Spring Break is too close to finals, according to many ULM students
This semester has started off really well. Students are amped about learning, and they are even amped about losing weight.
Everything seems to be on the up and up until ones takes a look at the calendar.
The next break for students is Mardi Gras, which is March 7, a little less than two months away, and about a month after that is spring break.
However, if students are planning to lie out on the beach, they will be accompanied by text books. When school resumes, final exams will be just around the corner.
Sophmore history major, Jasmine Garcia, from Aubrun, said, “It dampers my break because the year is almost over anyway. Its Irritating.”
The reason for such scheduling is not due to some high up school official who sits with a calendar thinking of ways to make student’s lives miserable.
The process is actually quite complex. The schedule is created a year in advance.
A committee of about fifteen people, consisting of faculty members, administrators and staff, get together and discuss various possibilities for breaks.
They look at financial aid deadlines and other components to make the schedule.
The determining factor is how many minutes a class would meet.
“As we’re building our fall and spring schedule, for example, we want to make sure we have enough Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes then when you add them together it comes up to at least 2100 minutes,” said Michael Camille, Associate dean for the College of Arts and sciences and Chair of the University Calender Committee.
The committee comes up with a rough draft, takes it to higher administrators and the calendar is made from there.
“Sometimes the schedules are beyond our control. It is all to make sure we have a good balance between academics and break time,” said Camille.
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