Home for Christmas

by Jessica Lancia

Is it just me, or is there something really shady about us getting only two days to go home for Christmas? And was it wrong or what, that we got a day to get to our loved ones for Thanksgiving? I don't know, maybe the administration lives five minutes away, or they don't have to prepare meals, or they don't enjoy family time, but last I knew, getting home for the holidays was not supposed to be a millisecond time-tracked, angst-ridden experience, which is what it is turning out to be for many.

First off, when asking residents to sign out of buildings by 5:00pm on December 23rd, did it escape residential life that final exams only end at 5:30pm on the 23rd? What are we supposed to do, leave exams early to check out? Or are we supposed to carry all our baggage with us to our last exam???

Second, it takes me two days to get home. Granted, I represent a very small minority of international Adelphi students, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be able to arrive home in time. I have to fly to three countries, with layovers and jetlag, and have a day to do it, because we celebrate Christmas on the 24th. And it's not only if you are international that you may have trouble getting home in time - it's problematic if you have to travel to different states, as well.

I've heard the excuses under New York State ordinances, we have to fulfill a certain amount of calendar days each semester. Okay, so why don't we start earlier? Ahh! Labor Day is the answer. We can't start school before Labor Day. Well, maybe we can stop being hung up about Labor Day and start school by the end of August like most colleges, and then get Labor Day off. Ta-dah! Problem solved.

Some professors have told me if you have a problem with getting home, you can schedule your final exams before that. Well, that's great, except for one thing: why should I have to go through all of the hassle of rescheduling with professors to take my finals when the date could easily be moved back by a couple of days to make everybody's holiday traveling simpler? It's a matter of principle: We should all be able to get home in time, not just our friends who live in Nassau, and even they might appreciate a couple of extra days to prepare for the holidays with their families.

Come on, Adelphi, it's not that hard. Let's for once do the smart thing and next year give us time to get to our families in time to celebrate the holidays.