The proposed Senate changes to the university calendar are not in the students' best interest and should not be approved by President Spanier.

Lasting 13 weeks out of the semester until Thanksgiving break would be next to impossible for most students.

I can attest to this because now, only six weeks into this semester, I can't say anything to the majority of my friends without being snapped or yelled at. Why, you ask? It's because everyone is stressed out and needs a break to mentally rest. Eliminating fall break would be tantamount to declaring many students certifiably insane by the end of the fall semester.

Sure, there have been many arguments by faculty that it is an excuse for students to cut classes and then have two days off. Here's a news flash for you: a break is a break, no matter how you slice it, no matter where you place it. Students will always leave early for a break because everyone's trying to get a leg up on the off time. Simply moving fall break to Thanksgiving will not stop students from leaving early. Don't forget Fridays are still Fridays and classes will still be half-empty before any given weekend.

There are also those who argue that fall break is not used as intended, as a time to catch up with work and professors.

Yeah, fall break provides students, especially those out-of-staters like me a chance to go home and see family on a weekend when they normally would not have that chance.

But it's also my experience that professors do not think twice when assigning work over the break. Just this fall, I had two labs due for one of my classes and an assignment in another by Wednesday the week after break. Many professors even cancel class the Friday before a break: I only have one out of my four classes this Friday.

Changing fall break is a bad thing for the students and that aspect of the calendar should be left as is. Otherwise, I fear that there will be many more less-healthy students on this campus by the end of the fall semester.