For the first time since the class of 2012 arrived at Baylor, students were able to enjoy their spring break on the second full week of March.

Normally Spring break has been on the first full week of March.

Many high schools and universities, this year including University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Texas State University, place their Spring break on the second full week of March. Up until this year, Baylor students have not been able to spend their spring break with friends from other schools.

We thank Baylor for placing spring break alongside those of other Texas schools this year, and we hope the university decides to keep spring break on the second week of March, as Baylor students deserve to spend the week off with their friends. Spring break is that week everyone looks forward to during the spring semester each year because it’s when old friends make plans to get together, catch up and possibly vacation on a great beach somewhere.

It is not fair for Baylor students to be excluded from these plans. We work as hard as students from other schools (harder than students at some other schools), so we should be able to take these vacations with our friends and relax for that one week.

The other advantage to Baylor students getting the second week off as opposed to the first is for families. Many Baylor students have siblings that are still in high school, and with the spring breaks on different weeks, they were unable to spend time with their younger siblings.

With siblings having different weeks off, it’s harder for families to plan vacations and spend time together. Baylor wouldn’t seek to make it tougher for families to get together, so hopefully Baylor will seek to continue letting its students spend their week off with their family and friends and not force families of Baylor students to change plans.

Additionally, though a week is not a huge chunk of time, the extra seven days of planning can help students better plan their vacations.

Having spring break at the same time as everyone else can also reduce the number of absences before and after the break. How the heck, you ask?

With the breaks on different weeks, there is a three-day window for Baylor students to hang out with friends and siblings from other universities or schools, so vacations could extend into the days when classes start again due to travel complications or just the unwillingness of students to abandon their plans.

With the break on the same week, students can utilize the full nine days they have off for their plans with friends and family and not sacrifice absences. This may be an optimistic view of the students’ perspectives on work and play, but take it how you will. Either way, there is less of a chance classes will be missed.

So we ask Baylor to grant students quality vacation time with friends and families.

The decision to have spring break on the second week of March this year was a great one. Students deserve to have a fun break, too, and more time with old friends and family they have not seen in a while equals more fun.