Faculty Council considers additional Friday classes

Bursts of music pulse in the air. Girls stumble along the streets in stiletto heels, clinging to friends for balance. Herds of boys in button-up shirts roam Kirkwood Avenue, unsure of which bar to hit up next.

This is a typical Thursday night in Bloomington, and some members of IU’s administration say it is a problem to be addressed.

A possible solution has been introduced to decrease the number of drunken Thursday nights:  more Friday classes.

Karen Hanson, provost and executive vice president, asked a team of deans and vice provosts to research how many Friday classes students at IU take. 

“As an institution, we can do some things that ensure our students do not regard Thursday night as a weekend night,” Hanson said. “Making the most efficient use of the campus is the other thing that’s at stake here.”

The group presented research to the Bloomington Faculty Council at its Oct. 18 meeting, leaving the idea in the council’s hands for discussion and a decision.

“This really is the start of the conversation,” said Harold “Pete” Goldsmith, dean of students and a member of the research group. “There really are no decisions that have been made. The consultation is just beginning with faculty, students and other staff.”

Goldsmith found from 2010 to 2011, the number of arrests for alcohol consumption on Thursday nights increased drastically and is comparable to the number on Friday and Saturday nights. He said this could possibly be attributed to the drop-off of students who take Friday classes compared to other days of the week.

IU Student Association President Justin Kingsolver said he does not believe additional Friday classes will change the drinking culture of the campus, however.

“If they want to solve the alcohol problem, they need to have an alcohol-directed program,” Kingsolver said. “They shouldn’t mess with the academic calendar, our curriculum and our schedules to solve some kind of drinking problem. I think it’s a terrible idea.”

Thomas Gieryn, vice provost for faculty and student affairs and another member of the research group, said he views the drop-off in students taking Friday courses as a significant issue. More than half of seniors do not have a Friday class, and Gieryn said the University should become more like the work force with five-day weeks.

“Just about every other sector of the economy has a five-day work week, Monday through Friday,” he said. “The weekend is Saturday and Sunday. Why should IU be different?”

Hanson said finding ways to utilize classrooms to their fullest extent is always a priority, and more Friday classes would help with this.

Gieryn and Hanson acknowledged that many faculty and students have other obligations on Fridays, including research for professors and field work for
students.

For example, students in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs work in their professional fields on Fridays, and students in the School of Education serve as assistant teachers at the end of the week.

For this reason, they said it would be impossible to mandate that every student take a class on Fridays.

“We recognize that at various stages of their career, students have responsibilities and interests,” Hanson said. “We want students to be able to adjust their own schedules according to their level of progress through their undergraduate careers.”   

Goldsmith said many options have been presented regarding the addition of Friday classes. One option is to look at different patterns of classes, such as a class that might meet Mondays and Fridays.

“I think the notion of all of this is we want to create an environment that helps students be successful,” Goldsmith said. “That’s kind of the goal here. This is just another way we can enhance or improve the academic environment.”

Kingsolver said nothing will change without a mandate.

“They can choose to add as many Friday classes as they would like, but ultimately, unless they mandate it, students will not choose to have Friday classes,” he said.