USG petitions for new fall break

The Undergraduate Student Government is scrambling to make a Fall Semester break a reality as soon as possible.

USG's fall break committee wrote the rough draft of a proposal to add two class-free days in October to the University's calendar. USG has also organized a petition drive to build student support.

Yesterday, USG members solicited petition signatures from students in the HUB and East Halls area and planned to continue circulating the petition today and tomorrow.

"I think it's a very long time to go from Labor Day to Thanksgiving without a day off," said Beth Buchheit (freshman-nutrition), one of more than 100 people who signed the petition yesterday.

It is possible, although very unlikely, the University could have a fall break as early as next fall, said John Cahir, vice provost and dean for undergraduate education.

Cahir said he is seriously considering the students' position, but is waiting for a formal proposal from USG.

The University's calendar committee would need to look closely at all the effects of adjusting the schedule before making any decisions, Cahir said.

Kirsten Grenoble, a South Halls senator who helped create the rough draft, said USG is recommending that the calendar committee start the academic calendar two days earlier to make up for lost class time.

The calendar works smoothly with the date it starts on now, said Jeff Cohen (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) who declined to sign the petition yesterday.

"I'm really not interested in coming any earlier," Cohen said.

Adding a break might lengthen the time students are on campus, which could affect services ranging from Housing and Food Services contracts to bus schedules, Cahir said.

At the USG Academic Assembly meeting Sunday, fall break committee member Liz Kinland (sophomore-political science) said it had been difficult to get concrete research about the benefits of a fall break.

The fall break committee has contacted other student groups to get support for their proposal, Brian Heller, town senator, said.

Although USG had hoped to pass the petition around all the Commonwealth Campuses, the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments could not support the petition on such short notice, said Greg Bednarski, CCSG president.

"I couldn't do that because I had to consult with the presidents first," Bednarski said. "They have to consult with their own senates."

Bednarksi added CCSG didn't want to do the students a disservice by failing to support a fall break, but he was concerned about supporting a proposal that had not been written yet.

The Association of Residence Hall Students is informally supporting USG's efforts by looking over the petitions and posting them in some areas, Brian Youngblood, ARHS president, said.