2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty Senate eliminates reading day for fall 2008
Lindsay Lorenz
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
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10/26/07 - A decision approved by the University of Rhode Island Faculty Senate last night will eliminate one of two reading days scheduled in the 2008 fall semester.
About a month ago, it came to senate Executive Committee's attention that the advising day, traditionally scheduled the day before classes begin, was scheduled the Friday before Labor Day. The calendars are made six years in advance.
"We purely viewed this as a discrimination against students who wouldn't be able to be here," said William Gordon, a professor on Faculty Senate's Academic Standards and Calendar Committee.
At the heart of the issue is students living off campus. "When we start classes is dictated by the off campus housing market," Gordon said.
Since most students who rent houses off campus are not allowed to move in before Labor Day, the scheduled advising day puts them at a disadvantage.
Transfer students and freshmen that applied late, as well as students who missed registration, rely on advising day to schedule their classes. Gordon said that about 150 transfer students receive advising that day.
After conferring, the calendar committee decided to move advising day to the Tuesday after Labor Day, pushing back the first day of school to Wednesday. To account for the lost day, the committee came up with three options.
One option was to hold class on either Election Day, Nov. 4 or Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Both dates are state holidays that students traditionally have off.
A second option would eliminate a reading day before the fall semester's final exams, extending classes from Monday, Dec. 8 until Tuesday, Dec. 9. The exam period would stay the same.
The final option would extend classes until Dec. 9. Dec. 10 to 11 would be reading days. The last day of finals would be moved from Dec. 19 to Dec. 22, the following Monday.
Rachel Dicioccio, chairwoman of the Academic Standards Calendar Committee, presented the options to the senate, recommending the option that called for the removal of a reading day. Dicioccio said that overall, this option would be the least disruptive to the entire campus.
About a month ago, it came to senate Executive Committee's attention that the advising day, traditionally scheduled the day before classes begin, was scheduled the Friday before Labor Day. The calendars are made six years in advance.
"We purely viewed this as a discrimination against students who wouldn't be able to be here," said William Gordon, a professor on Faculty Senate's Academic Standards and Calendar Committee.
At the heart of the issue is students living off campus. "When we start classes is dictated by the off campus housing market," Gordon said.
Since most students who rent houses off campus are not allowed to move in before Labor Day, the scheduled advising day puts them at a disadvantage.
Transfer students and freshmen that applied late, as well as students who missed registration, rely on advising day to schedule their classes. Gordon said that about 150 transfer students receive advising that day.
After conferring, the calendar committee decided to move advising day to the Tuesday after Labor Day, pushing back the first day of school to Wednesday. To account for the lost day, the committee came up with three options.
One option was to hold class on either Election Day, Nov. 4 or Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Both dates are state holidays that students traditionally have off.
A second option would eliminate a reading day before the fall semester's final exams, extending classes from Monday, Dec. 8 until Tuesday, Dec. 9. The exam period would stay the same.
The final option would extend classes until Dec. 9. Dec. 10 to 11 would be reading days. The last day of finals would be moved from Dec. 19 to Dec. 22, the following Monday.
Rachel Dicioccio, chairwoman of the Academic Standards Calendar Committee, presented the options to the senate, recommending the option that called for the removal of a reading day. Dicioccio said that overall, this option would be the least disruptive to the entire campus.