Ohio University's quarters-to-semesters transition team is debating the length of winter break under the new semester-based academic calendar.
The winter break under the new calendar - to be implemented in fall of 2012 - will be between three and four weeks long. Groups on campus are divided on how long the break should be.
Student Senate President Michael Adeyanju said that undergraduate students favor a longer break so that they can hold seasonal jobs. A break of fewer than four weeks would make seasonal work impractical, he said.
Team representatives for graduate students also support a break of four weeks. Graduate Student Senate passed a resolution in January demanding a winter break of at least four weeks.
GSS president and transition team member Peter Wickman said that current graduate students use the six-week winter break to conduct research and travel abroad. A break of fewer than four weeks would not give graduate students enough time, Wickman said. In a recent survey of graduate students conducted by GSS, 79 percent of respondents favored a four-week break.
Faculty and staff representatives claim that a longer break would take time away from summer, limiting time for faculty to conduct research and staffs to prepare for the coming year.
Thomas Carpenter, transition team co-chairman and faculty representative, said the top priority for the majority of faculty is ensuring that the new winter break is no longer than three weeks. OU's six-week winter break serves as critical research time
Carpenter said. Because this time will be shortened after the transition, faculty will need more time in the summer.
Some university staff representatives also support a break of three weeks.
George Cheripko, representative for the university classified staffs, said that his constituents' primary concern is having adequate time during the summer to prepare for the upcoming academic year. Classified employees include custodial and maintenance workers, technical support employees, office assistants and other positions. A four-week break would take time away in the summer and pressure classified employees, Cheripko said.
David Descutner, dean and associate provost for Undergraduate Education, is representing the college deans during the transition team's proceedings. He said that the Deans will consider all of the groups' demands before making a final decision and submitting a recommendation to the provost.
We try to be as consultative as possible said Descutner, adding that the deans themselves have not taken a position on the issue.
The provost will select the final draft of the calendar after considering recommendations made by the deans.
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Erich Hiner
