As a University, we’ve been presented with more challenges than we would have ever imagined. We’ve been in a pandemic for months now, a plight that has caused us to sacrifice so much. Relationships, academics and living situations, among every other aspect of our lives, have all been compromised for the sake of our physical health and that of others. But one thing we’ve continuously had to compromised is our mental health, and we’re tired of it.

This semester, we’ve had to forfeit our fall break and settle for a shortened Thanksgiving break. Our winter break will not just be used to spend time with family and relax from this tumultuous semester; instead, it will be used to prepare ourselves for January finals. We hoped that, after all that’s been taken away, we’d at least be given a slight reprieve in the spring. But Chancellor Martin’s email from last Wednesday tells us otherwise.

In the recent spring plan announcement, undergraduate students were notified that they’d be given a total of two “wellness days” in the spring in lieu of a spring break. We understand the lack of a formal spring break, or even consecutive wellness days. We acknowledge the importance of lowering the spread of COVID-19, and part of lowering the spread includes reducing long breaks where students are likely to travel. However, to provide only two days’ worth of break in the entirety of a semester is not only upsetting, but detrimental to the mental health of Washington University students.

In 2017, 61% of Wash. U. respondents in the National College Health Assessment survey reported that they were experiencing “above average or tremendous stress.” In a recent study, 71% of students reported that they’ve experienced increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic. This is a troubling time for everyone, and college students are not exempt from that. We need breaks. We need rest. We need the University to prioritize our mental health.

Two wellness days do not make up for the absence of a fall break, the shortening of Thanksgiving break and the stress that will ensue over winter break as we scramble to prepare for finals for classes that will have been over for nearly a month. The Student Life Editorial Board asks that the University reconsider its policy regarding two wellness days in favor of giving students five wellness days to equate to what we would have in a normal spring break.

The University claims that “Student and faculty input was taken into account when making this decision,” regarding the new academic calendar which includes the two wellness days. But the nearly 5000 people who have already signed the petition for increased wellness days suggests that student input was not the main priority in making this decision. Regardless, we wouldn’t know how exactly the University came to this conclusion, as it has had a history of withholding its rationale behind its policies throughout this pandemic.

At the beginning of the semester, the Student Life Editorial Board asked that the University be transparent in its decisions and decision-making processes. Yet, despite our many requests, we are nearing the end of the first semester still knowing little information regarding how the University makes these decisions that so drastically impact us.

Furthermore, we know that if the University were to increase wellness days, the issue of prioritizing breaks does not end there. Extending even beyond the realm of the pandemic, oftentimes, students will return from their “breaks” with an exam to take, or a paper or project due the following day. In essence, the entirety of students’ breaks in many cases aren’t spent actually resting from academia, but instead being utilized as extra study days to prepare for the work that is due post-break.

We understand the difficulty of academic planning on the part of professors, and we also recognize that some policies in place vary between each school. But we also know that if the University is truly trying to alleviate the stress of its students, especially in a time as overwhelming as this, then it would let our breaks be solely that. The University would prioritize this time for students to rest, and ensure that we could actually use this time to check out from academics to allow ourselves a genuine break, as opposed to using them as out-of-class work times.

We recognize that this is hard for the administration, but as we recognize that this is hard for you we ask that you acknowledge that this is hard for us. We’ve been removed from our housing, robbed of ceremonies and goodbyes, forced to completely alter the way we learn and so much more. We’ve made our sacrifices, but this is one we ask the University not ask us to make.

To students, consider adding your name to the list of names on the petition for more wellness days. To the University, know that we’re trying, and we ask that you do too.