For the first time, UF will begin its observance of the Thanksgiving holiday on a Wednesday. In years past, Wednesday was regarded as a normal day for school and work.
Interestingly, Associate Provost Bernard Mair has discouraged faculty in regard to the cancellation of classes scheduled on Monday and Tuesday this week.
Most students are thrilled just to have the Wednesday without classes. However, UF officials are concerned the Thanksgiving holiday will be extended even further in the future.
What would be the problem with that?
I wish the people responsible for these decisions would be more inclined to give students and faculty as long of a break as possible. I strongly disagree with the idea of mandating that classes occur this week, and I believe students, faculty and staff should be able to enjoy all five days off.
Time off is a necessity to one’s sanity. I don’t believe many administrators realize how hectic the schedules of students and faculty members can get. We all balance school, jobs, extracurricular activities and a social life while we’re here. We want to be able to take time every now and then to be with our family and friends who we don’t get to see as often during the academic semesters.
You would think administration would be more accepting of students missing classes now, when the semester is winding down, rather than during the middle of the term. Closing the university for an extra two days during Thanksgiving Break would be far more beneficial than keeping it open when no one is present.
UF administration should know all students don’t waste these days off.
We catch up on assignments, rest and recover our brains and bodies from late nights of studying, and even do things that could contribute to our professional futures. I know many students who spent the long weekend during Homecoming traveling for interviews and speaking with organizations about opportunities that could contribute to their professional futures.
Professors would see benefits as well. They, too, have travel plans and could even use the extra time to prepare for the end of the semester, if they chose to.
If Monday and Tuesday classes were canceled, students would have a much easier time making travel arrangements to their respective homes. A weekend departure is a lot less difficult to set up in comparison to a long commute starting in the middle of a weekday.
There are plenty of theoretical solutions that might solve this problem. Perhaps if this Fall we started the semester on Monday rather than Wednesday, we could use those two extra days as vacation time for right now and have a full week of Thanksgiving Break.
The school will be open this week, but it will also be nearly empty. UF administration really should take heed to the trends made evident by the actions of its students. The university calendar should reflect their interests and priorities as well.
Why pay to keep the university open this week when a majority of students, and even some faculty, have already left town?
If I were a professor at UF, I especially would not want to spend two days mandatorily giving lectures to empty classrooms or sitting in office hours waiting for students who won’t show up.
Many professors who are still having class this week both understand and expect attendance won’t be very high. They’ve sent students home for a break and only expect their full attention upon their returns when final exam season begins.
Why can’t UF administration manage to do the same?
Anayo Ordu is an advertising sophomore at UF. Her column appears on Tuesdays. You can contact her via opinions@alligator.org.
