A new plan for class scheduling may put an end to the time-honored Syracuse University tradition of easy Fridays.

If the University Senate passes the new proposal Oct. 15, and Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw approves it, the plan will eliminate Fridays with fewer classes and replace them with Wednesdays having fewer classes. Meetings for students to discuss the matter will be held in Maxwell Auditorium from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 11, Sept. 17 and Sept. 18.

In a recent letter to the SU community, the plan’s creators, Vice President for Undergraduate Studies Ronald Cavanagh and Chairman of the Committee on Instruction Ernie Hemphill, outlined the new scheduling paradigm that is designed to give students better access to desired courses.

‘The purpose of the proposal is to improve the quality of student education,’ said university spokesman Kevin Morrow.

The change calls for a complete re-arrangement of the university’s current scheduling policy. Fifty-five minute classes will move to a Monday-Wednesday-Thursday time slot, while 80 minute classes will meet during a Tuesday-Friday time slot and Monday-Thursday slot. In addition to eliminating potential scheduling conflicts, the new proposal aims to set standard time periods for classes.

Even if the new paradigm is not accepted by the university, students can expect more classes on Fridays, as the old paradigm, which calls for 55-minute classes that meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday, would be more strictly enforced.

Another important effect of the new paradigm would be the implementation of a university-sanctioned Wednesday with fewer classes. No classes would fall between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, leaving those hours open for various university activities like club meetings and advising.

The campaign met with mixed reactions from students.

‘I like easy Fridays because when you want to go home, you just go home,’ said Erin Bailey, an undeclared freshman in The College of Arts of Sciences, who lives out-of-state.

Some students who rely on buses or airplanes to get home say the new plan will inconvenience them. But as Cavanagh and Hemphill stress, its purpose is to enhance the university’s emphasis on education.

‘I think it’s a good idea because it’ll give kids more time to study for Thursday and Friday classes, instead of having all the classes in a bulk,’ said Jane Khodos, a freshman international relations and broadcast journalism major.

While there is still no word yet on whether the university will implement the paradigm, it is certain that in October, Chancellor Shaw will make one of two decisions: approve the plan in full, or enforce the current scheduling system

If the plan passes all of its barriers, it will go into effect for the fall 2004 semester.

Published on September 10, 2003 at 12:00 pm