Labor Day at Bradley and its lack of cancelled classes has long been a contested issue. In November 2009, a resolution to cancel classes made it to University Senate, but it was voted down by the student population.
Currently, the staff and administrators on campus observe Labor Day, while students and professors must attend classes.
According to Interim Provost Joan Sattler, the members of the University Senate are the ones who make decisions regarding the schedule three years out.
The committee’s study it, where they then might make decisions that would go forward so the changes could be made.
“I chaired a committee about academic regulations and degree requirements for many years and at that time faculty wanted a way to have Labor Day where they’re not teaching,” Sattler said. “We got that all the way up through the [University] Senate to have Labor Day off for faculty and students. And guess what? The students during that time period were the ones who came forward to the senate and said, ‘No, we started classes before Labor Day, we’re here, we moved here, we probably wouldn’t go home, so we want to stay here for classes.”
Sattler said many different aspects of the issue were looked at, but nothing was changed in the end.
Student Senate at the time did not support the resolution because the senators wanted to keep students’ schedules consistent. The student body president at the time, Nick Swiatkowski, said greek affiliated students were concerned it would affect recruitment because more students would leave campus for the three day weekend.
If Labor Day is made into a day off, it could change the semester in several ways. Fall break could be cancelled and finals may be pushed back. Students currently are still concerned about this.
“We need to have classes on Labor Day because we need to have fall break,” freshman pre-education and health major Amber Mayo said. “I’d rather be in school for one day than to be in school for a whole fall break. That’s just not going to work for me. Period.”
Students appreciate the longer time off school in fall and thanksgiving breaks, which they think Bradley does differently.
“To be honest, I was kind of pissed off about one of my teachers cancelling one of the classes,” senior accounting major Matt McLaughlin said. “I didn’t feel like it was that big of a deal, especially since we get a fall break and a thanksgiving break, which a lot of schools I know they don’t do that.”
