Jennifer Locsey, who wrote a letter on March 11, wonders why the university would require Friday classes. The historic reason was to save money by keeping the number of classrooms as low as possible. If a campus has 100 classrooms that are fully utilized five days per week, and we reduce the class week to four days, we need 25 new classrooms. That adds 25 percent to all classroom costs: construction, equipping, heating, cooling, lighting, and maintenance.
Unfortunately, that horse is already out of the barn. A series of provosts and deans in certain colleges has refused to enforce the university requirement for Friday classes, and Ohio University has apparently added enough classroom space to allow for a four-day week for most students. I myself finally gave in and have avoided teaching Friday classes this year.
It is a huge mistake, though. The price of three-day weekends is very high. I encourage all students to contemplate their student loan balances and offer a fitting gesture of acknowledgement to administrators who pander to the shallow desires of students and faculty alike and so injure the university they are entrusted to serve.
Steve Hays is an associate professor of classics and world religions.
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Letter to the Editor
