In January, students will return to class on a Tuesday, but they’ll attend their Monday classes. Although the schedule sent to students in an e-mail Tuesday is unusual, it is clearly the best choice, given the University’s start date for classes.
Traditionally, the University has begun courses on a Wednesday. This meant that Monday- and Tuesday-only classes did not meet during the first week of classes, but since they met at the beginning of the second week, that was not really a problem.
In the spring semesters, however, that arrangement has caused problems because the start of the semester is closely followed by Martin Luther King Day. In past years, the University has dealt with the issue by not giving students, professors and support staff a break from classes on Martin Luther King Day. Refusing to honor King with a day off was always controversial, however, so last year the University cancelled classes for the holiday.
A day off less than a week into the semester seemed strange, though, and more importantly classes that met only on Monday were left with one less week of classes. They did not have their first meeting until after most classes had been meeting for two weeks.
The schedule for this spring’s first classes avoids this delay in Monday courses while still affording a day off for Martin Luther King Day. Moving Monday classes to a Tuesday is a little confusing, but we trust students will have no trouble figuring it out. The e-mail from the provost’s office students received this week was a good step toward making sure students are aware of the new schedule, and it ought to send another e-mail as the semester approaches.
Giving every course adequate opportunities to meet should be the first goal of the University Calendar Committee, but as demonstrated in the committee’s creative solution for this year, that goal does not have to prevent the University from giving students a day to honor King’s legacy.
Unfortunately, this year the schedule might prevent some students from celebrating that legacy in an exciting and unique way — attending the inauguration of Barack Obama. The inauguration is on the day after Martin Luther King Day, which is the first day that Tuesday-only classes will meet. Since professors are allowed to drop students from classes if they do not attend the first meeting, many students who would otherwise attend the inauguration might instead be stuck in Charlottesville for a course meeting that will likely consist of a quick glance at the syllabus and an introduction.
Professors teaching classes on Tuesday this spring should forgive absences for students who attend the inauguration. They should make their intention to do so clear to students beforehand, so no one feels obliged to miss an historic opportunity.
The inauguration issue is only a problem this year, however. There most likely will not be another presidential inauguration for another four years, and even then it will probably not attract as much interest as Barack Obama’s swearing-in. The schedule proposed by the University Calendar Committee should become the standard for future spring semesters.
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