Students were able to hold onto summer a bit longer this year because of a complicated scheduling procedure that caused classes to start after Labor Day, officials said.
Although classes have not begun after Labor Day weekend since 2003, administrators say this is not an unusual occurrence and will not affect the semester as a whole.
“There have been several years when we start after Labor Day,” Associate Provost for Academic Planning & Programs Phyllis Peres said. “Doing the calendar is very complex; [university administrators] ultimately have very little choice in the matter. It’s just how the days work out.”
The reason for the late start, she said, can be chalked up to a scheduling system related to faculty contracts and required office hours for classes. Because faculty contracts begin Aug. 23, classes can begin no earlier than Aug. 30 without special permission from the Board of Regents, the body that governs the University System of Maryland.
This year, Aug. 30 happens to fall on a Saturday, so students are rewarded two more days of play before they have to get back to work – an extension students say is more than welcome.
“I love it,” sophomore bioengineering major Sindhu Raghunandan said. “It gives us a nice long weekend to meet new people and settle in.”
But the relaxed schedule, much to students’ dismay, will be short-lived, with another post-Labor Day start not scheduled until 2013.
“I think they should do this every year,” sophomore psychology major Sushma Vishnubhotlu said.
But changing days around to accommodate students or faculty members is nearly impossible, officials said. The annual calendar is scheduled years in advance and adheres to the board’s strict regulations, leaving very little wiggle room.
“People always ask why we don’t get that Wednesday off before Thanksgiving, and I say, ‘If you can figure out a better way to work the days out, go ahead,'” Peres said.
Despite the late start, classes will not end any later than usual and no vacation days will be cut.
“It all really works out to be about the same,” Peres said.
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