Schedule changes don't go far enough

Last spring, the administration announced a big change. Let me begin by saying that I applaud them for that. Changes are scary for universities, especially elite ones with brilliant faculty who like to do things their way -- the way they've always done them.

So, when the administration announced that in the Spring of 2008, the University would be changing its weekly schedule from the current M/T/W and Th/F class schedule to a new, M/W/F and T/Th class schedule, it knowingly angered a great many people.

Faculty were irritated because they were losing four consecutive days to work on their research without having to teach. Similarly, students were disappointed to learn they would no longer be able to avoid Thursday and Friday classes and enjoy a four-day weekend -- or, if interning during the semester, spend time working off-campus.

But the administration made a strong case for the new schedule.

The current schedule is highly problematic, which is probably why Hopkins is one of very few, if not the only, universities that uses it. It makes it nearly impossible to take classes at either Peabody or the school of Public Health, and scheduling conflicts during desirable times are rampant. It's difficult to efficiently schedule classroom spaces, while classes held over three consecutive days do not allow enough time for students to complete meaningful assignments before their next meeting. These are all good reasons for change, and, under the new system, students who want to pursue an internship won't have a problem.

But the administration's primary impetus for change lays in the findings of the 2003 Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE). The CUE Report indicates that compression of the academic week into three days is severely detrimental to the social and physical health of many undergraduate students. The new schedule is intended to relieve academic pressure and reduce the "binge-learning" that takes place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights.

Having recently spent both Saturday and Sunday night at the library, I will be the first to admit that academic pressure at Hopkins is out of control. In fact, I had difficulty finding a seat. Maybe this new schedule will help ameliorate that, but I doubt it.

There seems to be a significant lack of understanding by the administration and faculty as to what a Hopkins "weekend" actually entails. To the administration's chagrin, much student opposition to the new schedule has been centered on the loss of the four-day weekend.

But four-day weekends don't really exist at Hopkins, since the workweek never actually ends. When classes are over, the studying begins. If the administration and faculty visited the library on Saturday and Sunday, they would find it quite full and the Beach largely empty. Having Thursdays and Fridays off enables students to spend those days at the library and maybe have a whole afternoon to themselves during the actual weekend.

The M/T/W, Th/F schedule may be unique to Hopkins, but so is the workload. The academic intensity of Hopkins is what differentiates our education from that of everyone else, but it also explains why many of us are burned out, sleep deprived, depressed, stressed, lonely or, at the very least, incredibly frustrated by the lack of balance in our lifestyles. Rearranging the days we have class will do little to correct this.

But there are many things that would. There could very easily be a University-wide limit on the number of pages of reading professors are allowed to assign each week -- which they should be doing themselves anyway. This week my assignments add up to a midterm, a paper and 974 pages of reading. Finishing all of it would require a miracle, especially if I hope to maintain any quality of life including eating, sleeping, working a job, exercising or socializing.

Or we could have a standardized midterm period, complete with a reading period and examination schedules. Then certain other weeks could be designated midterm/paper free, such as the ones after fall break and Family Weekend. As long as we're adjusting the schedule, why not have an actual Homecoming Week -- a parade, some spirit competitions, a football game and a tailgate? Or, at the very least, let us start a week or two earlier so we can have some time to breathe during the semester.

I'm glad the administration recognizes how stressed and pressured students feel academically and that it's willing to make changes to improve the lives of its students.

I just wish it'd make a few more.