My counterproposal is that classes
not end until Thursday. The only result of this proposal would be decreased
attendance on Tuesday.
Dick Dowen, Finance
Sue,
The School of Nursing argues that
the break for Thanksgiving be kept on Wed. Our students are in the clinical
experience on Wed., they are all there and expected to be there, and they
need as much time in the clinical arena as possible even if it just half
a day. I suspect we are the only voice asking to NOT break until Wed. at
noon but I must advocate for this.
Marilyn Frank-Stromborg, Chair School
of Nursing
Sue -
I received your memo regarding "Beginning
Thanksgiving Break" and discussed it with Student Affairs directors at
a recent staff meeting. None present indicated objection to not holding
classes on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. Most Student Affairs
directors believe not holding classes that Wednesday will further reduce
the amount of student activity/traffic within their departments that day.
Student Housing and Dining Services (i.e. university residence halls) remains
open during the Thanksgiving break; and there would not be much of an impact
on residence halls. Although not opposed to not holding classes on
the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving, the director of the Campus Child Care
Center noted many of their employees are students and maintaining appropriate
staffing levels could present a minor problem for her area and perhaps
others at the university. Student Affairs directors believe it would
be important to hold Tuesday classes through evening classes. Some
concern was expressed that if Wednesday morning classes are canceled, students
will choose to leave even earlier resulting in low attendance on Tuesdays.
Although a Fall Semester break Thanksgiving week would be later than desired,
it was noted the U of I does schedule a break that week.
Hope this information is helpful.
Gary Gresholdt, Vice Provost for
Student Affairs
Sue----
The Senate for the College of Education
is willing to support canceling classes from 12:00am on Weds through Friday
during the Thanksgiving break.
Norman A. Stahl, Professor and Chair,
Literacy Education
Sue –
For your information, the consensus
of the 42 regular faculty in the School of Art is that classes be discontinued
on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I believe an Art member of
UC will bring that survey to your attention at the next meeting.
Given the level of support by the faculty, I join in their recommendation.
It has also been my academic experience at two other institutions that
classes not be held on the day in question. We are already somewhat
unique in that we also do not have a 'fall break'. It might not be
a bad idea to trade one for the other - drop classes on that Wednesday
instead of adding a Fall Break.
As a sideline, a related debate
has arisen among the staff (we have 9 Civil Service and 2 SPS). Apparently
there is growing support on campus to close the University on Wednesday
if classes are canceled, or to consider a 'floating' holiday as we did
this past December 23rd.
Hope this information is of use
in the continuing discussions.
Adrian R. Tio, Director, School
of Art
The following is part of the College
of Business Council's minutes from their January 13th meeting regarding
Thanksgiving Break.
The University Council requested
opinions on extending the Thanksgiving break for students from Noon on
Wednesday to Tuesday evening. After discussion regarding poor class
attendance on Wednesday morning and the difference in schedule for morning
and afternoon classes, the College Council approved the following statement
to be given to the University Council:
“The College of Business College
Council supports the cancellation of classes on the Wednesday morning before
Thanksgiving; however, we strongly support classes being held on the Monday
and Tuesday before Thanksgiving.”
Lenita M. Hepker, Secretary to the
Dean, College of Business
Sue,
The faculty in FCNS are not particularly
enthusiastic about adding Wednesday morning to the break. They were
against adding Tuesday evening classes to the break.
We feel that many students will begin
their personal breaks a day or so before the real break. We do not
want to give up an entire week of classes for Thanksgiving break.
Mary Pritchard
From: William Blair, Chairman; John
Wolfskill, Assistant Chairman, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Re: Proposed Extension
of Thanksgiving Break
Recently our department's advisory
committee discussed the UC's proposal to extend Thanksgiving Break so that
all classes would be cancelled the day before Thanksgiving. We are
strongly opposed to this proposal, for the following reasons:
1.
In mathematics many of our curricula are written to meet national norms
in course content and we simply cannot afford to cut a day from the academic
calendar. Quite to the contrary, in many cases we are under increasing
pressure to maintain the content of our courses and we need more class
time, not
less. We would support the reinstatement of classes on the Wednesday afternoon
before Thanksgiving. This day is not a holiday in any sense and we
are
unable to discern any academic reason for canceling classes Wednesday.
2.
If the early break for Thanksgiving is approved, the loss of a class day
in many of our courses would be unacceptable to us for academic reasons,
unless
the missed day is made up somehow. How shall we adjust the academic
calendar in order to maintain the integrity of our courses? Start
earlier? Finish
later? Hold classes on a Saturday?
3.
Considering the typical attitude of NIU students, we believe that it is
inevitable that if Wednesday is granted as an academic holiday, many students
will
attempt to push the beginning of the break even farther ahead.
4.
We believe that the proposal is politically unwise. It is widely
reported that the state is in a severe budget crisis, and many agencies
and institutions will
plead desperately to the state legislature for more favorable treatment.
How many working men and women in our state have the opportunity to tell
their
bosses that they just don't feel like working the day before Thanksgiving,
so they should have the day off? How do we think our legislators
will react if
they hear that our faculty just voted themselves an extra vacation day
on the state's dollar?
Finally, we note that while it is true that some faculty cancel classes Wednesday morning, many others do not. Those who cancel their classes often do so at the expense of those who do not, for many naive students conclude that what is acceptable in one course is acceptable in others as well. Accordingly, our department requests that the University Council take this opportunity to go on record with an official statement of policy that all classes are to meet as officially scheduled in the university calendar except in cases of emergency.
Sue,
The College Council of the
College of Education came up with the following drawbacks to not holding
classes on Wed. morning of Thanksgiving week:
- If a class
meets on M-W, then a 2nd session is lost (1st being Laobr Day)
- A number of
upper division courses in the College of Education meet once a week for
three hours. This would be a loss of 3 hours of instruction time.
Students DO attend on Wed. before Thanksgiving as these are required courses
in their majors.
- Also, most
of our students live within a 60 mile radius of DeKalb so they should all
be home by 1:30 if they left right after class on that day.
Best, Pam Farris, Distinguished
Teaching Professor, Literacy Education
The faculty members in the Department
of Literacy Education have three different views on the Thanksgiving break:
1/3 like the way things are at this time; 1/3 thing the proposal makes
sense; and 1/3 really do not care which way the university might go.
And there you have it...
Norman A. Stahl, Professor and Chair,
Literacy Education
Sue,
I have polled the faculty in my
department, and the result is that about 80% seem to favor the change.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Jonathan H. Berg, Chair, Department
of Geology and Environmental Geosciences