A Fair Fall for AllA Working Joint Proposal by the Undergraduate Student Councils on the Fall Academic Calendar

Respectfully Submitted bySue YangPresident, Columbia College Student Council

Whitney GreenPresident, Engineering Student Council

Katie PalilloPresident, Barnard Student Government Association

Katherine EdwardsPresident, General Studies Student Council

Alex FroumanSenator, Columbia College

Why is this Important to Students?Impacts on Academics, Health, Family, and Travel

Students Voice ConcernsCouncil-Sponsored Survey

745 responses

By School 74% CC 16% SEAS 8% GS 2% Barnard

By Year 17% Seniors 26% Juniors 28% Sophomores 28% First-Years

Student-Initiated Facebook Petition

Launched independently by students, Dec. 2009

As of 1/24/10: 2,414 members = 25% entire undergraduate population

Academic ImpactM

on

. 1

2/1

4 o

r earl

ier

Tu

e.

12

/15

Wed

. 1

2/1

6

Th

u.

12

/17

Fri

. 1

2/1

8

Sat.

12

/19

Su

n.

12

/20

Mon

. 1

2/2

1

Tu

e.

12

/22

Wed

. 1

2/2

3

Aft

er

Wed

. 1

2/2

3

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

50

4 2

66 61

1 2

179

134

211

1 exam

2 exams

“How many exams did you have on the following days?”

Resp

on

den

ts

Dates

Academic Impact

0 1 2 3 4 5 60

50

100

150

200

250

300

“For how many final exams/papers did you feel you were NOT prepared?”

Resp

on

den

ts

# Final Exams / Papers

Academic Impact

Other

Spend time relaxing, doing leisure activities

Have a paper proofread by others

Organize a study group

Meet with the Professor / TA

I might have done better on a final paper/project

Complete previously unfinished readings

Sleep

Study more, review notes

19

120

175

196

249

378

389

434

675

“If you had one more day to study (3 instead of 2), how would you have used the time?”

Health Impact

1 2 3 4 50

100

200

300

400

500

24

219

386

108

8

1 2 3 4 50

100

200

300

400

500

334

160

431

117

1 2 3 4 50

100

200

300

400

500

600

2 13 41

206

483

“How would you rate your stress level during the following times of the year?”

During semester, on average

During normal finals period During Fall 2009 finals period

Travel Impact

51% of students left campus on Wed. Dec. 23

It cost more to travel this time for

52% of students surveyed

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400 51%

15%19%

Travel Impact“To where were you traveling?”

USA, N

E

USA, S

E

USA, M

idwes

t

USA, S

W

USA, W

/NW

Intl,

N. A

mer

ica

Intl,

S. A

mer

ica

Intl,

Eur

ope

Intl,

Asia

Intl,

ME

or A

frica

Intl,

Afri

ca0

50100150200250300350400

33%

13%

Travel internationalor to the West coast

Travel international

Travel Impact“How much did you pay to travel home/away for winter break?”

Under

$50

$50 -

$100

$101 -

$200

$201 -

$300

$301 -

$400

$401 -

$500

$501 -

$600

$601 -

$700

$701 -

$800

$801 -

$900

$901 -

$1000

Ove

r $1000

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

20%Paid Over $500.00

Family Impact

The late conclusion of the semester interrupted family

plans for 78% of students surveyed.

Including all StakeholdersStudents remain top priority for the undergraduate councils, but other stakeholders have also been included and taken into consideration.

Including StakeholdersInformation collected and funneled from various groups to understand needs, constraints

Athle-tics

Health Servics

StudentsFaculty &

Admin.Other CU Members

Logistics

Some Facult

y

Senate Edu.

Main Findings, Issues Raised

Grad. Apts

Clarifying the ProblemWith constraints and needs identified, areas of compression and flexibility can be better targeted in the calendar

Within a 1-Year Frame

Thanks

giv

ing

August September DecemberNovemberDecember

Week

befo

re L

abor

Day

Stu

dy D

ays

/ Fi

nals

Fall

Bre

ak

PROPOSED SOLUTION:Start a week earlier to end a week earlier in SOME years

All:Agree that we should try to end before 12/23.

Students:87% of students surveyed would support starting before Labor Day

Faculty:

Starting before Labor Day is hard

for those with children

Faculty proposal suggests removing Monday of this fall break. Students react with strong disagreement.

FIXED

BUT looking only at a 1-year time frame is incorrect and doesn’t allow for much flexibility to accommodate all stakeholders. It mistakenly assumes every year to be the exact same.

A 10-year outlook is truer to the situation, accounting for nuances from year to year.

It becomes clear: the fall semester calendar is only a problem in some years.

4 / 10 Years End on Dec 232 / 10 Years Especially Problematic

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Fall semester ends on 12/23 in these years, according to the current plan

Especially compressed: Additionally, 2 total days must be cut, either both from study period or 1 from study period and 1 from exam period

ProposalAdjust for years only in which Labor Day falls late in September.

Start one week earlier in just:

2011201520162020

2011-2020 Fall Academic Calendars

Fall2012

Fall2013

Fall2014

Fall2017

Fall2018

Fall2019

Fall 2011

Fall2016

Fall2015

Fall2020

Shifting the fall calendar one week earlier in just these 4 years alleviates the compression that would otherwise be experienced at the end of these 4 fall terms.

Comparisons Against Current Cal.How Columbia’s Fall 2010 calendar (which we are not looking to change) compares with that of other Ivies and NYC Public Schools.

In Comparison with other Ivies(Princeton & Dartmouth are not included as they follow a trimester system)

FALL 2010 AS EXAMPLE:

COLUMBIA

Brown

Cornell

Harvard

UPenn

Yale19-

29

SEP OCT NOV DECAUG

3-

10

11-

18

8 9-

12

24-

29

11-

14

15-

22

12

11

26-

29 4-

12

13-

21

25 6

66

9-

12

24-

29

5-8 8-

17

61

11 11

24-

28

4-8 9-

17

7 1-2

25-

28

14-

15

16-

23

Days Off During Semester

Start Date Study Days

Final Exam Period & End DateLa

bor

Day

Thanksg

ivin

g

7 25-

28

14-

15

16-

23

In Comparison with NYC Public Schools

FALL 2010, AS EXAMPLE: (again, we are not proposing to make any changes to this year)

COLUMBIA

NYC Public

SEP OCT NOV DECAUG

1-2

9-

108 11 2 11

25-

28

23

Actual:

30

25-

28

14-

15

16-

23 COLUMBIA1-2

What it would have looked like under the proposal:

6

Days Off During Semester

Start Date Study Days

Final Exam Period & End DateLa

bor

Day

Th

an

ksg

ivin

g

Faculty with children would have needed childcare on 5 days (8/30, 8/31, 9/1, 9/2, 9/3).

Columbia provides a Backup Care Program that helps subsidize up to 100 hours of family care each year beginning on July 1. According to the Work-Life Office, starting a week early would require more funding for this program or the creation of a day camp or childcare program for that week.

FLEXIBILITY exists if we consider the nuances from year to year over 10 years.

A FAIR solution for all can be achieved. Starting a week in advance just in the few years when Labor Day falls late (Sep. 5th or later, we have found), alleviates the compression at the end of the fall term, allows for an earlier conclusion, and does not require permanent compromises.

The FALL semester can work for all by just adjusting the start dates for FOUR of the years.