Spring Break Week Returning To MDC After Decades-Long Hiatus
Pack your sunscreen and beach balls—spring break week is returning to Miami Dade College.
The break, which will run concurrently with the Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools’ recess, will take place from March 25-29.
It’s been more than four decades since the College has celebrated a week-long spring break. During that period, they recognized a spring break day.
“I feel excited! I think that this was a want from a lot of the students, but also definitely a need for the college community,” said North Campus English and Communications professor Carmen Misé, who has worked at the school for more than 15 years. “Our students work so hard throughout the academic year that a break beyond our spring day could benefit a lot of our students.”
Wolfson Campus Student Government Association president Arquimedes “Archie” Rivero made the announcement about the week-long break on Aug. 17 at the Kendall Campus gymnasium during the college-wide convocation welcoming the new school year.
His message was met with ruckus applause by professors, staff and administrators attending the event.
“We were singular in not having a spring break,” Rivero said in an interview with The Reporter. “But its implementation…really means that our college’s administration is paving a distinct and bold future for our institution, an environment that embodies the culture of care we hear consistently as student leaders.”
Past petitions, employee surveys, labor management meetings and conversations with administrators by students and professors did not succeed in convincing college officials to implement the spring recess.
Advocates raised concerns by the lack of an extended break, pointing toward increased child care expenses during the hiatus, missed opportunities for personal, professional and financial development and the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of the college community.
“This was an excellent decision,” said Elizabeth Ramsay, president of the United Faculty at Miami Dade College—the union that advocates for the rights of full-time faculty. “I firmly believe it will make our entire college community happier, healthier, wealthier and wiser. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
The biggest obstacle facing the approval of the recess was not interfering with the contact hours required to complete each course.
Last year, College President Madeline Pumariega and Executive Vice President and Provost Malou C. Harrison began spearheading initiatives to make it happen.
To avoid extending the semester to compensate for the instructional time that would be lost during the break, finals week was altered.
Instead of dedicating a week solely to exams, the week will now include instructional time and final exams.
In collaboration with the student and academic affairs departments, Harrison worked with professors to adjust their syllabi around the spring recess so they could meet the required contact hours.
“We all saw that [spring break] would be a great benefit to everyone, if done right,” Harrison said. “That’s what we set out to do and that’s what we were able to achieve.”
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