rejuvenation day, other students reported that their labs were still in session. Another post on the sunygeneseo_whispers page said, “there is absolutely NO sense in having rejuvenation days if labs are still allowed to meet that day ... when you say no classes, make sure it means NO classes.”
Regardless of whether classes were canceled on rejuvenation days, many Geneseo students found themselves spending these days completing schoolwork, especially since the workload seems to be heavier than it was in prior semesters. It’s understandable that professors are trying to provide students with the best education possible during a pandemic, but more mental breaks need to be given for students to recharge. Without actual opportunities for rejuvenation, students are going to quickly tire themselves out and be unable to adequately complete their coursework.
Next semester, there are three planned rejuvenation days rather than two, according to the Spring 2021 calendar online. Let’s hope that all classes are cancelled these days and the professors who have been assigning extra work allow students the proper break they need.