Student Assembly

Dear President Skorton,

I would like to convey, Student Assembly Resolution 16: Recommendations Concerning Study Week, to you. The recommendation was written by Representative Fridman, who was concerned about several issues that were brought up during the SA’s discussion of the Registrar’s proposed final exam schedules (R. 9).

There seemed to be a consensus among the group that more time to study during study period would be beneficial for the mental health of students. Many SA representatives argued that one more day to study during study period would make them more tolerant of “bad events” during exam period, such as exam conflicts or multiple exams within a 24 hour period. Others argued that February break was not as beneficial for decreasing stress for students as it was intended to be. These representatives felt that the break was too early in the semester, and that the extra time would be better used toward the end of the year right before exams. Many representatives expressed that the way the old calendar was structured allowed them a less stressful exam period than the new one does.

This recommendation also calls on the administrators who are making these decisions to take more time to consult with students when making changes, such as those to the University calendar. Perhaps, it will be necessary to engage more students, or to engage students in a different way, than we have in the past.

While I understand that the points I just articulated may be controversial, and I imagine that students and administrators may disagree on them, the overarching point of this resolution is simple: there needs to be more communication, and more student input when making big decisions, like calendar changes. I believe that this is something that is incredibly feasible and achievable.

We were not able to schedule a meeting with the proper administrators to discuss the content of this resolution before it was passed, but we do plan on meeting with them this upcoming week. Cassie Dembosky, Kate Walsh, David Delchamps, William Fry, Jeffrey Doyle and several students will participate in this discussion.

Hopefully, this conversation will be fruitful and will allow for productive collaboration in the future when such decisions are made on the university level. I will keep you updated on the progress.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best, Sarah