Effective in 2003, fall break will no longer exist as it does now.

Penn State President Graham Spanier decided on changes to the university calendar, eliminating the break as it is now and creating a 16-week schedule with five days of no classes.

Classes will not be held on Labor Day, a Friday at the end of the sixth week of class, and the Wednesday through Friday of Thanksgiving week. The calendar includes four days for finals plus a day for conflict exams.

The new academic calendar beginning in Fall Semester 2003 will start classes on Sept. 2 with a day off designated for studying on Friday, Oct. 10. Classes will end on Friday, Dec. 12, with a full finals week the following week. Students return to campus for Spring Semester on Jan. 12, 2004.

Spanier made his decision based partly on recommendations from the University Faculty Senate. Its calendar proposal included shortening the final exam period to four days and creating a weeklong Thanksgiving break.

"The president's decision was slightly different than what the senate recommended," said John Nichols, Faculty Senate chair.

However, he said that does not necessarily mean the senate opposes Spanier's decision. Nichols also serves on the Faculty Advisory Committee to the President, which meets with Spanier to give him confidential advice about faculty opinion. The committee supports Spanier's decision.

Eight elected student leaders sent a letter to Spanier last week asking him to keep fall break, and many students e-mailed him about the matter.

"I was someone who was very for keeping fall break where it was, but hearing all points of the issue and knowing that it would be impossible to please everyone, I think it's a very good compromise," said Jen Tingo, vice president of Undergraduate Student Government Academic Assembly.

In a prepared statement, Spanier cited "widespread absences and class interruptions" surrounding current calendar days off as his concerns in making the change.

"Faculty need a calendar that is adaptable to their approach to teaching and learning," Spanier said in the statement. "Students expect a high-quality educational experience within a calendar format that accommodates their summer job schedules, internship placements ... and an occasional break in the schedule of classes..."

Under the new calendar, classes will never begin earlier than the week before Labor Day. The first day of class will be a Tuesday with a Friday schedule in order to balance the number of cancelled class days that normally occur on Fridays.

The calendar will have 145 instructional days for the year, which is close to the Big Ten average and almost a week longer than the teaching days of other state-related universities, according to an article in today's Penn State Intercom, the university's employee newsletter.

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

Although the four-day weekend will be removed, Josh Troxell, Academic Assembly president, said the new calendar is the best compromise for students, especially since it includes a mid-semester day off.

"Not having fall break was a very real possibility in the minds of many," he said. "I think student government showed that when we work through proper channels...we can get a very good compromise."