With the recent budget problems that Penn State -- along with all of the states and country -- is facing, it's time the administration began reconsidering shortening the semester. Many of our fellow Big Ten schools have semesters at least a week shorter than our own including both Michigan schools, Iowa and Indiana -- just to name a few.

I'm sure that every day that the university is fully operational we, the students, have to foot a huge bill. Maybe it's time that the administration, if they are serious about cutting costs, considered really pushing the issue of shorter semesters. I know that I, for one, would prefer to see my tuition not increase so much every year. If the faculty at other reputable schools can teach a full curriculum in a shorter amount of time, we need to explore doing the same thing here, even if a few departments and units need to reevaluate their lesson plans.

Sam Loewner

junior-political science