Present: Kathy Kelly, Andrew Blair, Tony Silvestri, Shalini Puri, Susan Sereika, David Crossman, Charlene Trovato, Patty Beeson, Neepa Majumdar, John Baker, Ellen Cohn, Judith Erlen

Judith Erlen called the meeting to order and noted that there was one item for discussion: the planning process for the university calendar. This topic was raised at the last Faculty Assembly meeting; one concern is whether adjustments can be made to the timing and length of between semester breaks. A second concern is whether a reading day can be incorporated into the calendar prior to the final exam period.

Shalini Puri began the discussion, noting the short winter break which is further affected by the Modern Language Association meeting held annually at that time of the year. Is it possible to consider one week less of summer break in order to add one week to the winter break? How would this change impact summer term teaching?

Patty Beeson, Chair of the Calendar Committee, reviewed the process for developing the calendar; the process begins in October, although shells of future calendars are developed earlier. She distributed and reviewed several handouts: general guidelines for establishing university calendar, policy and practices for recommending dates introducing a reading period, possible calendars for 2006-2007, and comparison data regarding days of instruction.

Discussion ensued regarding adding one reading day and a fall break, one possibility is Columbus Day as a holiday. In 2000 there was a consultation vote of faculty, staff, and students in regard to the preferred calendar. A factor to consider is the remnants from the former trimester system. The late April date for graduation was questioned. The Calendar Committee considers the discrepancy in instructional days and how the timing of the summer term impacts residence hall turnover.

Issues affecting changes to the calendar include: 8 month salaries, trimester concept, energy savings, difficulty making a change, and the process of consultation if making a change. Other points that were raised were whether the number of days of instruction is considered for accreditation and the current multiple options for summer term instruction.

The Committee recommended that the Calendar Committee consider a longer (possibly 3 weeks) winter break, recognizing that there are implications for the spring and summer terms. The Committee was also supportive of adding a reading day prior to final exams.