WHILE many University students thoroughly enjoyed the Rolling Stones concert a few weeks ago, some were caught in an unfortunate bind -- Thursday night classes. This dilemma is more complicated than it seems, and the University did a poor job of alleviating a major headache. The lack of coordination and transportation provisions left some students up a creek without a paddle.
Some professors and TAs elected to cancel Thursday evening lectures and discussion sections, saving themselves and their students the logistical nightmare of getting to and from class. However, others chose to maintain their normal schedules, leaving students with few options. While most discussion sections and even some classes have an allowance of one unexcused absence, some TAs and professors sent out e-mails specifically stating that an absence that Thursday would not be sanctioned and that switching sections wasn't permissible.
So, with students forced to go to class or face academic penalization, there was little room for discussion, pardon the pun. For students who typically walk to class, this wasn't a big deal, but for others who live in places like Copeley, U-Heights or other off-Grounds locations, there was no easy solution.
All of the bus routes, except the Green route, shut down in the afternoon. According to Rebecca White, director of the University Department of Parking and Transportation, UTS buses stopped running at 3:30 for Blue and Orange routes, 4:30 for the Stadium route and 5:30 for the Central Grounds route.
Another option -- driving to Grounds and parking (assuming students have cars) -- was also not feasible. Parking at the Emmett/Ivy garage, the Central Grounds garage or the Health System South garage came at a hefty price for a 50-minute class -- $10. The parking attendant on duty did give refunds to some students who parked there for class, but actually acquiring a parking space was not easy.
Information released to the public prior to the concert stated that these parking spaces would be sold starting at 5:30, but the Central Grounds garage was almost filled to capacity with occupants paying the $10 event rate a little after 4 p.m. and was completely closed by 6 p.m. Parking at University Hall or the Fontaine Research Park and the North Grounds lot was free, but nonetheless crowded with concertgoers and a long walk to class. In a phone interview, White mentioned that the Culbreth Theatre lot was available for students to park in, but getting there with the high volume of traffic was hopeless for a six, seven, or eight o'clock class.
Granted, students who chose to go to the concert did have to walk a long distance if they lived far away, but this was a choice; students who had classes weren't able to opt out of a long walk after nightfall back to their apartments or houses. With police forces concentrated in highly trafficked areas, safety became an issue, especially in light of recent incidents of rape and sexual assault, for those with a journey back to areas not immediately surrounding the stadium or near any major roads.
Students could have easily avoided this predicament if the University cancelled classes after 3 or 4 p.m. White acknowledged that it was "hard to transition from an academic day" and "really difficult to deliver in those conditions," so why make it even more complicated? I'm not advocating for a reason to skip class, but due to the circumstances, it would have been legitimate. The University, as well as professors, should keep this in mind when events such as these arise. White compared the situation with a Thursday night football game, which does occur once in a blue moon. Even though it would only affect a small minority of the student body, it would alleviate a problem that shouldn't go unnoticed.
Vice President and Provost Gene Block stated in an interview, "I have not personally received complaints that this was a serious problem. I will try to understand how widespread it was and look into strategies to remedy this for the future."
Other than canceling classes, one possible strategy would be to coordinate with professors and arrange alternate class times for that particular week. Executive Staff Assistant to the Vice President and Provost and Office Manager Patricia Hartsook indicated that there was no communication to professors regarding the Rolling Stones concert.
This does shed light onto a larger issue of placing academics over non-academic endeavors, such as hosting rock and roll bands for entertainment purposes, which is a much more encompassing debate for another column. While some would argue that officially canceling classes would essentially be a self-fulfilling prophecy of this criticism, compelling students to attend class when it is logistically impractical sends the exact same message of where priorities lie.
Whitney Blake is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at wblake@cavalierdaily.com.
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