Fall break?

USG creates committee to work toward widely-supported October semester break

Justin Rosenbaum thinks 13 weeks is way too long for students to attend classes in the fall without a rest.

Rosenbaum (senior-electrical engineering) spoke about his support for a Fall Semester break during open student forum at the Undergraduate Student Government Senate meeting Tuesday night.

USG, partly in response to feedback from students like Rosenbaum, has created a committee drawn from its various branches to research and promote extra time off in the fall.

"I think it can increase our productivity in the long run just to have a brief break," said Desha Girod, president of USG Academic Assembly and a member of the committee.

Girod noted that students sometimes seem stressed out and unmotivated late in the Fall Semester.

For now, the USG committee is considering endorsing a plan that would start the academic calendar a few days early and add an extended weekend in October.

Kirsten Grenoble, South Halls senator and a member of the committee, suggested that the first week of school should start on a Monday instead of a Wednesday to accommodate a short break without shortening the number of instruction days.

This differs from Rosenbaum's suggestion that the calendar start a full week early to make room for a weeklong break in October.

Next, the committee plans to research fall breaks at other schools, discuss support for the break with other campus organizations and perhaps start a petition drive through all of the University's campuses, said Brian Heller, town senator and a member of the committee.

Fall break is so widely supported that it could easily draw the interest of many students, Heller said.

Members of the committee said they aren't sure what channels a calendar change would need to pass through, but said they are having discussions with University administrators on the subject.

The University's academic calendars are typically planned four or five years in advance, said John Romano, Vice Provost and Dean for Enrollment Management and Administration.

"Calendar changes are not made quickly or easily when they are big substantive changes. They require careful thought and study," Romano said.

Even so, Romano added that changes to the calendar are possible, pointing out the recent decision to end classes early the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Rosenbaum said students are paying the University for a service and have the right to ask for changes.

"The University doesn't always provide the best of customer satisfaction," he said.

At the senate meeting, Town Senator Andy Nagypal said the students should be the ones to make the decision about the break.

"It's our University and it's our call," he said.