Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Stop Day may be on the chopping block as the University Calendar Committee proposes changes to the academic calendar. The University Senate Executive Committee is holding an open meeting at 3:30 p.m. today in the Provost Conference Room in Strong Hall to discuss possible changes.
The majority of proposed changes to the calendar are aimed at reducing the number of class days from 150 to 148. Stop Day would be eliminated to condense the academic year so classes could begin on a Monday instead of a Thursday.
“Things add up,” said George Bittlingmayer, professor of business who sits on the calendar committee. “You have one day here and one day there, and then instead of starting class on a Monday you have to go back to the previous Thursday.”
University Calendar Committee chairwoman Barbara Phipps said the committee was considering cutting Stop Day because it was no longer relevant. Stop Day began when finals started on a Wednesday and students were given Tuesday off to study.
“Administrators and faculty feel that it’s not as necessary as it used to be,” Phipps said. “Very few universities have a Stop Day. Most do what we’re proposing.”
While some professors agree that Stop Day is no longer necessary, others argue that having a day off can be beneficial for students.
“I actually favor having a longer break between classes and exams or even putting a break in the middle of exams,” said Daniel J. Bernstein, professor of applied behavioral science and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence. “There’s a lot of integration that needs to be done and I find that students are tired and not being reflective when they’re rushed from one thing to another.”
The calendar committee’s proposal would eliminate Stop Day and continue classes through the Friday before finals week. Stop Day would be replaced by a “15th Week Policy,” which would prohibit professors from giving exams worth more than 10 percent of the course grade during the week before finals. Papers and projects could still be due as long as they were assigned in writing before the eighth week of the term.
Robert C. Umholtz, who sits on the calendar committee, has been a professor of mechanical engineering for 56 years and said he always held a dead week before finals in which he didn’t assign anything. He said he thought the “15th Week Policy” was similar and would be enough to keep students happy without Stop Day. However, some students think the policy won’t do enough to lessen their workloads.
“Even if a professor isn’t giving a test that week there can still be a significant amount of coursework due that wouldn’t allow students to utilize that time to study,” said student body president Adam McGonigle. “It only gives students two days to prepare for five days of finals.”
McGonigle sits on the University Senate Executive Committee, which will make the final decision about the calendar committee’s proposal.
Phipps said the committee would discuss Stop Day as well as possible changes to fall break during its meeting today. She said the committee had considered combining fall break with Thanksgiving break so students would have a full week off in November, but said the committee was divided on the issue.
The calendar committee plans the calendar several years in advance and any changes made would not go into effect until the Fall 2012 semester.
— — Edited by Casey Miles
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Comments
Committee considers eliminating Stop Day
Lets be honest, "dead week" has turned into the exact opposite of what the name suggests. The 15th week has turned into the time that all the professors try to cram in what they have not accomplished during the semester into one week. Shortening the semester would just lead to professors and students feeling rushed even more than they already do. This shortening would also have a ripple effect throughout the semester. All the tests throughout the semester would be closer to each other giving the students less of a chance to take a breather and collect themselves in between tests.
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