Let’s take a break, together

College Hour is an effective way to increase extracurricular activities and involve students in campus life. It also creates a window when professors are available for meetings and to run clubs.

College Hour is an hour of school where there are no classes scheduled on campus between the morning and afternoon blocks. For example, there will be no classes between 12:35 p.m. and 1:35 p.m.

This creates a time when all students are free and available to join a club that matches their interest. It is also convenient for the mass of students who take morning classes and are already on campus when their last class ends at 12:35, as well as those who attend in the afternoon.

Students achieved much higher rates of retention and graduation, maintained better GPA’s and had higher good standing rates when participating in extracurricular activities, especially at a leadership level, according to a study from California State University Sacramento.

The study followed freshman students from 2002 to 2007, and said this is especially true for students who do not live on campus and commute to school, which makes up a large demographic of Pierce College. Commuters who participated in at least one extracurricular activity graduated within six years 74 percent of the time, opposed to only 34 percent for those who did not. Clubs meeting during college hour will make it far more likely to fit into the schedule of students, and more convenient to participate if they are already on campus.

Other activities such as lectures, panel discussions and movie screenings in The Great Hall can also be organized during this time to engage students.

Once this hour is available, we can use our creativity to have regular events every day that will captivate students and make them want to stay on campus and participate in student life.

We can hold a weekly outdoor open mic on the stage. Whether playing guitar, singing, reciting poetry or a collaboration, students can relax in the grass and socialize with each other while watching live entertainment.

Students can also use this time to unite and work on group projects, or for study sessions.

After implemented, more students will become more immersed in their education.

When students befriend each other and become more active on campus they are more likely to continue coming to class and maintain good grades, according to the California State University Sacramento study. College Hour is a terrific way to improve retention, and create a college atmosphere on campus that everybody wants to be a part of. Pierce should look to implement this idea and make it a reality. It would liven up the whole campus, and draw students in

22, Public Health major, Senior

Some students and professors spend the majority of their day at school. Week in and week out, the routine stays the same and for those who may work. The weekend does not seem like enough time off. I believe we should have furlough days at school, because it gives students and professors an extra day off to finish their work ,or to take their mind off the stress that comes with it.

Professors may not like the idea of a furlough day, because that means it is a day that it is a day without pay, unlike holidays. The school staff may oppose furlough days, especially when they do not necessarily ask for them, but in the end it can be seen as a greater cause to benefit the school’s budget.

With having a few furlough days throughout the semester, the money that will be saved can help balance out the school’s budget, and benefit other projects or necessities.

Professors may not like the sound of having a pay cut, but furlough days can be used to do whatever one wants to do with that spare time. According to an article written by USATODAY.com, there have been professors all over the country that used those days to do volunteer work, or worked on side projects that interested them. Erin Kowalick is a teacher in Kihei, Hawaii, who used her 17 scheduled furlough days to volunteer to teach dance to the local children.

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Using that sting of having an unpaid work day can eventually be turned into something positive for professors.

I also believe that we should have furlough days because they can also be used for professors to use those days off to assign extra credit to their students. Since it’s a free day, students can use that extra time to catch up on assignments they may have missed to raise their grade. For students, furlough days sound like a breeze, because it gives us a 24 hour vacation, and those who take over twelve units can sure use one. Students can also use these extra days off to pick up extra shifts at work, especially the students who are living on their own and have between balance work and school.

The life of a stressed out college student is anything but joyful. Furlough days can help students forget about the stress for a day, and can also put their energy into volunteering or dedicating more time into his/her hobbies.

I believe our school should have furlough days because ultimately they would be used to relieve stress for both students and professors, and they would also help benefit the school in the long run. We all have the same amount of time in a day, furlough days would give us a chance to use it wisely and effectively.

Normally people would say having furlough days is better than having bulk vacations, because they believe that more days off means the likelihood of losing momentum increases. However, more days off at a time actually can be beneficial. For this, I believe Pierce should have more bulk vacations, rather than just several furlough days throughout the semester. I refuse to believe that momentum can be lost completely in the matter of a week. The real determinant of success lies within the student, not the amount of time taken off school. I have seen many students come back from week-long breaks, such as spring break, and pick up right where they left off. So I see the vacation as an excuse, not a valid reason.

Bulk vacations should be more common for several reasons, and one of the most important being the support it would provide for professors who teach the same course to multiple classes.

Most professors teach the same material to more than one class. They use the same lesson plans in order to make it easier for them to keep track of things. However, what happens when Pierce gives the campus a Monday off, and everyone returns to class on Tuesday? The professors are now thrown off. Their Monday/ Wednesday class ends up falling behind compared to their Tuesday/ Thursday class.

This begins to make life more stressful on the professor, considering they end up grading different materials when they had planned for all the same work to fall under the same days. Not only that but it also causes more stress for the students, considering they now have to play catch up with the other class, making them rush through the material much quicker than they normally would if only they were at the same pace. decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Students also would benefit more from bulk vacations because it gives them an opportunity to do more things, such as go on a trip. Often times furlough days are considered good because it allows the students to have a day for relaxation. The first thing I usually hear when we have a day off is someone asking what could be done. A beach trip, shopping, etc. Although many do take advantage and do something fun. How much can you really do in one day? With multiple days, it now gives students the option to enjoy themselves while they are still young. It increases the chance of working students to have a day off of work and school in the same day with several days off of school instead of just one, presenting them with the option of participating in something fun themselves.

In addition, bulk vacations simply seem more convenient for everybody. Furlough days are a lot harder to keep up with. With many different dates to remember, students are more likely to remember when a week-long break is,as opposed to just one day here and there. Overall, I see it to be a win-win situation.