by Olivia Gleason '26 on February 27, 2026
Opinion
Hi Cowl readers! I hope everyone got through this week’s blizzard safely and without too much trouble. With how it looks outside my window right now, it’s near impossible to believe that spring break is only a little over a week away, but here we are.
For the past several years of my time as a Providence College student, spring break has always meant an opportunity for escape. Every year, I’ve viewed it as a chance to go off the grid for a week—to tune out my school and work notifications, to tap out of the news headlines, to generally take a step back from my reality. This escape is always paired with a sense of guilt for me, though. If I’m tuning out the world entirely, taking this time for myself, am I being a responsible citizen? Is ignoring the news in such a politically charged world a choice I have the right to make?
I think that there’s an unspoken pressure, especially among college students, to be constantly informed and engaged, to always have a take. Upon further consideration, though, I, for myself, have decided that there is a balance that can be struck between staying in-the-know and avoiding utter burnout.
Political engagement was never meant to be a 24/7 commitment, but our technologically-defined world has made it so. Democracy depends on participation, on engagement with what is happening around us, but this participation is only valuable when it is sustainable. When we consume information in a constant, unfiltered stream, we don’t become more effective citizens; we become anxious ones.
With this in mind, spring break to me offers a rare opportunity to practice a quick dose of intentional disengagement. Logging off for a week does not erase our values or undo our commitments. Instead, I think that stepping back from the chaos of everyday life once in a while allows us to return to our personal lives and the world around us with a sense of clarity and refreshment. As spring break approaches, I challenge you to escape the algorithm. Read a book simply for pleasure. Have a conversation that doesn’t end in debate. Sit somewhere without refreshing a news feed. When we return to campus, we can reenter both campus life and civic life with a renewed vigor for knowledge and engagement with the world around us.