I should have posted this yesterday but I just didn’t see the article until now: Inside Higher Ed has a piece titled “The Pilgrimage Home,” which is about different rules at different schools for the Thanksgiving break– to have or not have classes on Wednesday, for example.
I know that EMU has played around with this over the years, and while I think the current rule of the university being open but having no classes is good, I’ve often thought it would be worth it to start the fall semester a few days earlier and get the whole week off. In any event, today is a day off for everyone. Don’t trample each other shopping, okay?
Oh how I wish you were a fairy godmother rather than a mere mortal sitedad, Steve! A week-long break is much needed for the Fall semester. I was just gaining momentum on an introduction that I am writing for a JNT collection, and now have to switch gears midstream for grading and preparing for Monday’s classes. ‘Twould be many wonderfuls indeed to have a more extensive break this time of year, and not so very much of a hassle to start earlier that I can see.
Is this where we list our thankful for list?
1) I’m thankful for the $40+ Million Non-Academic expenditure (New Student Center) and it’s complete absence of a bowling alley.
oh wait.. sorry. I should be more cheerful than I am right now…
Why can’t Pray Harrold Classes be taught at the New Student Center?
181,000 Square Feet and there’s no ability to teach a few Classes there?
Seems to me the Heating/Cooling problems are fixed quite well if we started using that building for Academic activities.
One could move “The Writing Center” to the New Student Union as well.
One could actually Revitalize the Writing Center with that kind of space.
You don’t need additional revenue… Just thinking outside of the box.
Just a thought.
Having no classes during Thanksgiving week would be a real step toward recognizing the complexity of so many EMU students’ lives, and it would not come at the expense of instructional contact hours, as that Mon-Tues would have to be made up elsewhere in the term. But we’d gain a lot in terms of quality of attention and attendance for the class days. So I vote with Sitedad on this one and I recommend that the Tuesday after Labor Day be the first day of classes henceforth. We’d still have to make up the Monday, but that’d not be hard.