We have all seen Baylor’s, TCU’s and A&M’s decisions to cancel spring break next semester. Luckily, UT students don’t have to worry about this.

Art Markman, who leads the University’s task force to assess operations, said that UT has no plans to cancel spring break. 

“The general consensus was from a mental health standpoint, it’s really important to get a break during this semester,” Markman said. 

That’s a relief to hear. With Zoom fatigue, anxiety surrounding the pandemic and graduate school-related applications and exams, the spring semester is already looking stressful. For many students, spring break constitutes the only break during the spring semester. 

We also need to confront the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak, especially given the number of UT students who decided to travel to Mexico last spring break. However, the University needs to be transparent on how they plan to contain the potential outbreak of a spring break-induced spread.

UT seems to be considering going online the week after spring break to give students the chance to self-isolate and quarantine before returning to in-person classes. 

However, Markman said the remote option would be a last-minute decision. 

“The reason for that is because if we were going to say, ‘We’re going to go remote the week after spring break,’ there’s some concern that people would just take two weeks off and come back the week after,” Markman said. 

While I understand that hesitation, UT needs to prioritize student health, not whether they’ll be skipping class. The student body deserves as much time as possible to plan their spring semester in advance. This includes the plans for the week after spring break. 

Withholding this information would only harm students who need to schedule their spring semesters in advance.

Out-of-state and international students, for example, may be trying to fit long-distance trips into their spring schedules. Information about the week after spring break would be crucial in coordinating return trips or bus rides. 

Sasha Roberts, an out-of-state biology sophomore, said spring break is her only chance in the spring to return home. 

“(The possibility of a week online) would definitely be something I would like to know beforehand,” Roberts said. “Especially for people who are going back to dorms … holding back on that announcement can really impact (them).” 

Additionally, a last-minute decision to go online the week after spring break would drastically impact professors’ teaching schedules if they are teaching in-person classes. Last-minute announcements will disrupt learning plans and force them to adjust to the new format without sufficient time to communicate with students. 

This would only add to the mental health problems that a spring break is meant to alleviate.

If UT does decide to move to online classes for the week following spring break, they must communicate that information in an official announcement as quickly as possible, so students and professors can adjust their schedules accordingly. 

The Cabo 211’s actions last semester proved that UT administration is right to be worried about students taking advantage of the online format to extend their spring break to two weeks. However, they should alleviate those worries with mandatory community testing for students with in-person classes instead of keeping the entire UT community in the dark about their plans. 

Given the general uncertainty surrounding the upcoming spring semester, UT administration needs to be more upfront about letting students know their plans regarding the spring. 

Barker is a government sophomore from Arlington, Texas.