14C - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition 2006 WORK HARD, PLAY HARD Thursday the new Friday? Not anymore Sudayis I By Ashlea Surles Daily Staff Reporter No one will say thank goodness it's Thurs- day anymore. The University is considering redistrib- uting courses more evenly throughout the week, scheduling more classes on Friday to better utilize facilities. There are significantly fewer classes on Fridays than any other weekday. Twelve percent of classes are held on Fridays, com- pared to 22 percent each Monday through Thursday. Phil Hanlon, associate provost for aca- demic and budgetary affairs, said the low percentage of Friday classes indicates an underutilization of University facilities. In the face of budget constraints, the University is trying to remedy this, Han- lon said. Most University buildings are powered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week, but are actually used far less than that - espe- cially on Fridays. "The cost of maintaining our facilities is one of the things that increases most in our budget:' Hanlon said. Hanlon said part of the University's strategy for managing the budget crisis is a more efficient use of facilities. If the University schedules classes proportion- ally throughout the week, it would justify powering facilities evenly. Class scheduling is largely dependent on when faculty want to teach and when stu- dents want to take classes. "Faculty are asked directly while students are asked indirectly through class enroll- ment" Hanlon said. Faculty and students generally avoid scheduling Friday courses, so the provost's office is considering offering financial or special incentives to departments and col- leges that schedule more classes on Fridays. The change would inhibit the three-day- weekend lifestyle many students, espe- cially upperclassmen, have adopted. Many students see Thursday night as another night to party. As a result, low attendance and enroll- ment levels plague Friday courses. In one French 102 course last semester, an average of 17 percent of students were absent on Fridays, compared to 6 percent for the three other days of the week. Art History Prof. Rebecca Zurier said she noticed lower attendance in her History of Art 102 class on Friday but said the trend has not prompted her to change her syllabus to accommodate students. In an extended exchange with Zurier last semester, one student complained that too many of the assignments in her 400-level course required studying over the weekend and thus interfered with seniors' habit of taking long weekends beginning on Thursday nights. Communications Prof. Mark McDonald said he adjusts his course schedule to fit students' long-weekend lifestyle. While he does not teach Friday classes, McDon- ald is very aware of Thursday being "the new Friday." The professor said he tries to schedule quizzes and exams on Thurs- days to give students "a running start into a long weekend and also keep them from having to cram - while hungover - on a Saturday or Sunday." Other professors opt out of teaching Fri- day classes. Anthropology Prof. Joyce Marcus said when she first came to teach at the Univer- sity, other professors advised her against teaching on Fridays. Marcus joined the University staff in 1985 and has yet to teach a Friday class. Art History Prof. James Steward also said he has long avoided Friday teaching if possible. Steward previously taught at the Univer- sity of California at Berkeley. He said Friday classes were a tough sell there, too. But an increase in Friday classes would not necessarily curb Thursday-night par- tying. Engineering freshman Michael Makowski said he goes out on Thursday nights occasionally, but that when he doesn't, his 10 a.m. class isn't what's stop- ping him. Charley's Upstairs owner Rich Buhr said Thursdays and Fridays are the busiest at his bar, and have been for the last 25 years. "Thursday is probably the night that everyone goes out no matter what - usually people choose either Friday or Saturday," said John Robinson, assistant general manager of Necto, a dance club. Lt. Michael Logghe of the Ann Arbor Police Department vouched for the lively Thursday night scene. He said Thursday nights are on par with Friday and Satur- day in terms of party and alcohol-related incidents. "(Thursday) is the end of the week and people are ready to go out again," LSA soph- omore Evan Pappas said. Dean of Students Sue Eklund recognized the trend. "If it's true that students have one more night where they can binge drink - yes, it's a problem," she said. - This article originally ran Apr. 4, 2006. 4 4 Shaman Drum Bookshop 4 Thanks for voting us Best Textbook Store 14 2006" AVOID THE TEXTBOOK LINES! 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