|
Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 |
 |
Forum: Was the revised Thanksgiving Break calendar successful?
This year's academic calendar was the first in which classes were
officially not held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This was the
result of a student government initiative approved by the faculty and
administration last year, responding to common complaints that students
who live far away had little time to travel home for the holiday. The
calendar committee has made it clear that this is only a temporary change
and future calendars will depend on how faculty felt this trial year went.
Here's what a few faculty and staff members had to say about last week's break.
The Thanksgiving calendar revision worked fine in my MWF courses. Attendance on Monday before Thanksgiving was 80 percent in one course and 100 percent in the other. The Monday after Thanksgiving, it was 100 percent in both courses.
The big question, I imagine, is how attendance in Tuesday classes was affected. That will give us a better idea about the seriousness of "break creep."
-David Vail
Economics
I allow my students one unexcused absence during the course of the semester. About 70 percent of my students chose to take the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break as their personal day. Although the Administration tried vigilantly to discourage "break creep," a two-day academic week is a rather impractical concept. So is having class the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which makes traveling home very difficult.
I suggest that we steal two days from the five-week long winter break and take a full week off for Thanksgiving. That would provide students and faculty a substantial time period to travel home, rest, and get prepared for the final two weeks of classes and fall exams.
-Johanna Campbell
Theater and Dance
Monday of last week became the Wednesday of previous pre-Thanksgiving weeks (sparse class attendance, etc.), so little was gained by the switch. Besides, scheduling an extra class to make up for the Wednesday holiday is a hassle. I'd vote to go back to having scheduled classes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
-James Ward
Mathematics
All of my students attended class on the Monday before Thanksgiving. I think it's because presentations were scheduled and they were being graded. The Monday after Thanksgiving, two students were absent due to travel .
-Carol Wright
Education
All my students stayed for Monday class. Not a problem. Now how about extending the end of classes a day to pick up the slack, or have a shorter reading period?
-Davis Robinson
Theater and Dance
I vote to continue-the students we were seeing at the Health Center before the break definitely needed a good break!
-Andree Appel
Dudley Coe Health Center