Citing low attendance in Friday classes, Provost Tom Apple has proposed instituting a six-day class schedule, meaning some classes would meet on Saturday.
The proposal, still in the preliminary phases, would change all classes to a two-day-per-week schedule, rather than the current Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday schedule.
On Sept. 14, Apple told the Faculty Senate meeting that the change would encourage more students to attend their Friday classes. He said attendance at Friday classes is lower than other days because many students spend Thursday nights partying and never make it to class the following day.
"Fridays are disappearing from the academic calendar," Apple said at the meeting. By meeting twice a week, more pressure would be placed upon the student to attend both classes, he said.
Deputy Provost Havidán Rodríguez said the Faculty Senate is discussing the proposed change with the deans of all seven colleges and will continue discussing the issue at its next meeting on Oct. 5.
"We are now initiating preliminary conversations regarding class schedules and the effective utilization of our classrooms," Rodríguez said. "More importantly, we are focusing on new and innovative strategies to continue to increase and promote academic rigor and excellence in all the work that we do."
He said spreading out the schedule would also alleviate over-crowding of classes during peak times of the day.
The utilization rate of classroom space ranges from about 93 to 100 percent, between 9:30 am and 4:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he said. On Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, the utilization rate is around 90 percent from about 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. With that, the classroom utilization rates earlier in the mornings and during late afternoons are considerably lower.
Reaction among students hearing about the proposal was mostly negative..
Sophomore Jaclyn Marangella, a member of the university's track team said it is a horrible idea.
"Professors will not want to teach on the weekend, they want to spend time with their families," Marangella said.
She also said the track team lifts weights on Friday mornings, and tends to have meets or practices on Saturday mornings. Changes to the schedule would negatively impact how the track team would operate.
"If people decide not to go to class it's their loss," she said.
Many students confirmed the existence of Thursday night as a prominent partying night, and did not hesitate to admit Friday was becoming less academically significant.
"They should just embrace it," sophomore Samantha Tricoli said
According to the Faculty Senate Web site, the University Faculty Senate acts for the entire faculty in coordinating faculty governance at the university and in exercising the faculty responsibility for the education and care of students.
If any scheduling changes were made it would be up to the members of the Faculty Senate to vote on the issue.
"We are exploring alternatives that would increase the utilization rates of our classrooms during non-peak hours, which will also provide students with more alternatives regarding their class schedules and the availability of courses," Apple said.
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19 comments
Secondly, like everyone has already said, if a student fails to attend class it is their fault, and their fault alone (with extremely rare exceptions). Just because a subset of the school population drinks on Thursdays and skip Friday class, it in no way means that the rest of the students should be punished. I know plenty of people who drink on Thursdays and still attend class on Fridays. I also believe it is ridiculous that school schedules should become more rigorus due to socialized drinking habits. If this change is put in place, UD can expect a few things: stress/mental breakdown/suicide rates will increase, a decrease in the amount of attending students, and a definite decrease in potential students. To agitate and repel current students, prospective students, and faculty is the definition of a "bad idea". If the university wants to have a real "Path to Prominence" they will aim to accept and listen to the student body rather than make obscene bureaucratic decisions that benifit no one.
One more question: Will adding Saturday classes increase Delaware's budget in any way? Because frankly Mr Apple, 10% tuition increases for out of state students for each of the past 2 years, has already stretched us to the limits of what we are willing and able to afford!
However, I don't see Dr. Apple's move as a "punishment." I think the man is just trying to figure out a way to lure students into the classroom and increase attendance. He saw that students like to enroll in two day per week classes between 9:30 and 4:00 and came up with this idea. (Unfortunately his idea isn't very good.)
Just hold students accountable for missing class or accept that sometimes college students aren't interested in sitting through lecture. There are many other ways to solve this issue that do not involve adding a day to the work week for professor, janitors, dining hall staff (UD Dining Hall opens later on weekends) and many other UD staff.