Hurricane Isabel may have ruined yards and knocked out power, but it's not going to cost University students extra days of class. The University won't shorten fall break or lengthen the semester despite the day and a half of cancellations, said University spokesperson Carol Wood.
Yet many other Virginia universities still face the decision of extending or altering their semester calendars.
William & Mary was closed for an unprecedented eight academic days. As a result, William & Mary spokesperson Bill Walker said, the school has cancelled fall break and will compress the fall exam schedule by one day.
"I think that our kids are very conscientious -- so are the professors -- and I'm sure they'll think of several ways to make sure that all the material is covered," Walker said.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires colleges and universities to hold a certain number of academic hours each semester in order keep their accreditation.
However, the SACS has made exceptions for catastrophes and emergencies as long as schools do not make a habit of shortening semesters, said Brian Eckert, director of media and public relations for the University of Richmond.
Old Dominion University Provost Tom Isenhour issued a statement detailing his school's decision not to make up the three days of canceled classes.
"This means that faculty and students will have to work together to guarantee that all critical material is covered in the shortened class time we have this semester," he said in the statement. "It is early in the semester and we should be able to accomplish the stated goals of all courses."
Virginia Commonwealth University, however, chose to cancel its fall break in order to compensate for the three academic days its students missed.
VCU Public Relations Specialist Malorie Janis said she thought this schedule change was sufficient for VCU to get back on track, adding that she is confident that professors will have enough time to catch their students up.
Eckert said Richmond administration has yet to make a decision regarding the make-up of the five academic days the school lost to Isabel.
"We are behind schedule and that is the biggest headache," he said.
Eckert said the school will keep fall break, but is considering extending the semester by a week, an option Christopher Newport University chose.
Isabel claimed five and a half academic days at CNU. Five have been rescheduled Dec. 8-12, the week that had been scheduled for final examinations. The other half day will come out of fall break.
An online message from the CNU's registrar's office justified the rescheduling: "The magnitude of this shortfall is too great to be ignored."
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