Collegiate Times

While Thursday night home football games bring out full attendance to Blacksburg’s Lane Stadium, they don’t have the same effect on class attendance.

Faculty and staff are preparing for depleted classrooms in light of tonight’s face-off between Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina.

Daniel Thorp, head of the department of history, said that it had been a few years since he had taught a Thursday afternoon class.

“My gut feeling is that it hurts it,” Thorp said.

John Ryan, head of the department of sociology, was more confident about his class attendance.

“I’ve never personally noticed a problem with attendance in my classes,” Ryan said. “I think it’s because my students all love me.”

There’s also some debate on the game’s effect on the attendance for classes Friday morning.

“I do forsee a dip in early Friday morning classes,” Thorp said.

Richard Perdue, head of the department of hospitality and tourism management, said the attendance problems were more focused on Thursday afternoon.

“We haven’t observed any Friday morning issues,” Perdue said. “Thursday afternoon will have a higher attendance issue.”

While student attendance may be lacking,  Ryan said policies were in place in his department to ensure faculty would teach their courses.

“We have a policy against that and really frown upon the canceling of classes,” Ryan said.

University spokesman Larry Hincker said he had seen few complaints, with some questions revolving around the release of administrative officials.

“We do let out the administrative offices early, and at first this raised some eyebrows because people did not understand why they did one and not the other,” Hincker said. “We let all administrative offices out at four so that they can get to their cars and get out because of the traffic due to people coming in for the game.”

Hincker stressed the importance of the games to the Tech community.

“Everybody is kind of used to this by now,” Hincker said. “The Thursday night game is a tradition for Tech.”

The game, which will be televised on ESPN and online at ESPN 360, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. The Hokies will follow their one Thursday night home game with another Thursday night matchup with Eastern Carolina University on Nov. 5.