Spring break is a time for students to wind down and pause the steady stream of busy classwork. It’s also a time when students travel to different destinations in hopes of taking a mini-vacation. This year, the university is resuming spring break for the first time since 2020.

Last academic year, the university eliminated spring break due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases. This was done as a precaution so that students were not traveling back and forth between states, potentially increasing the high risk of contracting and spreading the virus at the time. However, the administration said that spring break is in full swing this semester with the break officially starting on February 28 and ending on March 6.

Marketing and Public Relations Managing Director Lou Corsaro noted that the university urges students to be safe during this spring break to limit coronavirus exposures on campus. This may include quarantining before returning to campus or even getting a coronavirus test before returning.

“Point Park is resuming a normal spring break this semester,” Corsaro said. “However, we would encourage students to be as safe as possible over the break and to quarantine for a couple of days prior to their return, if possible. We continue to be impressed with the efforts of our students, faculty and staff in maintaining a safe and healthy environment and see no reason that won’t continue.”

Travel is a hot topic right now since many students are planning on traveling for spring break, whether that be to go home or go on a road trip. Sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) major, Adda Cupples, said they do not see traveling during spring break as an issue as long as students stay safe while doing so.

“Traveling right now is risky given the current state of the world, but as long as you are safe, wear your mask and do your proper research, then I feel like you can travel,” Cupples said. “All we can do right now is take caution and remember to be safe and mindful of those around us.”

They plan to spend spring break at home in Ohio with their friends and family. Part of the reason they are okay with traveling is the timing of spring break this year. Point Park’s spring break is earlier than most universities’, so students are not traveling with a large number of other college students.

“The university choosing to have spring break at a different time than what most colleges are doing is a good idea, in my opinion,” Cupples said. “This means popular spring break locations won’t be as crowded with other spring break travelers and thus [be] safer to travel to.”

Though not all students are comfortable with travel nor the university’s precautions. A sophomore business major, Claire Campbell, said she is worried about what will happen once students and staff return from break since coronavirus testing isn’t required.

“I don’t believe that it’s safe for our staff and students to travel for spring break but since we are allowing people to travel, I believe we should all have to present a negative COVID test upon arrival back to campus,” Campbell said. “This goes for faculty and students.”

Campbell added that she has not felt secure with any of the university’s policies for any holiday break. She hopes that administrators take students’ safety further into consideration in the future so that the university can continue to return to normal operations. In the meantime, she said she will be keeping others safe during her trip home to Michigan by consistently wearing a mask and getting a coronavirus test before returning to campus, like Cupples.

“I think the university does a poor job of handling traveling for breaks during the entire pandemic,” Campbell said. “The university should have the first two weeks after break completely virtual to lower the risk of COVID exposures and provide a mandatory testing station on campus where all students and faculty can get tested before heading back to classes. If we want to go back to some sense of normalness back on campus, we need to take precautionary steps.”