PROPOSAL 4-78

TO CHANGE THE WINTER QUARTER 1977-78 ACADEMIC CALENDAR

BACKGROUND:

After the changes decided upon last year, the winter quarter has 49 days. Proposal 12-77 eliminated classes scheduled for Thursday, December 22 and Friday, December 23. The same proposal also declared Tuesday, December 20 to be a Thursday and Wednesday, December 21 to be a Friday for purposes of scheduling. As a result of these changes, winter quarter 1977-78 has 9 Mondays and10 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It has a total of 49 days compared with 48 for fall quarter 1977 and 48.5 for spring quarter 1978.

The University has now learned that Monday, January 2 will be a federal holiday and that major bowl games and other traditional New Year's festivities will be held that day instead of Sunday, January 1. As more than half of Tech's students live 500 or more miles from Tech, it would be a hardship for many of them to have to travel on January 2. Likewise, it would be a hardship for MTU employees to work on January 2 instead of enjoying the New Year's activities with their families. Canceling classes for January 3 allows the University to declare January 2 to be a holiday. Winter quarter 1977-78 will then have 48 days, the same as fall 1977.

PROPOSAL:

The Senate recommends that the 1977-78 Christmas-New Year recess extend through January 3, 1978 and that classes resume the morning of Wednesday, January 4, 1978. The classes which have been scheduled for January 3, 1978 should be cancelled.

Defeated to Senate: 7 December 1977