Semester's end on its way

Final exams this semester are scheduled uncomfortably close to the holidays for some. The exams have been scheduled this way in an attempt to satisfy numerous interests, according to Registrar Lori Gumpf. "When the calendar is created, we are required to have a certain amount of teaching days, certain approved days such as Yom Kippur, breaks, Thanksgiving and the Friday and Saturday afterwards. I also have been encouraged to have school begin after Labor Day as often as possible. All this adds up to a calendar that ends very close to the Christmas holiday," she said.

This year's exam schedule, which was approved by the General Faculty, was approved sometime in the late '80s. In fact, just last spring a new 10-year calendar was approved, which will last all the way until Spring 2008.

Ending the final exams on Dec. 22 is not unusual. For the next five years the first semester is scheduled to end on Dec. 21 or 22.

There are some basic guidelines Gumpf uses in deciding the appropriate amount of teaching days, which are used when creating the calendar. She said they were probably developed in the mid to late '80s from surveys and information from faculty committees. They state there must be a minimum of 38 days for each teaching sequence, both Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday. In addition to this, at the end of the semester the calendar is supposed to have a three day reading period and a five day exam period.

Gumpf said she has been urged by the deans and faculty to begin classes after Labor Day. She said, "For the Conservatory, one reason would be that some of the faculty who perform over the summer tend to do that up through Labor Day, and quite a few students do as well. In the college, there are conferences which faculty attend late in the summer."

Another reason for starting after Labor Day is that students may be disoriented by the sudden holiday so soon after classes begin. Gumpf explained, "If we start before Labor Day, by the time we get through with orientation there would be a long weekend after only two classes. Students can easily get bored over four days and they wouldn't likely have many assignments so soon."

The fact that this year's classes started before Labor Day was a fluke, she said. "We try to see if we can count backwards and fit in all the requisite days off and teaching days without having classes before Labor Day," said Gumpf. "We had to start prior to Labor Day this year because it fell so late in the year."

The Registrar's office receives opposition to various characteristics of the calendar. No matter how the calendar is set, someone complains. Some people complain the fall semester starts before Labor Day, others complain when it begins afterwards, and others are upset that finals go until the 22nd. Gumpf said, "I must admit that I try often to make sure the last exam day is not a heavy exam day, but I can't guarantee it. I try to get as many students out before the 22nd as I can, but that is not always possible."