This year has been full of calendar-related problems, but fortunately the administration seems to have in some ways demonstrated its willingness to be flexible. To accommodate Jewish students observing Shavuot, administrators moved the date of Commencement in 2010 from May 19 to May 18. Columbia should have the same flexible attitude when considering next year’s poorly scheduled academic calendar.
Many grievances have been aired about the 2009-2010 academic schedule. The shortened study week has been a source of concern to many, and having finals almost all the way up to Christmas makes it very difficult for many students to travel home in time for the holiday. Administrators attribute this year’s schedule to the late Labor Day, which pushed the start of the school year back by a week, resulting in a winter break that starts on Dec. 24, with finals from Dec. 18 to Dec. 23.
Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays among students at Columbia and has both important religious and familial importance to many. For students with exams on Dec. 23, traveling home in time for Christmas will be difficult. For international students, it may be impossible. The high airfares for flights so close to Christmas will complicate students’ travel plans, regardless of whether or not they celebrate the holiday. The increase in ticket fares from Thursday, Dec. 17 to the following Thursday, on which many students will depart home, can be over $100 for students flying domestically.
While students will simply have to accept this year’s schedule and hope for early finals, the administration should try to avoid a similar situation next year. According to Columbia’s online calendar, finals are once again scheduled through Dec. 23 in 2010, possibly forcing students to sacrifice an important religious event for academics for a second year.
There may be complications to beginning the academic year a week earlier. However, Columbia should consider following in the footsteps of its peer institutions, many of which began this year a week before Labor Day to avoid the travel dilemmas we will face next month. In any case, Columbia must seek to address the legitimate concerns of many students who feel the academic calendar encroaches on their most important holiday of the year, their wallets, or both.
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