It's 11a.m. on a Tuesday, and one of my public relations professors is reading a list of third-grade spelling words.

Acquit. Amateur. Apparent. These words count for grade points. My class tries its best, but we get the feeling a third-grader could kick our butts in a spelling bee.

I told my aunt about the spelling and grammar tests, looking for a bit of sympathy.

"Oh, good," said my aunt instead. "PR is where spelling goes to die."

According to my aunt and, in fact, much of the public, the PR industry not only kills spelling and grammar, but also manners, ethics, morals, truth… I could go on.

As written in The Chronicle a couple weeks ago, we do not have the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off this year. This likely comes as a disappointment to students who want that extra time to relax or catch up on homework.

However, this can be particularly inconvenient for people who are not local. I talked to students in these situations, like Sarah Travaglini of Massachusetts who is driving home Tuesday night in order to avoid the traffic resulting from people traveling on Wednesday.

Another girl I talked is from California, and she is flying home. She needs to take the entire week off to save money; the closer a flight is to a holiday, the more expensive it is.

No matter what changes - or not -- that Occupy Wall Street brings about, the movement will be remembered by both Democrats and Republicans. From signs demonstrating discontent for the repeal of the Glass–Stegall Act in 1999 to demands for redistributing the top one percent's wealth, it is obvious that something is shaking the structure of American government.

Hofstra students are definitely making their voices heard as well. Last week, Hofstra hosted its ninth Day of Dialogue. One of the sessions I attended discussed the current movement at Wall Street and the ensuing protests that have been birthed because of it. A panel with Republican and Democrat students took the stage, and the founder of the online publication Occupy Wall Street Journal was present via Skype. Each speaker presented viewpoints concerning the movement, unleashing a subsequent wave of tension throughout the room.

As college students, we spend five consecutive days a week studying, meeting with teachers, attending classes and stressing over assignments. So when Friday rolls around, we are ready to kick back and start the weekend festivities. Many people especially prefer some type of off-campus retreat, whether it's going home for the weekend, visiting friends at a different school or even spending a couple of hours shopping at the mall. Hofstra offers several weekend activities for those who decide to stay on campus. Students have the chance to travel off campus to amusement parks, Broadway shows and museums in the city. The downside to these opportunities is the cost of the events on a tight college student budget.

Do you know why I am so excited for this week to be over? Could it be that I have tests, quizzes and essays coming up? Could it be I have an extra class or some class-set field trip to an obscure site that only interests old, parchment-skinned scholars? Nope, none of that. I have a fall break.

For those of you still at Hofstra, that means I have a week-long break in the middle of autumn. That is rare, right? In fact, besides Thanksgiving, a fall break has never happened to me before. I don't mean to brag to those of you who will be in class next week toiling over papers and exams while I gallivant around Europe, drinking in its ancient culture and overall expending my intellect.

No, my real point is to reflect upon Hofstra's confusing break schedule. I am a senior so I know well the pains that come from this random, piecemeal and seemingly chaotic spattering of breaks. Imagine salt thrown onto a table; to me, that is how Hofstra selects its break periods.

"Rebounding and defense wins you championships."  This is one of the most clichéd phrases in the sport of basketball but you can't argue that it certainly holds merit.