Week-Long Thanksgiving Break, Fall Semester Calendar Changes Proposed at 1st Faculty Meeting of Semester
Faculty discussed proposed changes to the academic calendar, including making Thanksgiving break a full week, during the first faculty meeting of the spring semester. (Photo Borna Ganji/The Gettysburgian)
By Vincent DiFonzo, Editor-in-Chief
President Bob Iuliano opened the first faculty meeting of the spring semester by thanking faculty for a “remarkably strong fall semester” and describing student energy and engagement as “reminiscent of pre-COVID times.”
He reflected on uncertainty in higher education under the new Trump administration.
“Some of the areas of focus and some of the steps already taken are certainly creating an understandable anxiety on parts of our campus, especially among some of our most vulnerable populations. That’s true for students, it’s true for faculty, it’s true for staff. And some of the changes articulated are potentially coming could be around institutional autonomy, funding and mission. There’s a lot to keep track of,” said Iuliano.
Iuliano said that the College will be committed to its core values through ongoing changes in Washington D.C. and affirmed their commitment “to the worthy and dignity of every member of our community.”
He acknowledged that College Life has been reaching out to students to give “timely and important support and advice.”
Concluding his opening remarks, Iuliano thanked faculty and staff who worked on the College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming.
After taking a quorum vote and approving the minutes of the Dec. 5 faculty meeting, Provost Jamila Bookwala took the stand. She first noted that on Jan. 15, 27 faculty members representing 18 departments gathered for the January Faculty Institute led by Jason Craige Harris of the Perception Institute after the incident in September in which a racist slur was cut into the chest of a student in a campus dorm building.
“[Harris] led us through several exercises that reflected on self and on others, and focused on how we can value the dignity of each individual in our interactions with students and colleagues,” said Bookwala.
She said that the Provost’s Office will continue to “advance inclusion and belonging” through working with faculty members, the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning and Chief Diversity Officer Eloisa Gordon-Mora to “organize events focused on building more inclusive classrooms via community in departments and programs for students and colleagues, and sustaining conversations around bias awareness in elected faculty committees on the ladder.”
Next, Bookwala went over the outcomes from academic division meetings held last week which addressed course enrollment caps and class sizes.
First, she said that starting next year, 100-level courses will be capped at 30 students, down from the current limit of 35, as long as the lowered enrollment cap “does not result in the need for additional sections or adjunct [professors].”
Next, she reported that the course cancellation policy will be amended “to allow for some flexibility.” She said they are in the process of updating the policy and will share their progress at a future faculty meeting.
Additionally, policy is being developed to allow professors to receive compensation or teaching credit for supervising 400-level individualized studies of students.
“Faculty will be able to accrue teaching credit for such individualized instruction over time and exchange it for an instructional load in a future semester. If they would rather have financial compensation, we can certainly look into that as well,” said Bookwala.
Lastly, Bookwala welcomed back professors who were on sabbatical last semester, which included Scott Hancock in history, Susan Hochmiller of the Sunderman Conservatory, David Powell in public policy and Alicia Rolon in Spanish. Professor Ian Isherwood was also welcomed back to campus after leading students on a study abroad program in Lancaster, England last semester.
Bookwala thanked two professors who are serving as interim chairs for their departments this semester: Yasemin Akbaba in political science and Timothy Shannon in history. She recognized economics professor Brendan Cushing-Daniels and management professor Patturaja Selvaraj, who will serve as co-chairs of the new finance major, as well as health sciences professor Amy Dailey and public policy professor Anne Douds who will serve as co-chairs of the new public health policy major.
Amendment and Vote on Sabbatical Leave Motion
Next, chair of the Faculty Development Committee and philosophy professor Gary Mullen proposed an amendment to a proposal from the Dec. 5 faculty meeting on sabbaticals. Mullen said that the proposal presented on Dec. 5 was a “penultimate draft.”
After outlining the changes, the faculty approved the amendment by a voice vote with no objections. The floor was then opened for faculty comments before the proposal moved to a final vote, which was passed with an overwhelming majority of 105-2.
Proposal to Change Academic Calendar; Full-Week Thanksgiving Break
Political science professor Lindsay Reid and sociology professor Cassie Hays of the Faculty Governance Committee outlined proposed changes to the academic calendar, focusing primarily on the fall semester. If passed, these proposed changes would come into effect during the 2026-27 academic year because the calendar for 2025-26 is already set in stone.
Their primary goal is to integrate a full-week Thanksgiving break, which would begin on the weekend before Thanksgiving instead of on the Tuesday before the holiday. They outlined three reasons for this: low attendance in Monday and Tuesday classes before break, higher travel costs immediately before the holiday and an uneven institutional-level approach to Thanksgiving week.
The committee proposed beginning the semester two days earlier than currently in order to accommodate for the full-week break. If implemented, classes for fall 2026 would begin on Thursday, Aug. 20 instead of Monday, Aug. 24. They also proposed moving fall break from a Monday and Tuesday to a Thursday and Friday.
They also recognized potential challenges with the proposal, which would cause first-year orientation to get pushed ahead, slightly shorter summer break and possibly present scheduling challenges for athletics teams.
After speaking to various campus stakeholders, including students, faculty, the Registrar, Athletics, College Life, Residential Education, Facilities and Dining Services, they reported that “most responses ranged from very positive to ‘we can make it work.’”
Iuliano then opened the floor to faculty comments.
Environmental studies professor Rud Platt stated that having only one week of classes between Thanksgiving break and finals week makes things “compressed.” He proposed possibly shortening finals week.
Hays commented that at her undergraduate institution, Smith College, students would “check-out” exams at set time periods and take them at their own pace.
Economics professor Meg Blume-Kohout asked about the two-week window in which students can add and drop classes, and whether that would be shifted if the calendar changes are made. She also asked about classes that are held only on Mondays and Wednesdays, which would not be able to meet in the first week of classes if classes began on a Thursday. She proposed having short syllabus meetings in the first week of class for courses that only meet on Mondays and Wednesdays so they don’t completely miss the first week.
Economics professor Brendan Cushing-Daniels inquired if there is any polling data available from students on what the burdens of the current schedule are compared to the proposed new calendar. He said that they should poll students to get the data if it has not already been done. Cushing-Daniels also brought up potential increased costs associated with extending the semester by two days.
Psychology professor Daniel McCall questioned when first-year advising and convocation would take place in the proposed schedule.
Reid responded, saying that is one of the biggest challenges with the proposed schedule and that first-year convocation, the first-year walk and advising would need to shift ahead. She said she did not yet know exactly when they would occur.
Professor Russell McCutcheon of the Sunderman Conservatory commented on the limited amount of time that the Conservatory has for recitals and student performances at the end of the semester. He expressed concern that they would not have enough time if the proposed schedule is implemented.
Next, McCutcheon questioned if they were pushing the problem of poor attendance “to another day,” arguing that students would still leave early for breaks despite the proposed changes. He argued against the schedule changes.
“Let’s leave it as it is. It is not perfect. It is far from perfect. I recognize the inconsistencies, but I think we’re just moving the problem to another day,” concluded McCutcheon.
Mathematics professor Ben Kennedy said he would like to have a full-week Thanksgiving break, but argued it is up to professors to hold students accountable to attending class on the Monday and Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving.
“We actually have, I think, more control over [student attendance] than we think if we act collectively,” said Kennedy.
Hays then asked for faculty comments on the proposed changes to fall break.
Spanish professor Verónica Calvillo asked if the committee has considered starting classes a full week earlier, rather than just two days earlier. She pointed out that many other colleges start a week before Gettysburg.
Environmental studies professor Monica Orga pointed out that Gettysburg has classes on some federal holidays, including Labor Day and MLK Day. She said that it’s difficult for professors with children in the local public school system because the Gettysburg calendar does not align with that of public schools. She asked the committee to consider this when finalizing their proposal.
Hays commented, stating, “I think it’s pretty challenging for many of us with kids in the local school district that this College’s calendar does not align practically at all with the public school system.”
Director of the Sunderman Conservatory James Day commented that it would work best for the Conservatory if fall break remained on Monday and Tuesday as opposed to Thursday and Friday.
East Asian studies professor Eleanor Hogan stated that it is difficult for professors with young children to proctor exams on Saturday afternoons and Sunday nights.
Next, a professor commented on the length of final exams, which are always scheduled to last three hours. They questioned if having exam periods this long is necessary. Physics professor Kurt Andresen offered a dissenting opinion, saying that physics exams often last the entire three hours. He also brought up increasing honor code violations he has observed and argued against the idea of having students “check-out” exams to complete on their own time.
Psychology professor Richard Russell voiced his support for a full-week Thanksgiving break, saying that he has struggled to get students to attend class on the Tuesday before break even when he scheduled an exam on that day. He said the change could solve “big problems.”
Orga then brought up equity problems around Thanksgiving break, pointing out that flights tend to be much more expensive in the immediate days before Thanksgiving. She said that she has had students tell her they could not afford to travel home for Thanksgiving unless they leave earlier than Tuesday.
The proposed academic calendar changes will be further discussed at a future faculty meeting.
Update on Quarry Pond Bird Flu Testing
Before the meeting ended, a professor asked about the dead geese that were found at Quarry Pond last weekend. They asked if there was an update from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, who is testing the deceased animals for bird flu.
Dean of College Life Anne Ehrlich said that the state’s game commission was unable to get the geese carcasses lying on Quarry Pond until Tuesday because the ice was too thin. She said they are hoping to get the test results on Friday and that they will inform the campus as soon as they receive an update.
The meeting concluded as Iuliano thanked faculty for their attendance.
