Evening start required by BOR for spring semester

Briana Dorren

Briana DorrenNews Editor

Spring 2011 has begun; at least for some of SDSU’s students.

While some students had to return for their Wednesday evening class, others get an extra day to travel and will arrive to begin their semester on Jan. 13.

While some students may baulk at having to return a day earlier than many of their peers, many don’t realize that the “half-day” is actually a full day of classes, albeit solely evening classes.

The academic calendar, which is established by the South Dakota Board of Regents, must include 75 instructional class days each semester. Each year the format is very similar to the previous years; the fall start date is generally set near Labor Day, and the date for graduation is set in early May. After these two initial dates are in place, the BOR works to adjust class days, holidays, and breaks in order to meet that 75-day goal. This creates a 15-week semester, give or take a few days.

In order to maintain this 75-day goal, the BOR determined that classes should begin with evening classes.

Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Sam Gingerich said, “Most evening classes are only held once or twice a week. In order to balance these class hours with hours spent in day classes that are held three or four times a week, the BOR established the academic calendar in such a way that we begin each semester with those evening classes.”

Gingerich said that it has been this way for many years.

“I was not here when the academic calendar was first established; it has been set since 2002 and is adjusted each year.”

For many students, returning by Wednesday was not an issue.

“I had to be back early anyway for work. Having a half day of classes doesn’t really bother me at all…then again, I’ve never had a class after 4 p.m. that I had to go to,” Kelsey Bosworth, a junior at SDSU, said.

Other students, such as Ashley Hrabe, agree. “I’ve actually never really given it a second thought; I don’t mind the half day,” Hrabe said.

Students only need to return for classes that are held after 4 p.m. on Wednesday. All other classes will begin on schedule Thursday morning.

#1.1839688:666724655.png:HalfDay-Gallagher.png:Freshmen Adam Pay and John Patterson (From Left to Right) kill time in the The Union Tuesday evening. Classes officially start on Wednesday; however those are night classes. Those students who don?t have night classes will kick off the new semester Thursday.:Collegian Photo by Robbie Gallagher