Touch Grass (Like Literally)

By: it’s been fun

By the time you’re reading this, it’ll have been a little while since the solar eclipse. That means you might be distanced enough from the memory that you’ve forgotten how fun it was. The entire school ditching all other responsibilities for two hours of their day to just go sit outside, hang out, and stare at the sky. Wasn’t that so healing? To just bask in the sun and cheer on the moon? And think about it—it wasn’t just at SU, everyone everywhere stopped their day to go enjoy some fresh air and witness the eclipse!

Now that you’re thinking about it, let’s keep thinking: wouldn’t it be great if we could do that everyday? If all classes and jobs and whatever else you occupy your time with took a pause so you could go sit on the grass with your friends? I think, given the horrors we experience on the daily around here, we deserve a two-hour afternoon break. Which, of course, leads me to the perfect solution: we need to bring back recess. 

Did you know that kids perform better academically when they have recess? Studies show that, even as they get older, people who have a daily recess have better social skills and healthier lifestyles. It can help improve memory, attention, concentration, and aid in emotional and intellectual development. God knows Susquehanna students could do with some improvements in those areas. 

Not to mention, think about the community building! If we all went outside at the same time everyday to hang out and play games, it would only strengthen that sense of community Susquehanna is so eager to brag about while doing absolutely nothing to foster. Sure, some classic little kid dynamics might develop, but if a few people getting bullied is the price we need to pay for a healthier, happier life…Well, it feels like some sacrifices simply demand to be made, and who are we to argue with the universal truth of school social hierarchies? Plus, you gotta admit, some of these people could do with a little bullying. 

And think of all the doors daily recess could open! What’s stopping us from building a giant playground where the baseball field is? It’s not like they even use it that much. I’m talking giant slides, extreme monkey bars, see-saws, merry-go-rounds —hell, even those weird geometric domes for climbing! Do you know how much general morale would improve if there were swing sets all over campus? Imagine a beautiful, sunny day with the wind in your hair because you’re swinging like crazy. Yes some people will inevitably crack their heads open or break their legs jumping off the swings trying to look cool, but we cannot be held responsible for their dumbassery nor can we let it keep us from the childlike joy we deserve. Sure college students are technically legal adults, but let's be honest here: no one actually sees us that way. We only have so long before we’re cast out into the ‘real world,’ and therefore only so long to satisfy the deep-seated need for playtime.

Just imagine: a trampoline park on Smith Lawn, an inflatable obstacle course on Deg Lawn, a waterslide on President Green’s front porch! Without recess, our students are literally wilting. I watch people walk, heads hung low and backs hunched over, and literally hear sad piano music as they go by. It cannot be overstated how much we need this win. One day of fun at the carnival every spring or the occasional eclipse every few years simply isn’t enough, we have a daily need for time spent laughing and lollygagging. Climbing and clowning. Slaying and sliding. Fraternizing and frolicking. I’ve run out of words but you get the gist. The people demand recess and more than that—the people need to touch grass. How could we ever deny them this golden opportunity?