Provost Scott Bass approved a change in classtimes on Nov. 13 that will allow for 20 minutes between classes to accommodate students traveling from the new East Campus, and will push the earliest class of the day to 8:10 a.m.
The changes will go into effect next fall, according to Registrar Doug McKenna.
McKenna said the Faculty Senate approved the new teaching periods during a meeting on Nov. 4. Members of Student Government also weighed in on the proposal during a meeting with McKenna on Nov. 13. The proposal was then sent to the Office of the Registrar, who gave final approval for a completely revised schedule.
“The primary reason for revising the approved teaching periods is to build more time in between classes for students and faculty to get from one part of campus to another,” McKenna said in an email on Nov. 16. “With East Campus opening in Fall 2016 and the Spring Valley Building being used in Fall 2016, we wanted to better facilitate travel between locations,” he said, referring to the old location of the Washington College of Law.
The entire schedule of classes will be adjusted, with the earliest class beginning at 8:10 a.m. and the latest class beginning at 9:45 p.m. McKenna said it is unlikely that undergraduates will be affected by this latest class, as the period will be mostly reserved for graduate courses.
The evening block schedule, with classes from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and from 8:10 p.m. to 10:40 p.m., will remain the same. Additionally, daytime classes will still occur in 75 minute periods.
McKenna said he expects students will have a variety of reactions to these changes, but he added that the adjusted schedule may benefit students.
“Some undergraduates have commented that an earlier class will enable them to get to a job or an internship in the afternoon more easily,” he said.
The adjusted schedule of classes will also change the shuttle bus schedule.
According to the proposal Bass approved, a shuttle will run on regular intervals between main campus and the Spring Valley building between 8:00 a.m. and 11:05 p.m. on weekdays. These scheduled times will allow students and faculty to travel between the two campus locations between class times, and shuttles will continue to run on current routes throughout the day.
