<p>Thank you for your e-mail. Let me explain why we do what we do and then get your thoughts. We instituted as Wednesday before Thanksgiving as a travel day so that students could get home in time for Thanksgiving. When students return from Thanksgiving, they usually have a week and then final exams. So, the Thanksgiving break comes very late in the semester.</p>
<p>We have only had a fall break for three or four years. When we initiated it, we considered putting it at Thanksgiving. After careful analysis, we made the decision to put it in the middle of the semester because the stress related to mid- term exams and other due dates that are beginning to mount at that point in the semester. Counseling Center data not only at UA but at other universities has shown that students need a break mid semester for their mental health.</p>
<p>But, thanks for bringing this up. We will review it again.</p>
<p>I think the answer is (and I emailed her back suggesting this) to make the Monday & Tuesday before Thanksgiving a mini dead period. </p>
<p>No tests or papers could be given or due those days. This would give the kids the option to miss a class if they wanted without any real penalty or harm done.</p>
<p>While that’s a possibility, if that is a time when course reviews are done or info about the final is given out, then kids won’t want to miss that either.</p>
<p>And…the week after T-giving is no longer Dead Week. Dead Week is now a week later. So, that may prevent M & T from becoming like a “dead week.”</p>
<p>I received another response to my followup. </p>
<p>“We will definitely engage the students in a discussion regarding whether they would rather have a longer Thanksgiving break or a mid semester break. You are making excellent points.”</p>
<p>Apparently this is something The University is looking into. So as others have suggested. I encourage all OOS parents who would like to see this changed to email Judy Bonner and let her know your feelings on the matter.</p>
<p>For some reason, they don’t seem to want to start school on a Monday. Don’t know why. I think it has something to do with wanting the kids to have some time free after weekend move in.</p>
<p>I think the Wednesday start is good for the above reason. Kids and parents are moving in on the weekend. That gives them Monday and Tuesday to walk their classes, pick up books, unpack boxes. It would be too hectic to start class on the Monday after move-in.</p>
<p>I think Dr. Bonner brings up an excellent point about the fall break being a mental health holiday. It gives residential students a chance to make a quick hop home to cure the homesick blues, and is a destresser after mid terms. It also gives them a chance to trade in their warm weather clothes for their winter clothes. </p>
<p>Spring semester was much tougher on my son than fall semester, because he not only saw us at Family Weekend, but also came home for Fall Break and Thanksgiving. In the Spring, he had to wait until Spring Break, and then had a whole week off. We made a quick visit in April for an honor society induction and set up storage and moved some things out to lighten the load at move-out time, but son definitely could have used a mental health break earlier in the spring semester. What made it even harder was that many of his friends had some days off for Easter, and he had none. He would have preferred a similar arrangement in the spring to what there is in the fall.</p>
<p>And a week off right before finals is good because … ???</p>
<p>Our local high school district changed its entire calendar to avoid testing after Christmas break of two weeks…It did make a change in student achievement.</p>
<p>Let’s remember why we’re at UA Thanksgiving is set as an arbitrary date anyway…</p>
<p>A three day weekend here or there is a good thing. Long breaks tend to = less learning…</p>
<p>But then we’re pretty happy with the way things are…</p>
<p>I have to agree as a parent of a kid far OOS, when coming home hasn’t even been a consideration, and who would much rather have a relaxing three-day weekend on campus. Much as I love my son his getting home mid-semester doesn’t seem at all necessary.</p>
<p>All we’re talking about is missing one more class session
than already occurs. I don’t see that hurting finals performance which is 3 weeks later.</p>
<p>I know this would be a far-out proposal, but has it been considered to shift the academic calendar so that the fall semester ends the week before Thanksgiving? This would mean the semester have would have start three weeks earlier. In compensation, the summer semester would have to start earlier and the May mini-mester would have to be eliminated completely (however, December would have ample room for a December mini-mester). Many schools already have a calendar like this: it’s called the 4-1-4 calendar.</p>
<p>I’m not sure when summer programs and internships end. If it’s be the beginning of August, then the new calendar would not interfere with those things.</p>
<p>It isn’t just missing one class session… Its breaking the routine, dealing with travel issues, not necessarily being in an environment conducive to studying, etc… etc… etc…</p>
<p>I realize I’m odd man out, at least in terms of those posting, but I hope you all give it some objective thought.</p>
<p>Let’s study while at Bama and then really relax after COMPLETING the semester ;)</p>
<p>Being gone for a Thanksgiving dinner is part of living and your kids or you will survive just fine and…maybe even spend the time making new friends, giving to others, or learning to appreciate what it is they are missing.</p>
<p>I have watched my son not exactly get around to studying the Chinese vocab he ‘wanted’ to review for fall because there is a lot going on and all of it good! Will he survive academically? Probably. But it will be harder than if he just prepared.</p>
<p>Anyway, it seems that an at-home turkey dinner is on a different priority list for some </p>
<p>Interesting what we put our energies into changing :)</p>
<p>I’m going to go against the grain here a little on this thread, but look again at Judy Bonner’s email…“'the University will definitely engage the students in a discussion”. I read this to mean this is a decision to be made with student input, not parents. As much as I would like to have my Daughter home at every break, I realize she is a young adult, and wants to be with her peers. College is a time for young people to assert their independence.</p>
<p>As a bonafide smother mother, I’m trying really hard to let decisions regarding her time at UA be made by her with only guidance by me and her Dad. I have to remind myself that she is almost 20 years old. I actually think my Daughter would be embarrased if I called the university on her behalf to ask for a change in the university calendar. </p>
<p>That said each parent needs to do what’s best for their child, and I undestand travel is an issue for some. But when chosing a school, that is one of the considerations to take into account.</p>
<p>The routine is already broke by having 3 class days off that week. And I’d bet anything that the Monday and Tuesday before thanksgiving are the most unproductive for students. Most already have their minds on traveling home. </p>
<p>If test scores are what you’re worried about than look ar the 2nd suggestion to simply ban tests those 2 days.</p>
<p>I’m not a fan of Fall semester lasting a week longer into December like it does this year as airfares are more expensive by that time. </p>
<p>The problem with a 4-1-4 schedule is that it would be harder to spend the summer at other institutions or at internships. Coming from an area where most of the schools are on the quarter system (late September to early June), many of the internships I applied to didn’t announce decisions until late May or early June. With schools on the semester system, you’d probably only be able to do a June-July term (UA’s Summer I session).</p>
<p>When scheduling breaks, it is really important to consider the feasibility of returning home. Too many schools plan their schedules as to require travelling at the most expensive times of the year. UA has been good about planning this, especially since early May is not considered to be the peak summer season. Fall Break has the benefit of being during a slower travel season. It would be cheaper to travel over Thanksgiving if students had the whole week off, but it is not as well placed into the semester as Fall Break.</p>
<p>One thing that UA shouldn’t have done is to split Fall break into two different weeks. That was a complete mess for OOS students as we need to plan our travel schedules months in advance.</p>
<p>As a working student, I prefer breaks where class is dismissed, but the University is open normal business hours. This allows employees to get work done without a lot of distractions and maybe go out to lunch together since the nearby restaurants aren’t very busy.</p>
<p>One thing to remember is that as out of region students, we are showing our independence by being far away from home and spending more time on campus versus hanging out with high school friends at home. There are certainly students who want to go home every weekend, but they’ll do that regardless of the break schedule.</p>
<p>*I know this would be a far-out proposal, but has it been considered to shift the academic calendar so that the fall semester ends the week before Thanksgiving? This would mean the semester have would have start three weeks earlier. *</p>
<p>The school may have delay started THIS YEAR to avoid one more week of hot humid weather…which I’m glad about.</p>
<p>Another problem with moving the start up is that most high schools in the northeast don’t get out until late June. Starting in early August doesn’t give those kids much of a break.</p>
<p>Those who have known me know that I DON’T qualify as a ‘smother mother’ But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care and don’t have logistical concerns. </p>
<p>UA is working well for son. Son is working well for UA. I’d like to see all this go into fixing something that is really broken. I know we have had good advice from many over the year + we’ve been on CC and my son uses Sea-tide’s travel adventures as a goal. I just don’t like things getting off track and moved away from the point of the whole experience: education and using their own wings.</p>
<p>The heat actually starts to taper off in August, which we’re seeing again now. And by not having class in December, we avoid going to class in the “brutal” (;)) cold of an Alabama December.</p>
<p>And NJB, that would only be a one-time problem.</p>
Thanksgiving is set as an arbitrary date anyway…</p>