Bandas says calendar cannot change without elimination of fall break
The 2007 fall semester will begin Aug. 29 and end Dec. 22, shortening winter break by one week.
The change will affect many students and organizations on campus, as travel becomes more expensive close to the holidays, and Alternative Winter Break and summer sessions become harder to schedule.
Dean of Students Mark Bandas said the Student Government Association proposed shifting the calendar to make Aug. 22 the first day of classes and Dec. 15 the last day of finals.
However, according to Cara Bilotta, Vanderbilt Student Government president-elect, the calendar cannot be changed.
Due to the addition of fall break several years ago, two days of classes had to be reapportioned to the end of the semester in December.
As a result, in certain years the fall semester ends on Dec. 22, which Bandas said has happened in the past without many complaints. He said he believes students prefer keeping the fall break to having an earlier end date to the semester.
"The recent SGA proposal was carefully reviewed; many departments, offices and parties were consulted," Bandas said. "Given the constraints and time frame for decision-making, we will not be able to alter the calendar for fall 2007."
Bilotta said Bandas was very sympathetic to the issue.
"He has worked in housing for a number of years and understands the resident advisers may remain as late as Dec. 24," Bilotta said. "He really did consult everyone he could to facilitate a change in the Dec. 22 date, but the only option would be to give up fall break."
Bandas cited strict construction schedules as the reason behind the rejection of the SGA proposal.
The construction of two new residence halls will continue this summer, and renovations are scheduled for East and Memorial Halls.
Bandas said the project management calendars cannot complete the buildings until mid-August.
"After the buildings are turned over, we still have to move in furniture and clean the facilities," he said.
Many students arrive up to two weeks earlier than the start date of classes. If the semester began Aug. 22, resident advisers, VUcept board members, Doreways leaders, athletic teams, Ingram scholars, ROTC members and band members would move in as early as Aug. 8.
Rushing the construction schedule would put over 700 beds at risk of incompletion upon the arrival of students.
Sophomore Kimi DeMent was surprised by the change in the calendar, saying, "I had no idea they had even changed it!"
Likewise, junior Piper Miles-Coccaro said she was dismayed by the shortened break.
"I usually make plans to travel over winter break in addition to visiting back home," she said. "Now I feel like there is hardly enough time."
Although nothing can be done to change next year's academic calendar, Bilotta plans to revise the calendar-planning infrastructure and begin negotiations regarding the next Dec. 22 end date in 2012.
While a university calendar committee composed of students appointed by SGA exists, she said the communication between the appointees and student government has been ineffective because the appointees were not directly tied into the SGA structure.
"Speaker of the Senate Jared Anderson plans to appoint members of Vanderbilt Student Government to these and other committees so that when such conversations about the academic calendar and other issues are discussed, VSG can then be better alerted," she said.
Bandas said he thinks the SGA proposal raises many valid and important issues.
"I hope to work with the new VSG and the calendar committee to review this or similar proposals for calendar modification," he said.
To date, the only option for amending the last day of fall classes in 2012 would be the permanent dissolution of fall break. Bilotta opposes the elimination of fall break, especially since many students have already made plans for next year's break.
