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Labor Day Classes Continuing, Students Will Have Say

While many schools across the country enjoy a three-day weekend in the beginning of September, Bradley is not likely to follow suit any time soon.
Although a resolution concerning cancelling classes on Labor Day was brought to the floor of the University Senate in November of last year, input from students caused it to be voted down.
“The person who led to it being defeated was the student who said you guys didn’t want it,” University Senate President Brian Huggins said. “It was a close vote, but the faculty came back in support of the student who said students weren’t interested.”
Student Body President Nick Swiatkowski said the reason Student Senate did not support the resolution was because the senators wanted to keep students’ schedules consistent.
“Student Senate voted it down because that’s the way it always was,” he said. “Also, we have a fall break that many schools don’t have.”
In addition to fall break, Swiatkowski said recruitment was another reason not to change this semester’s academic schedule, and he said he thinks having classes on Labor Day paid off.
“Greeks were concerned that it would affect recruitment because more students would be likely to leave campus,” he said. “As we saw this weekend there was a huge turnout for men’s and women’s
recruitment.”
And although many students may think having Labor Day off will just give them a long weekend
to celebrate, taking the day off would affect the entire semester.
“It would push the finals schedule
back to starting on Thursday,” Swiatkowski said.
That would mean instead of residence halls closing for the semester on Thursday, students would have until Friday to go home.”
Huggins said the University Senate was prepared to support the students’ opinions.
“If students want to study on Labor Day then we will let them study on Labor Day,” he said. “In my opinion, I’d rather work on Labor Day – people are always traveling. I say let other people travel and clog up the roads and I’ll take my day off another time.”
If students are interested in changing the schedule for next year, Huggins said it is easy for them to bring it to the attention of the University Senate.
“It is up to the sub-committee of regulations on degree requirements,”
he said. “Just contact the chair of the committee, get some votes and poll some students. If you can convince students, even a student senator can bring it to the floor.”
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