SMC students say one study day is not enough
By COURTNEY BOYLE
News Writer
Saint Mary's students will only have one day to prepare for finals between the last class day and the start of exams, due to the fact the College's academic calendar does not have a built-in study day.
The College, which normally begins finals on a Monday after a weekend to prepare for exams, begins exams on Friday this year because of a late start to the school year. The consequence is that "study days" for the College — which are normally considered the weekend before the start of exams — will be dispersed on Thursday and Sunday of exams.
Having Thursday off this semester is just the way the calendar falls every six years because of Christmas, according to Kristen Matha, student body vice-president.
Saint Mary's Board of Governance has been working on a proposal to get a built-in study day since 1999. However, the proposal has met obstacles year after year, and a proposal to add a day for the spring semester was denied, Matha announced last week at a Board of Governance meeting.
"For the past three or four years, we have tried to get that Friday but the faculty absolutely are opposed. If one did pass, it would be on a trial basis," Matha said.
While the faculty does not want to lose a day of instruction per semester for a study day, students feel that they need one especially this semester since they don't have the weekend to prepare.
While this semester Thursday is seen as a study day, students feel that this is not good enough since classes run until Wednesday and many have study sessions on Thursday. This prohibits them from properly preparing for their finals on Friday, students said.
By having an additional study day, students would be allowed to not only take a breath but also attend study sessions and prepare for their first finals.
"I understand where the faculty is coming from, but on the other hand their justification in not giving us a study day is unfounded," junior Kristi Maurer said. "They tell us that they don't want to give us an extra day because it isn't going to be used for anything useful, but it is. I think everyone here would use it."
While finals are broken up with a rest day on Sunday, students like Maurer feel that student's being expected to do the proper preparing for finals on Sunday goes against the message that Saint Mary's tries to communicate.
"We've always tried to maintain that Sunday is a holy day and us being a Catholic college, I don't think that it is going with what Saint Mary's is trying to portray," Maurer said.
Other students think this year's final schedule doesn't let them properly prepare for final exams.
"What I don't understand is the administration is fully aware of how difficult our curriculum is and by only giving us one day to prepare for finals, it is not upholding the academic values of this school," said junior Candi McElligott.
Students like McElligott are upset Notre Dame students will have three class-free days during the course of their exams, while Saint Mary's does not afford their students the same opportunity.
"I can't even fathom their reasoning for giving us only one day to prepare for finals when the school across the street has three," said McElligott.
All News Stories for Tuesday, December 11, 2001
