If fall break is eliminated next year at AU, the new policy would also be somewhat unusual when compared with similar institutions.
Three weeks ago, the Faculty Senate and the Graduate Leadership Council approved a proposal that would eliminate fall break and make Thanksgiving break a full week, The Eagle reported. University President Benjamin Ladner's cabinet has the final say over whether the proposal passes, according to David Taylor, Ladner's chief of staff.
Compared with the calendars of several universities with 17-week semesters, not including vacations like spring and Thanksgiving breaks, AU is in the minority by having two days off in the middle of the semester for fall break. However, the University of Colorado at Boulder adopted this calendar starting this year.
Princeton University has a week-long break toward the end of October and gives Thanksgiving and the Friday afterward off. The University of Notre Dame has a similar fall break schedule.
This started at Princeton in 1970 so students and faculty could work on political activities, The Daily Princetonian reported last fall. A 1970 survey showed that 24 percent of Princeton students did political work during the two-week break that year, and today many students there use the break to catch up on coursework.
However, this calendar is also unmatched by some other schools.
Both Tulane and George Washington universities have a three-day break for Thanksgiving, starting the Wednesday before and going through the Friday after the holiday.
Georgetown University only breaks on Thanksgiving Day and the day after it. Both New York and Boston universities use the same system as Georgetown. None of the universities offer two days off in the middle of October.
"It is a tough issue," said Andy Asensio, communications director of the Georgetown University Student Association, the school's undergraduate student government. "People might welcome the sort of fall break that American University has, but there has been no push for it from the students."
The University of Maryland-College Park gives students four days off for Thanksgiving, starting with the Tuesday before. This balances the Monday that UMD is off for Labor Day, giving one full week off during the fall semester.
Undergraduates at Yale University get the full week of Thanksgiving off from classes.
At AU, there has been an undergraduate movement to keep fall break. The General Assembly voted on a resolution to place fall break on a referendum that all students would vote on.
Anthony Tellish, GA College of Arts and Sciences representative, said he asked about 50 of his constituents about the issue. Only four said they were against having fall break, Tellish said.
Student Confederation President Polson Kanneth, who is against the proposal, said he has received more than 100 e-mails in support of keeping fall break. This gives "a strong case," he previously told The Eagle.
Graduate students at AU feel differently.
"I support the change," Graduate Leadership Council executive chair Zen Hunter-Ishikawa previously told The Eagle. "But it's not like we're fighting for this change. This is not a battle that I'm willing to fight, whereas Polson is."
Junior Carolina Nemeo supports keeping fall break.
"Most midterms occur after fall break, so the time off gives students a chance to study," she said. "Also it gives students time off to do something other than school."
Some professors also agree with keeping fall break, such as Shaista Khilji of the Kogod School of Business.
"[Fall break] can allow students a time to catch up on their work, assuming they do that," Khilji said. "Also, it helps professors catch up on grading if they have a three-test system, which generally will have tests before the week with fall break."
Fall 2004 semester calendars at other colleges after Labor Day
Boston University: two days off for Thanksgiving Georgetown University: two days off for Thanksgiving George Washington University: three days off for Thanksgiving New York University: two days off for Thanksgiving Princeton University: one week off in October, two days off for Thanksgiving Tulane University: three days off for Thanksgiving University of Colorado at Boulder: two-day fall break, two days off for Thanksgiving University of Maryland-College Park: four days off for Thanksgiving University of Notre Dame: one week off in October, two days off for Thanksgiving Yale University: one week off for Thanksgiving
Source: Universities' Web sites
