Normally people would say having furlough days is better than having bulk vacations, because they believe that more days off means the likelihood of losing momentum increases. However, more days off at a time actually can be beneficial. For this, I believe Pierce should have more bulk vacations, rather than just several furlough days throughout the semester.
I refuse to believe that momentum can be lost completely in the matter of a week. The real determinant of success lies within the student, not the amount of time taken off school. I have seen many students come back from week-long breaks, such as spring break, and pick up right where they left off. So I see the vacation as an excuse, not a valid reason.
Bulk vacations should be more common for several reasons, and one of the most important being the support it would provide for professors who teach the same course to multiple classes.
Most professors teach the same material to more than one class. They use the same lesson plans in order to make it easier for them to keep track of things. However, what happens when Pierce gives the campus a Monday off, and everyone returns to class on Tuesday? The professors are now thrown off. Their Monday/Wednesday class ends up falling behind compared to their Tuesday/Thursday class.
This begins to make life more stressful on the professor, considering they end up grading different materials when they had planned for all the same work to fall under the same days. Not only that but it also causes more stress for the students, considering they now have to play catch up with the other class, making them rush through the material much quicker than they normally would if only they were at the same pace.
Students also would benefit more from bulk vacations because it gives them an opportunity to do more things, such as go on a trip. Often times furlough days are considered good because it allows the students to have a day for relaxation. The first thing I usually hear when we have a day off is someone asking what could be done. A beach trip, shopping, etc. Although many do take advantage and do something fun, how much can you really do in one day? With multiple days, it now gives students the option to enjoy themselves while they are still young. It increases the chance of working students to have a day off of work and school in the same day with several days off of school instead of just one, presenting them with the option of participating in something fun themselves.
In addition, bulk vacations simply seem more convenient for everybody. Furlough days are a lot harder to keep up with. With many different dates to remember, students are more likely to remember when a week-long break is,as opposed to just one day here and there. Overall, I see it to be a win-win situation.