Editorial: A necessary editorial

The logic behind this idea remains the same. Adding a day or two to the first week of the semester, which currently begins on a Thursday, is an inconsequential way to ease the abundance of stress and confusion that our current calendar produces. Students cannot be reasonably expected to attend a seminar on Wednesday night and somehow make it home in time for Thanksgiving if they do not live in the area. Even classes that end earlier in the day pose a problem, as students must battle notoriously long lines at airports and traffic on what is considered the worst day of the year to travel.

Most professors already function with this logic, cancelling or rescheduling Wednesday precepts, seminars and lectures. But these are often rescheduled only a few weeks before Thanksgiving, forcing some students to purchase expensive plane fares at the last minute. Those who wish to book more affordable tickets in advance are often trapped in an unfortunate game of guessing whether their class will be cancelled. Others simply decide to skip their classes whether or not they are rescheduled, something that is especially problematic in classes where student participation is vital. Professors should recognize the confusion from the outset. Regardless of whether the calendar is changed, course syllabi should stipulate whether students are expected to attend classes on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Adding a day to the beginning of the fall semester would also help make the semester’s start go more smoothly. As we pointed out last year, if classes began on Wednesday rather than Thursday, all lecture classes could meet before the first full week of classes, rather than just those that meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This would allow professors to begin the process of scheduling precepts earlier, and would also give students more time to purchase books and consider adding or dropping courses.

We recognize that the USG and the administration have worked hard to generate ideas about calendar reform, and it is unfortunate that all discussions are at a standstill. Ideally, the University community could agree on a better calendar that allowed students an entire week off at Thanksgiving. But in the meantime, this change could be implemented without a full-fledged restructuring of the calendar. Simply by shifting one day, the University could save professors and students alike a lot of stress, confusion and hassle.