The Senate of Michigan Technological University

PROPOSAL 10-90


The academic calendar should be changed for the 1991/92 year so that classes begin on a Wednesday after Christmas break (if it is impossible by 1991/92, do so in 1992/93). This should be accomplished by adding these three (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) days to the present winter calendar, which would result in adding a calendar week to the present academic quarter and postponing scheduled winter quarter final week, spring break, and spring quarter by one week.

Enrollment data

Students enrolled in the laboratories during 1990/91

Fall Winter Spring
Monday am
267
387
263
pm
870
871
884
Tuesday am
1154
1057
1099
pm
1486
1493
1549
Wednesday am
424
458
202
pm
977
936
578
Thursday am
1041
1151
867
pm
1173
1059
981
Friday am
308
225
185
pm
459
275
227

There are two major reasons for making this change. These cause particular problems for those courses that are repeated in the winter quarter (i.e., covering the same amount of material).

1) The two days officially excused for Winter Carnival causes about 2700 students to miss their Thursday and Friday laboratories. This much time cannot be made up in most laboratory courses.

2) The Friday before Christmas break and the Wednesday before Winter Carnival are often not effective class periods.

 

Tabled by the Senate: 4/17/91