New February holiday means loss of class time

January 5, 2007

Extending the academic term to recover time lost to the new provincial Family Day holiday in February is not possible, so the Academic Programs Committee (APC) of University Council is asking instructors to revise their courses to accommodate the change.

The holiday, which will fall on the third Monday in February, was recently made law by the province. Because it is a statutory holiday, the University is required to close that day, and instructors are not allowed to hold classes.

After University Council heard concerns about lost class time, the APC looked at ways to make up the day. In its report to Council Dec. 14, the committee said gaining a day at the start of the term would require holding classes on Jan. 1. Likewise, adding a Monday at the end of term would mean an additional five days of classes, which would interfere with exam schedules.

“We felt that by recovering that additional Monday, it was going to create too many additional challenges,” said Trever Crowe, chair of the APC and head of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering.

As a solution, the committee is asking instructors to be selective in the material they present, and Crowe notes that some may try to schedule an extra class at an alternate time.

He said weekly classes on Mondays will be most affected by the holiday. “Obviously, they’re going to be losing one week out of 13.”

In future years, it is likely the mid-term break will be scheduled in the same week as the Family Day holiday, Crowe said.