Collegiate Times

It has come to the attention of top-level administrators that professors have been canceling regularly scheduled classes on Fridays. University Provost Mark McNamee believes one reason for this might be that professors expect lower class attendance on specific days, which occur before and after university breaks and holidays.

Professors have claimed that on such days holding class with such low attendance has little benefit, even for students who do choose to attend class.  This is because teachers are less inclined to present new material or to have active class discussion when so few students are present.

McNamee believes that professors might also cancel classes as favors to students in attempts to be well liked rather than for practical purposes. While these class cancellations don't occur very frequently, they occurred enough this academic year to prompt McNamee to send out an e-mail to faculty earlier this spring, letting them know that canceling class on March 6, the day before spring break, would not be tolerated.

Canceling classes without good reason is not within university policy - faculty members are employed by the university to teach their regularly scheduled classes on the assigned days; not only that, they have an obligation to their students.

The argument that classes with unusually low attendances are not worth having is invalid; if there are still students showing up for class expecting to learn, it is the professor's obligation to teach those students just as they would any other day. Additionally, with the increasing cost of tuition, it is unfair to cancel classes that students have paid for and want to attend.

The decisions of some professors to cancel classes on Fridays have effects that extend beyond just those classes. Not only are they setting a standard that students run the risk of getting used to, but they also increase the likelihood of students skipping classes before or after that Friday class, or on the Thursday before.

If our university sanctioned spring break officially begins on Friday afternoon and teachers with Friday morning classes cancel, students would be more likely to skip their Thursday classes to add an extra day to their breaks.

If the university catered to the student habit of skipping classes on Fridays before breaks and started spring break one day earlier, then teachers with Thursday classes might feel more inclined to cancel them, prompting students to skip their Wednesday classes.

Additionally, with so many university courses now being held on Mondays and Wednesdays and Tuesdays and Thursdays, Friday classes are becoming increasingly less common.

Therefore, it is unlikely that most students or professors will have a full schedule of Friday classes. Virginia Tech is currently confronting the issue of offering an adequate number of classes while dealing with a shortage of available space.  This issue makes some Friday classes impossible to avoid, and although inconvenient and often times annoying, they are necessary. Students who absolutely hate Friday classes shouldn't sign up to take them.

Professors who hate Friday classes should realize that teaching them is part of their job and obligation to their students and the university. With many three-credit courses meeting for only 2.5 hours each week, class time is of the essence. Professors should make the most of their time and hold classes as regularly scheduled, as not doing so does a disservice to students.  

The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries, Laurel Colella and Debra Houchins.