Less than two months ago, I was sitting at a taqueria in California with several of my friends, indulging in “Super Tortas” and vast amounts of rice and beans. As everyone was unashamedly tearing into their carne asada, I took the time to wonder aloud where the rest of my high school buddies were hiding. The only word that made it through the carnage in everyone’s mouth was shocking: work.
It was at that point that I took the time to revel in the fact that our winter vacation is so short, that I didn’t have to work during my time home; no seasonal job would take me for only a matter of two weeks. Instead, I was free to roam the town, visit people, sleep in and have a relatively carefree stay. That is, until I saw the balance in my bank account. Without a job to take on in California, I was slowly burning a hole in my pocket thanks to plane tickets and food alone.
I will be neither the first nor the last person to complain about Princeton’s academic calendar. Still, allow me to approach the topic from what I believe is a new perspective. I promise to not speak of the inconvenience of finals after break or the procrastination the University facilitates when it sends students home and expects them to actually get academic work done. Instead, let me draw attention to the dividing line that our calendar draws on campus, which divides local or wealthy students and those who are far-flung or less well off.
All the vacations we enjoy come at a cost. While I personally can always use a break after midterms or finals, I feel myself unable to really relax, since I do not have much extra money to fly home. I will never regret sticking around for short breaks, as it gives me free time to have fun with my friends here, but when I and other students — especially international students — are faced with financial burdens for just a few days with old friends and family, I am disturbed by the bias of our calendar, unintentional as it may be.
Having a couple more, but shorter, vacations than other schools disadvantages those who do not have the resources to enjoy them. It is expensive to fly home for one or two weeks at a time, especially when seasonal jobs require you to work at least three or more weeks. Combined with the fact that those without unlimited meal plans have to fend for themselves over breaks, it becomes clear that Princeton does not realize how big of a burden its peculiar system places on students. Only those with homes nearby or with money for plane tickets have the capacity to use their vacations as they were meant to be used: to get away.
As someone who has been lucky enough to experience, at least a couple times, the contrast between a break away and a break on campus, let me tell you: a ghost town is nothing like a home-cooked meal, a week in Montreal or even living under your parents’ roof for a few days. I would suggest extending the winter break by a week or so, to allow students to find part-time jobs while visiting their families. To do this, we could eliminate the need for Intersession simply by moving up the start of the school year to August (gasp), and offering reading and exam period before the holidays. By doing so, we could take a whole four weeks off once December rolls around to do as we please during this actual escape from responsibility.
As Kelsey Zimmerman wrote in her column “Tradition has gotta go” (Dec. 10, 2009), the administration is hesitant to make any changes to our calendar for the sake of tradition. I find this reason to be hypocritical. The University is not hesitant to stand against other traditions: The Nude Olympics and pick-ups are but two targeted events that have been partially or completely eliminated because of University pressure, the reason being that they promote unhealthy drinking habits and discomfort among fellow students. But let me ask those same administrators who would pick and choose which traditions are worth upholding one question: What do you think goes on among groups of bored, young college students with few responsibilities and lowered supervision in an empty town? It sounds like the academic calendar can be just as harmful as any of the traditions that Princeton would otherwise choose to ban.
Pardon my bitter remarks, but if Princeton is to truly represent and cater to a diverse student body, it begins with making us all feel as though the system were made for us. Students from low-income backgrounds or from the other side of the world are no longer a negligible minority at this university, and it is time for that to be recognized in the decisions that our leaders make — decisions that affect us all.
Joey Barnett is a sophomore from Tulare, Calif. He can be reached at jbarnett@princeton.edu.
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