Students enjoy nice weather, reflect on Wellness Days
With the temperature hitting 70 degrees, students of Central Michigan University used their Wellness Day to relax and enjoy the warm weather on campus March 23.
While many students chose to spend the Wellness Day taking advantage of the warm weather, many others chose to study.
South Lyon sophomore Madison Porter and Lake Orion sophomore Jillian Schomburg took the break within the week to played cornhole with some friends in the field next to the Biosciences Building.
Both said they prefer when Wellness Days are in within the first few days of the week.
"I feel like people have less classes scheduled on Thursdays and Fridays, so you get more of a break when it's earlier in the week," Porter said.
Also choosing spend the day outside, Sterling Heights natives senior Jason and junior Jacob Taravella played volleyball and frisbee with Canton sophomore Amanda Wiggle. While all three said they'd prefer a Spring Break, they also said having Wellness Days are a nice alternative.
"I prefer having the week long break but just having random days just here and there is always like a little surprising," Jason Taravella said. "It's always good to just have a day off."
Fort Wayne, Indiana senior Allison Conrad spent the Wellness Day hammocking on CMU's campus. Rather than doing homework for classes, she decided to use the Wellness Day to relax.
"I do have some things I need to catch up on, but I'll probably do that later tonight," she said.
Macomb County sophomore Sowah Laryea and Rochester senior Cole Phillips spent the Wellness Day relaxing and painting in the Fabiano Botanical Garden near the University Center.
"Well, originally I had planned on finishing an exam, and I chose to actually use the wellness day to paint with Sowah," Phillips said.
Both Phillips and Laryea were enjoying their days before going to work at Insomnia Cookies later that evening.
Iron Mountain freshman Allie Doolittle, Livonia sophomore Jordan Carney, Hudsonville junior Rylee Walsh and Lake Orion freshman Katelyn Darbyshire went on a picnic in Chipp-a-waters park for the Wellness Day.
"It was just really nice to be out in nature," Darbyshire said.
After the picnic, the four girls took Carney's longboard to campus. Carney said she was teaching Walsh and Doolittle how to longboard.
As their peers spent their time relaxing in the sun, several students took the day off to study and catch up on work.
East Shroudsburg, Pennsylvania senior Brianna Diaz spent her Wellness Day studying for exams. She said she wishes CMU still had a Spring Break because the Wellness Day feels like a regular day to her.
"I feel like it's not a wellness day since I'm still doing work and stuff," Diaz said. "I feel like a spring break would have been better. I'm not doing anything to relax."
Walsh said she always finds herself needing to make up for work after a Wellness Day.
"Being at higher credit courses like organic chemistry you always have to catch up and everything, especially if it's hard," Walsh said.
Doolittle said she also had a lab due during the Wellness Day and her professor did not switch the due date.
Phillips had a lot of assignments due the next day and felt the need to complete his work on the day off. He said the Wellness Days were a poor decision.
"Nobody has a break," Phillips said "We're all suffering from burnout and other COVID mental health issues."
Sowah Laryea said the Wellness Days could have been done better to give students a real break.
"Like a few days a week where we have a little break would have been better than just like one day off then next day we still have a bunch of homework we still have to get done, so we still have to do homework on a wellness day," Laryea said.
Fostoria, Ohio freshman Travis Hoerig said he would have preferred a spring break over Wellness Days so he could get back to Ohio for a short time.
"It's been a little bit difficult for me to go back home with it being over four hours away, so I haven't seen my family at all this semester," he said. "So that's kind of disappointing for me."
Alternatively, some students think Wellness Days were the right decision for the university to make.
Holly sophomore Haileigh Mcnamara and Livonia sophomore Alyssa Joslin both agree the Wellness Days are a good thing.
"I prefer this spring break, just so you can have a week where you can just take classes off, but since COVID is a thing I think the wellness days really helped break it up," Mcnamara said.
Joslin said the Wellness Days were a good idea because of COVID-19 and they were the best option for the university to do.
