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Friday folly: Students speculate schedule shift

By Alison Treen, Senior Staff Writer

For some Miami University students, the weekend begins one day early.

A sequence of Oxford undergraduate English classes show ta decrease in the number of courses offered on Fridays in recent years.

In the fall semester of 2007, there were 87 English classes offered on Fridays. In the fall of 2008, the number rose to 97; in the fall semester of 2013 the number dropped to 69; and this fall semester of 2014, the amount slid to 62.

Why the hike in classes in 2008?

In 2006, Miami University printed a news release establishing an alcohol task force whose job was to find ways to curb student alcohol abuse. Among the task force's suggestions were building a new student union, increasing punishments for underage drinking and using false identification - and adding more Friday classes.

Specifically, the release states to "increase the percentage of undergraduate classes scheduled for early mornings and Fridays to at least 30 percent by fall 2008."

"The Task Force of '06 was part of the President Garland Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking," Rebecca Young, Director of the Office of Student Wellness and part of the current Task Force, said.

"That Task Force did recommend an increase in Friday classes because data suggests that when students have Friday classes they will drink less on Thursday nights, thus decreasing negative consequences from high risk alcohol use," Young said.

While trends in classes seem to support the previous Task Force's recommendation, the current Task Force has neither confirmed nor denied its opinion on increasing Friday classes.

"The current Task Force is reviewing all policies and recommendations that are supported by data," Young said.

Regardless, students and faculty alike take note of their Friday classes.

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"Attendance is an issue," Professor Scott Johnston of the Architecture and Interior Design Department said.

He said he views attendance as a student's responsibility, and if they miss the information, it is essentially their loss. However, he pointed out, after the first test of the semester, the attendance tends to rise, including on Fridays.

Sophomores Althea Perley and Brianna O'Connor have noticed a similar trend in their Friday classes.

Perley said she does not skip her Friday Spanish class because, although her teacher does not take traditional roll call, he gives out a worksheet that indicates who is there and who is not.

Still, Perley said that the incentive is not always enough for attendance.

"Class is definitely smaller on Friday," she said.

O'Connor's microbiology professor uses a similar tactic in the Friday morning session, by giving Critical Thinking Analysis assignments that are due in class.

O'Connor said that for her class, this approach has been effective in keeping attendance up.

"I don't skip class," she added.

Although O'Connor consistently goes to class, she said she has noticed a drop in Friday classes for her schedule. Last year, she had three in the fall and two in the spring, but has only one this semester.

Junior Paul Rodriguez said he has also noticed a decrease in the amount of Friday classes compared to his freshman year and last year.

This semester, he has one class on Friday.

"It's the only class I would skip," he said. "I have other stuff to get done."

Rodriguez said he thinks the effect of Friday classes on Thursday night partying would depend.

"If you're a responsible student, that'd definitely affect [going out]," he said.

O'Connor disagreed.

"I think [adding more Friday classes] would cause kids to skip more and get worse grades. If I had more later in the day I'd probably skip them," she said, citing going home early for the weekend as a prime reason.

Another factor that may affect the amount of courses on Fridays is the growing number on online courses.

English 223 offers three classes in Oxford this semester, one of which is on Friday. Next semester, the Friday class will become an online course.

Professor Lynette Hudiburgh of the Department of Statistics currently teaches a course where 40 percent of the material is online.

"Friday sessions are optional. So clearly I have fewer students attend on Fridays than on other days," she said.

Perley said she feels similarly toward classes being scheduled on Friday.

"It's so pointless because the teachers don't want to be there and they know you don't want to be there," she said.

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