Make Wednesday class a compromise instead of a mandate

Monday, November 24, 2008 - 10:14 AM

Despite the cries of students looking to get out early the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, classes should not be cancelled.

University officials shouldn’t make a special mandate requiring class either. Given the placement, this Wednesday should be treated more as a somewhat-optional discussion day.

This Wednesday will never have the attendance of an average class day. For students, the appeal of cheaper plane tickets and more time back home is too strong. It is unrealistic for the university to mandate teachers hold classes.

It is more unrealistic, and more heavy-handed, for professors to schedule major assignments, like tests and quizzes, for that day to ensure attendance.

College students have enough common sense and responsibility to plan for themselves if they can take the day off. The option of an early holiday should serve as a reward for this.

For the students who want the extra class time, they can play catch-up with the extra day. The smaller-sized classes will be almost guaranteed and thus afford students with a rare small-class discussion.

There is the danger in no students showing up if the day is viewed as optional, but that won’t likely happen. Too many students will savor the opportunity of a more personal chat with their professors.

It isn’t a bad thing to turn one day a semester into a student-driven discussion with the professors. It will keep everyone on the same page and give other students a breather before finals begin.

This Wednesday is the perfect day for it, while also giving students more leniency regarding a day many will likely take off no matter the university policy.

This compromise will also give a realistic solution to the yearly problem of the unofficial pre-Thanksgiving holiday. Give students choices for the day and don’t penalize them if they choose to spend it somewhere other than school.