Fall Semester Calendar change

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Miami - Florida
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<h2>Due to closings for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, UMiami has changed their Fall semester calendar. They have released a policy regarding those that will have to change airline flights home for the semester break. UM is a class act.</h2>

<p>Hurricane Wilma – Reimbursement of Flight Rescheduling Fees
Students who changed their airline flights due to changes in the exam schedule for the fall semester will be reimbursed for any fees assessed by the airlines for the ticket change. The reimbursement will be in the form of a credit towards the spring semester.</p>

<h2>Details can be found at <a href="http://www.miami.edu/account-services/ReimbursementFormHurricaneWilma.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.miami.edu/account-services/ReimbursementFormHurricaneWilma.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2>

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<p>They sure are, M3S. My understanding, though, is that while the calendar has changed, the term itself will still end on the same day, so few should have a need to change travel plans. </p>

<p>What UM has done is to eliminate finals period - the reading period when kids study between the end of classes and the start of finals - as well as the official final exam period. Classes will go through what was to be the last day of finals, and any finals that will be given will take place in class. That way they can use the extra class time to make up for missed classes. </p>

<p>Not sure how the kids are taking this change - but as a parent who wasn't looking forward to scrambling to change flight reservations, I am pleased.</p>

<p>As for their class act, they really are quite a place. I called UM during the time when classes were cancelled because of Wilma, since S was contemplating flying home. School had been closed already for a day, and the hurricane had already passed through, but we had just learned they'd be closed through the end of the week as South Florida worked to get back to normal. As we live on the west coast and hadn't budgetted for another trip, I preferred he stay put. But I worried that too many kids might clear out and wondered what life would be like for those who stayed. </p>

<p>I left a message, and received a call back from someone in the VP for Student Affairs office. She suggested he stay - that travel to the airport was hard as no traffic lights were working, that the airport was a zoo, that UM had generators and the kids were among a very select few in S Florida who had power (except for a few times on days 1 and 2), that the buildings (library, student center, wellness center, etc.) were slowly reopening, that the dorms and dining halls had power, and that the kids were safe. We discussed the semester schedule. I told her my worries about scheduling a new flight, and she promised to call back as soon as they made a decision. Which she did!</p>

<p>S reported that he saw and talked to President Donna Shalala twice in the days after Wilma, as she walked the campus to see how things looked immediately after Wilma hit, and then how they were shaping up during the cleanup. Both times she engaged with students, stopping to talk with them in the course of her tour.</p>

<p>I cannot say enough good things about UM!</p>

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<p>We hadn't booked S's ticket yet , but were just about to for the afternoon of the 12th since his last final would have been that AM. Now his last class will be the afternoon of the 14th. I think he will probably fly home on the 15th. He does know several kids who need to change flights because their finals were all early during the finals period and they had planned to leave after their last exam.</p>

<p>S saw Donna Shalala in work boots helping out with the cleanup after Katrina. He also said she has stopped by their table in the cafeteria to chat and is often seen eating lunch with the kids. S has been very impressed with her visible presence and availability to the kids.</p>

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<p>Since we booked S's return flight when we booked his initial flight to Miami, we just set him up to fly home the day after the last day of finals. We had no way of knowing the finals schedule back in June. But I guess that kids who go back and forth more would not necessarily book a Dec. return to go with an August flight! Now I really do appreciate the U's offer to help kids who had to reschedule. A class act, indeed.</p>