Valdosta State University, where I am a senior undergrad, made the decision to replace the only spring semester break with "wellness days": 5 random days in the semester with no face-to-face classes. These wellness days are not on the same day of the week, placing some in the middle of a school week and some at the end.

Spring Break week with no classes or homework is crucial to the mental health of VSU's students, especially under the current circumstances. It is important for everyone to see their families since it is the only break in the spring semester. It is also a necessary mental break from the stress that cannot be replaced by "wellness" days scattered throughout the semester. These wellness days do not allow time for students to return home (specifically the ones who live long distances away), nor do they allow for true recuperation since most of the days lie in the middle of a normal school week. Additionally, these days are inconsistent and hypocritical. It is not right to cancel only face-to-face classes randomly throughout the semester and allow for online classes to continue. Online classes are an equal cause for stress, and due to current circumstances, students now have more online classes than face-to-face. Therefore, wellness days have no positive effect on mental health whatsoever. This is not a week to travel and party as some may think, but a week to recuperate.
 
According to the original email sent to all VSU students by Robert Smith, Vice President for Academic Affairs, it seems this decision was made to protect and prioritize VSU faculty. The SGA, who are supposed to represent the student body, also supported the decision without ever asking how this would impact us. This is a misrepresentation on the part of VSU's Student Government Association. Canceling spring break will not keep faculty or students safer. Students return home on weekends regularly. We will return home for winter break, some will even travel with their families, and then we will return to campus for the spring semester. VSU cannot prevent that, but they do seem to think they can prevent us from going home in the middle of a semester. It is imperative we get the attention of our school so they can use this opportunity to spearhead change and prioritize the mental health of their students.

It is my goal for the VSU's Dean Council, Faculty Senate, President's Cabinet, and SGA to realize their error in making this decision and to either reinstate Spring Break or amend their current solutions. Using "wellness days" as a replacement is not an equal trade in any way, ignores mental health, and is not a solution for student stress. This alternative will cause more harm than good to VSU's students. We require consecutive time to return home and actually relieve the stress we are all experiencing. Seeing our families is more necessary to our mental and physical health at this time than ever before.

Since starting this petition, I altered it to address the USG and all Georgia colleges, but the USG informed me that these decisions were the responsibility of each individual school. Therefore, I have returned the focus of this petition back to Valdosta State University, but this is still about every student that has been negatively affected by the pandemic and the decision to cancel Spring Break. Many universities are not getting a replacement at all and have stricter policies to begin with. Please think about how much worse the mental health of those students is. If we can provoke change at VSU, hopefully other schools will follow suit. They have tried to ignore us in hopes that we will eventually go quiet, but I have no intention of letting that happen until they hear us and make a change. We are all in this together, and if we are going to be heard, we need to stand together!

If you disagree with the decision to cancel Spring Break OR to replace it with wellness days, then please stand with us and sign this! Even if you don't agree with our petition, please share it with everyone you know to continue circulating this. Let's kickstart positive change at Valdosta State University. Small changes can go a long way!