On Wednesday, April 21, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Student Association (SA) met to discuss the possibility of a fall break and hear from campus climate representative AJ Clauss.  

SA is discussing the possibility of adding a fall break into next semester’s schedule. They are pushing for a few days off of classes in mid–October. The plan would be to have some structure around these days by having professionals and groups come in to host activities on campus. Student Association President Cate Wiza said, “After how difficult this past year has been, I am hoping this would help allow students to take a breath.”  

The original plan they proposed would be to start classes earlier so that the days off could be fit in. In Wisconsin, schools can start classes on September 1. UWL is currently planning to start classes on September 7. This start date puts the end of the semester on December 22. SA hopes to either start earlier so that the end date can be earlier or to start earlier so that there can be a break added mid-semester.  

Wiza has been meeting with Faculty Senate chair Brad Seebach to gauge the faculty’s opinion on the idea. Wiza said that originally Seebach was in favor of this but has since changed his mind and isn’t sure that it is feasible.   

SA also discussed that other schools incorporate a fall break, it just gets complicated with scheduling and Wisconsin state laws. Wiza said, “It may still be feasible, but the faculty senate may be overwhelmed.”  

 The fall break has also received support from the counseling and testing center director Gretchen Reinders and the campus climate representative AJ Clauss. Both have said that they believe this is a good idea to help support students next year. Clauss also offered to help come up with events for a structured break.  

The possibilities for a fall break will continue to be discussed in the upcoming weeks before the end of the semester.  

The SA also guest speaker AJ Clauss who is the Campus Climate Program Coordinator at UWL. They came in to spread awareness for the program and to talk about what the program offers for students. Clauss has been on campus for 6 years now and was a student here when they were in school.  

Campus Climate is funded by Academic Initiative Differential Allocation Committee (AIDAC) which comes from student tuition. They provide many services to students and faculty on campus. They work on hate/bias response, community building, diversity and inclusion education, and much more. Clauss said, “we are here to make sure students and staff feel welcomed, safe, and valued.” 

Campus Climate’s hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the weekdays. There is a limit to have only five people in the waiting area at once due to COVID-19. There is also the ability to fill out hate and bias reports online and book appointments with Clauss ahead of time.  

The SA also officially passed the resolutions for the GreenFund grants to install motion censored faucets in the Union and put new steam traps in Coate hall.