After two years of COVID-influenced spring breaks, students are ready to ride their way to relaxation.
Students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga actually have plans for spring break this year.
Their coveted mid-term hiatus was canceled last year. In 2020, students left campus for spring break at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, unsure if they’d be coming back and whether life would ever be the same again.
Classes eventually resumed online in the spring of 2020 and UTC—like schools, businesses and organizations the world over—figured out how to make it work amid the chaos and tragedy.
Two years later, virtual classes and Zoom meetings are still common, but a sense of normalcy is starting to bloom, and spring break is back.
Yancy Freeman, vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs, has eagerly awaited this moment.
“Traditionally, spring break has figured so prominently in the college experience that I can’t really describe just how happy I am for the opportunity our students have this year to experience spring break in a way that is closer to tradition for the first time in a very long time,” Freeman said.
“The two years since the pandemic was declared feel like a lifetime ago to all of us, and I’ve never been so glad to see the possibility of ‘ordinary’ come back. I hope our students have fun, relax and return safely from the much-needed break.”
Some students are staying in Chattanooga and plan to take advantage of the first unofficial days of spring in the Tennessee River Valley. Others are heading back home to spend time with family and friends they don’t get to see during the academic year. Some Mocs are gearing for adventures with Campus Recreation and other student organization or planning trips, near and far, on their own.
But whatever they do, wherever they go, students are planning to come back.
Here’s a peek at what some Mocs will be up to next week for spring break 2022.
Kierstin Wade, freshman, management
I’m going to Milwaukee (Wisconsin) with my parents. We love the snow. Most people love the beach, but we like the cold … We like going to different places across the country to see how other people live. We’re from the South (Chattanooga), so we don’t know much about the Midwest … but Milwaukee is supposed to have a really nice art museum.
Rionna Bins, sophomore, marketing management
I’m staying here. I’m from Chattanooga, so I’m going to spend time with family. I’m also in the Miss Blue and Gold pageant, so we’ll have practice during the week. So I’ll be here for that.
Jacob Love, junior, English
I’m staying at my parents’ house in Soddy Daisy and looking forward to sleeping in.
Olivia Torbett, senior, Spanish
I’m gonna work. (Mutual of Omaha, claims processor.) It’s nice to get some money in your savings when you have extra time to work.
Marlon Beasley, junior, studio art
I’m going to go home to my dad’s house and enjoy the free food.
Micheal Fava, senior, environmental science
I’m probably going to do some solo hiking. I’d also like to go crystal mining at a place called the Hogg Mine … It’s about three hours away.
Anthonia Alford, sophomore, accounting
I’m going back home to Memphis to get my hair braided.
