By Juliana Stumpp

A&E Editor

 For weeks, students have been anxiously looking at their calendars to count down the days until spring break.

After a tough month filled with essays and tests often known as “midterms,” there is a whole new meaning to “March Madness.” But alas, our well-deserved break is just around the corner.

But wait, whatever happened to Cesar Chavez Day, which we are supposed to have off also? Two years ago, Cesar Chavez Day fell on a Wednesday and last year it was on a Friday, when most students don’t have class. This year, Cesar Chavez Day is on a Monday, during spring break.

If you haven’t gotten the hint yet, the students and faculty are cheated of a day off. Obviously the university has no control of what days holidays are on, but they are in control of the week we have spring break or possibly rescheduling the day off in April.

On Feb. 18, it was Presidents’ Day (or Washington’s birthday) where most universities and schools all over the country have the day off, but Cal State San Marcos is not a part of that majority.

I remember last year, I had a professor that taught at San Diego State University as well as CSUSM in the same semester. Come  Presidents’ Day, the class waited for 15 minutes but he was a no show because SDSU had the day off and he thought CSUSM did too. I’m not complaining, but it’s not just the students that want a free day to hang out with friends or catch up on school work, professors do as well.

It seems it would have been more appropriate to have Presidents’ Day off instead of Cesar Chavez Day off even though no one would have been on campus anyways. We all have busy schedules and the university should give the people on campus the courtesy of a day off during the spring semester.

Moreover, this is an American university. Why should we study about these famous national icons but not celebrate them when they even have their own day…that happens to fall on a day that is ideal for all students to have off?

Next year Cesar Chavez Day falls on March 31. Hopefully the university will be considerate enough to schedule spring break around that date.