Don't go buy your Ball State 2008-2009 calendars yet.
The academic calendar was released this week and it looks very similar to this year's. Classes begin Aug. 25, there's a three-day Fall Break, we have nine days off for Spring Break and Commencement is May 9.
And Fruesday returns.
It's the pretend-Tuesday-is-Friday solution to avoiding Saturday finals. First proposed two years ago, this fall is the first time Ball State will try Fruesday. Propelled by Student Government Association support, the academic calendar was changed half-way through last year to accommodate students' desire to end Finals Week on a Friday. The Fruesday (as it was quickly nicknamed) ensures the Fall Semester maintains an equal number of each day of the week.
It's a strange idea, and we have yet to see how it will work. However, it's only nine school days until the inaugural attempt, the day before Thanksgiving Break. When the Fruesday plan was approved last spring, it was on a trial basis, with the idea that it would continue if successful. If not, the university would try something else.
Right now, we are on target for at least two years of Fruesdays. The schedule for 2008-2009 could change, Undergraduate Education Committee chairman Michael Spillman said, if there is a demand for it from faculty, departments and students. Or the university could give Fruesday two tries before scrapping the plan.
If all or most faculty and students conduct and attend class, let's give it a second try. However, Ball State needs to have a back-up plan to quickly propose and implement in case Fruesday doesn't work out this year. And the university needs to take that possibility seriously, as some professors and students are already planning "fluff days" or to skip.
The Ball State community shouldn't treat the published 2008-2009 calendar as if it is set in stone. Think about alternatives and tell your SGA representatives or department chairs what you think about Fruesday after giving it a try two weeks from now. If it works, good. If it doesn't, don't force it for a second year.
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