Breaks may be reassembled; faculty to decide in spring
Maria Schmitt
Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: News
A 25-member faculty committee is meeting this semester to discuss changing the school calendar. Possible changes include starting classes after Labor Day and eliminating fall break.
While no decisions have yet been made, Provost Bob Blackstock, committee leader, said he thinks action is necessary, especially concerning the beginning of the semester.
"The problem is that for some years now, the day we're receiving freshman is the same day as the Michigan International Speedway race," he said. "We're trying to avoid that."
Parents from out of town often have trouble finding rooms to stay in over the race weekend, as hotels are often completely filled by race fans, he said.
Many schools start classes after Labor Day. State schools must start after the holiday by law, said Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff, who is on the committee.
"There is a certain difficulty when you have a few days of classes and then are gone for three days," Kalthoff said of the short Labor Day break.
The problem with starting after Labor Day is that the holiday can fall early, like this year on Sept. 1, or late, like next year, on Sept. 7. Pushing the beginning of the school year back pushes the whole semester closer to Christmas.
"We have 14, 15 weeks of class time," Kalthoff said. "When we push the break through almost to Christmas we encounter difficulties with getting home, grading and recording grades. We're kind of squeezed."
In order to make up class days if the semester began in September, the committee has discussed various options, including eliminating Fall Break and adding its time onto Thanksgiving Break.
Many students take off the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving Break anyway, Kalthoff said.
Eliminating Fall Break is unlikely, he said.
Dean of Social Sciences Mickey Craig, also on the committee, agreed.
"My sense is the four-day break isn't going away," he said. "Most faculty prefer having the break to catch up on grading."
Craig said the committee is considering many options to find the best one.
"This comes up every year in faculty meetings," he said. "This year we decided to put together a committee to come up with a proposal."
Once the committee decides, it will present its plans to President Larry Arnn, and hopefully by next spring, Blackstock said.
While changes are only in discussion among faculty at this point, Blackstock said he will seek student opinion on possible changes before making any final proposals.
Calendar problems work the opposite way in the spring semester, Kalthoff said. The school tries to coordinate Spring Break with Easter weekend, while still ensuring the year ends late enough to hold graduation ceremonies outside.
"Every calendar is bad and every calendar is good," Kalthoff said. "We're looking for something that has the fewest obstacles for the fewest number of people."
While no decisions have yet been made, Provost Bob Blackstock, committee leader, said he thinks action is necessary, especially concerning the beginning of the semester.
"The problem is that for some years now, the day we're receiving freshman is the same day as the Michigan International Speedway race," he said. "We're trying to avoid that."
Parents from out of town often have trouble finding rooms to stay in over the race weekend, as hotels are often completely filled by race fans, he said.
Many schools start classes after Labor Day. State schools must start after the holiday by law, said Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff, who is on the committee.
"There is a certain difficulty when you have a few days of classes and then are gone for three days," Kalthoff said of the short Labor Day break.
The problem with starting after Labor Day is that the holiday can fall early, like this year on Sept. 1, or late, like next year, on Sept. 7. Pushing the beginning of the school year back pushes the whole semester closer to Christmas.
"We have 14, 15 weeks of class time," Kalthoff said. "When we push the break through almost to Christmas we encounter difficulties with getting home, grading and recording grades. We're kind of squeezed."
In order to make up class days if the semester began in September, the committee has discussed various options, including eliminating Fall Break and adding its time onto Thanksgiving Break.
Many students take off the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving Break anyway, Kalthoff said.
Eliminating Fall Break is unlikely, he said.
Dean of Social Sciences Mickey Craig, also on the committee, agreed.
"My sense is the four-day break isn't going away," he said. "Most faculty prefer having the break to catch up on grading."
Craig said the committee is considering many options to find the best one.
"This comes up every year in faculty meetings," he said. "This year we decided to put together a committee to come up with a proposal."
Once the committee decides, it will present its plans to President Larry Arnn, and hopefully by next spring, Blackstock said.
While changes are only in discussion among faculty at this point, Blackstock said he will seek student opinion on possible changes before making any final proposals.
Calendar problems work the opposite way in the spring semester, Kalthoff said. The school tries to coordinate Spring Break with Easter weekend, while still ensuring the year ends late enough to hold graduation ceremonies outside.
"Every calendar is bad and every calendar is good," Kalthoff said. "We're looking for something that has the fewest obstacles for the fewest number of people."
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