"No fall break. Can’t go home. Can’t visit new places. Can’t catch up on sleep. But you still need a break!” This was the slogan that Notre Dame’s McDonald Center for Student Well-Being used on their website to advertise Restoration Week.
I was lucky enough to retain my on-campus job from last semester for this fall. On my first day back, my boss and I had the conversation that just about everyone was having with each other, the questions we’ve all been asking like, “We’re back, now what or we’re back, but how long will it last,” but also, “should we have come back at all?” Now, as a selfish college student who missed her friends, her dorm and just being on campus, my immediate response to that last question is a strong yes. But as someone with a sister that is immunocompromised and family members in the medical field who risk their lives daily helping treat patients, I see the other, more responsible answer, that no, we should not have come back.