Eight student leaders sent a letter to Penn State President Graham Spanier yesterday expressing their opposition to proposed changes to the academic calendar.

The changes, suggested by the University Faculty Senate, are a shortened final exam period and the replacement of fall break with a week-long Thanksgiving recess.

"Upon consulting with our fellow students, it has become clear that a vast majority find the proposed changes detrimental," the letter said.

It said the break was needed for students' mental and physical health, and that a shortened semester could add unnecessary stress.

Fall break was first implemented in Fall 1999 after the Faculty Senate recommended it and student government leaders lobbied for its approval.

"It's no secret that the fall break and the Thanksgiving recess create a number of interruptions and a lot of student absences," said Tysen Kendig, Penn State spokesman.

Kendig said the Faculty Senate plan was the result of significant thought and debate on the issue.

"There was widespread agreement ... that the fall schedule was broken and it needed to be fixed," he said.

The presidents of the Undergraduate Student Government, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Graduate Student Association, along with the chair of the University Park Allocation Committee and the student trustee, all signed the joint letter.

The eight student leaders meet regularly, said USG President Justin Zartman. Zartman said USG and CCSG have joined to sign statements, but this is the first time all eight of them have signed something like this as a group.

"I think it really says a lot," Zartman said. "Those eight signatures on there -- we represent such an eclectic group of students."

USG Academic Assembly and Senate have also endorsed keeping fall break. The senate vote was almost unanimous, with one senator voting against a resolution encouraging Spanier to keep the break.

"I told (Spanier) when I met with him that students really care about it," Zartman said. "I've heard more about this than the budget. ... I definitely think we have a chance."

Earlier this semester, some students sent e-mails to Spanier in favor of keeping the calendar unchanged in an informal campaign.

Almost three-fourths of students voted for keeping fall break in response to a referendum question during recent student government elections.

Spanier will probably decide on the proposed calendar changes by the summer, Zartman said. Kendig said the earliest any calendar changes would go into effect would be fall 2003.

"I'm sure President Spanier will weigh all the options and move on this appropriately," Kendig said.

In spring 1996, a Penn State Pulse survey of about 300 students found that almost three-fourths of students wanted a four-day weekend in October as fall break. Half of the students surveyed at the time wanted to keep Thanksgiving break as it was.

Zartman is acting on the calendar issue as one of his last actions as USG president. His term ends this week when he will hand over his position to president-elect Rubina Javeri.

"I think we've done what we can, and we'll leave it up to President Spanier," Zartman said.