University of Virginia Library

Phil Chabot

Calendar Reform: Corridors Of Power

Last spring a special
University Committee on
Calendar Reform completed a
two year study and
recommended that UVa adapt
a "modified semester" calendar
plan. Among other changes,
the plan called for the fall
semester to terminate before
the Christmas recess, thus
ending the awkward two-week
period between Christmas
vacation and semester break.

For several years now
students have become
increasingly disturbed about
that awkward two week
period. Lately more and more
faculty members have found
the interruption of Christmas
vacation to be academically
destructive.

As a member of the
committee, I urged the
modified semester plan as a
reasonable alternative to the
present system as did all other
student members. Last spring
we all thought we had
won the committee approved
and sent to the President just
such a recommendation.

But we seem to have been
cut off in the dark corridors of
power somewhere in Pavilion
VIII no one has heard a thing
about the report since it was
submitted.

It was well known that
there was opposition to the
plan. Traditionalist-minded
faculty tend to overlook
objections to the present
system. Hard-headed
administrators tend to support
the "quarter-system," which
saves money, but which was
termed "an academic
sweatshop" for students and
faculty at our open hearings

One would think, however,
that a report of a special
University-wide committee
could not be so easily
suhvered.

I, for one, would like to
know publicly what happened
to the report. I think that is
my right as a member of the
committee and the right of
the University community as
well.

Three years have shown me
that the University is always
prompt to respond to purely
mechanical student requests,
such as a busing system, but
much more recalcitrant on
policy issues such as expansion
and the academic calendar.

Moreover, major changes are
dually years in the
administrative "pipeline." A
change in the academic
calendar today would not go
into effect for two years–just
as the groundwork for the
busing system were laid two
years ago. That is why any
delay is vitally important when
it comes to the calendar reform
recommendation.

If it does turn out that
important recommendations
like calendar reform can be
subverted so easily, then I
think we ought to begin to
seriously question our system
of University governance. For
it is surely not well designed to
adopt necessary changes when
they are necessary.