Scheduling screw-ups

The IU administration is thinking about implementing two things not many of us want to happen: more classes at 8 a.m. and more classes on Fridays.\nBut why would IU do this to us ... aren’t rising tuition prices enough? Well, according to the administration, the blame for this falls right on our shoulders. \nThe University is dealing with a scheduling crisis. There are too many room requests in the later hours of the day, but there’s not enough in the morning or Friday, leaving several rooms empty for extended periods of time. Conflicts arise each semester because of room assignments, as professors end up with rooms that don’t work with their teaching style or simply aren’t large enough.\nBut before jumping the gun to construct new buildings to house classrooms during the high-request period, the school is considering implementing more classes at less favorable times. While even the thought of this plan is annoying to many, we can’t logically argue with IU’s decision. And neither should the rest of the student body. \nForcing students to take classes early or on Friday isn’t the most popular idea, but if the other prominent choice is using resources on the construction of new buildings, this is begrudgingly the way to go. The new buildings will cost the students somehow in the long run, and they would also take an extended period of time to complete. Scheduling classes in rooms that are already available is the most economically efficient option.\nSome argue professors are partly to blame for this problem because they don’t request their classes to take place at the crack of dawn, but why would a professor schedule a class he or she knows students probably won’t attend? They just want their students to attend class, so it’s unfair to place blame on them. As students, we are not entitled to having mornings and Fridays off, and we need to be willing to work with the administration to solve scheduling problems.\nHowever, we do disagree with the argument that we should have early classes because it “will prepare you for the real world.” Sure, many IU students will go on to jobs that force them to get up early, but not everyone is headed down that road. It’s also important to note that not everyone who despises early classes is out at a bar crawl or highlighter party. Some of us are up late for other reasons, too, either because we have jobs or need to study. It’s dreadful to think those students would be punished for staying up late because they’re working hard for a class. \nBut even with all that, if the only options are forcing classes at inconvenient times or building more classroom space, the clear choice must be to ask students and staff to rework their schedules to fill the entire week. \nBut there might be another way to solve the scheduling problem that we’d like to suggest: Implement more evening classes. If students and staff don’t want to get up early, give them the opportunity to attend class a bit later. There must be some degree of flexibility for everyone involved, and night classes provide that to some degree.