This past week, Elizabethtown College announced its decision to start summer break in April. The decision, which was voted on by various members of the College community, was approved by Etown President Betty Rider on Tuesday, the day before the change was announced. While there’s still more details that are yet to be revealed, Etown students do know one thing: it’s time to rejoice.
The decision to move summer break up comes after many students were upset at the lack of ways to spend the nice weather while stuck inside learning. For many students, summer break in April is a welcome change. “I am all for summer break starting in April,” first-year Elias Rimel said. “With all the extra time I now have, I plan on spending time with my family and making sure I do plenty of relaxing, which is really my form of self-care.” Other students, such as sophomore Connor Burke, are sad to leave their friends, but are excited for the time off. “I’m ecstatic,” Burke said. “It’s going to be difficult leaving my friends sooner than usual, but the sooner summer starts the better.”
Etown’s change is one that seems as if it has no downsides. However, that may not be the case. The Etownian obtained a document that details the school’s plans for the early break. The document includes plans to turn the Hackman apartments into parking spaces for student bikes and even a mandatory cow milking class that will be required in order to graduate. “I was a bit shocked hearing that, but I think it’s a fair tradeoff,” Burke said. “Who knows, it could end up being a fun class.”
Not only did the document reveal the plans for the school, but it also did give some important information about the cow milking class. The class, which will be referred to as COW101, will be taught by actual dairy farmers who help supply the Hershey Chocolate Factory with the dairy used to make all of the Hershey Chocolate. In addition to this, Truman, Etown’s unofficial mascot, will be on hand for all classes and oversee that everyone is participating and completing their work. The class will start at 6 a.m. and will go until 8 a.m. Students will be encouraged to wear overalls and boots, as they will be working on a farm and around a variety of farm animals.
The other part of the College’s plans, the designated bike lot, was talked about in depth as well, which included how the school will raise the money to pave the lot. According to the document, the school will be building the new lots with funds raised from the “Phat Jay,” a popular sandwich on campus exclusively by the Jay Truck. To help sell more of the sandwich, the school plans to reduce the regular dining hours at the Marketplace and expand the hours that the Jay Truck is open. With these small changes, the College believes that they can raise the $25 necessary for the lot.
While most students have welcomed the decision to start summer break early, there are some students that are still hesitant. A group of Etown students have started a trend on social media by using the hashtag #onemoremonth. The hashtag, which is used to help raise awareness for the College’s decision, has been used by celebrities all over the world, including Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise and NBA Superstar LeBron James. The students have even arranged for a protest of the decision, which will involve students attending their classes on Saturday and Sunday of next week. While time will only tell what happens because of the decision, this is certainly a story to keep an eye on.
