What did Students do for Spring Break?

Image Courtesy of the Catholic University of America

By Zachary Lichter

Between March 4 and March 12, students at the Catholic University of America (CUA) were off for spring break. The most common question any student in college will be asked after spring break is, “what did you do?” The most common answers to that question are that they either went home, went on vacation, went on one of the immersion trips, or stayed on campus. According to CUA Polls, 37% of students went on vacation, 6% of students went on one of the immersion trips, 45% of students went home, and 12% of students stayed on campus. 

For students that stayed on campus, students still had the opportunity to go to Mass, but the liturgical schedule for Mass on campus looked a little different. There was still the 9:00 a.m. Mass on March 4 and 11 in St. Michael Chapel in Maloney Hall. On Sunday, March 5, and March 12, Mass was still at 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the St. Vincent de Paul Chapel. However, there was no Mass in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 4:00 p.m. Between Monday, March 6, and Friday, March 10, Mass was celebrated in St. Michael Chapel at 12:05 p.m.

As far as dining services go, Starbucks was still open from March 4-March 10 from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Murphy’s was closed on March 4 and March 5, but reopened on March 6 to March 10, and students were able to grab lunch between 11:00 a.m-2:00 p.m. The Pryz Market, Pryz Food Court, and Garvey Hall were closed all week. The Pryz Market reopened on March 12 from 1:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Garvey Hall reopened at 5:00 p.m., but Starbucks remained closed.

Sophomore theology, religious studies, and philosophy major, and Italian studies minor, Andrea Suarez gave her comments about staying on campus.

“I didn’t think it was hard to stay on campus for spring break, because food and everything is accessible because of the Metro, which meant that I got to spend time around the city getting to know new places and restaurants,” Suarez said. “I did see some people that stayed, and my roommate stayed as well. I would come across some people and say hi to them, and ask them how they were doing. I was able to just go out into the city and get to know several parts of it that I hadn’t visited, like Tysons, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and McPherson Square to see the White House and try a new Poke place.”

Students also had the opportunity to spend their spring break by going on one of the immersion trips either with Habitat for Humanity or Campus Ministry. Habitat for Humanity offered immersion trips to Waco, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Longmont, Colorado; Newport, Oregon; and Lafayette, Louisiana. Each immersion trip with Habitat for Humanity had students work with construction workers from Habitat for Humanity on building a house. Campus Ministry offered immersion trips to Apopka, Florida; Guayaquil, Ecuador, Montgomery, Alabama; El Paso, Texas; West Virginia; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Students that went on the immersion trips with Campus ministry got to learn about the area around them through “faith”, “service,” and getting to know the people in that area.

Sophomore chemistry major and math minor, Elisabeth Walsh, gave her comments about the immersion trips.

“Going on an immersion trip for Habitat for Humanity was an opportunity for me to give up my weekend for the service of others and really to get to know other people from similar walks of life as I who share in that want,” Walsh said. “While in Texas we were able to go to the big cities like Dallas and Austin where we could do all kinds of activities like kayaking, line-dancing, and exploring the amazing state.The immersion trip taught me lots of skills when it comes to building a house, but most importantly how to work well with others and remember to keep giving to others.”

Whatever students at CUA did for spring break was hopefully enjoyable and memorable, and they will be able to look back upon it after their four years at CUA.