Eckerd adopts new class schedule

Beginning spring semester, morning classes will start earlier and last longer for all Eckerd students. Classes that normally begin at 8:30 will be moved to 8:20, and those that were 50 minutes in previous semesters will be lengthened to a full hour. Similarly, classes that were 80 minutes will be pushed to 90. There will continue to be a ten minute break between when one class period ends and the next begins.

Before students complain about the earlier mornings and longer classes, it should be noted that this change was done in the students' interest. According to the standards for accreditation of a university or college set forth by the Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, college students must spend a minimum of 175 minutes per week in a class for that class to be eligible for 3.5 credit hours. This maintains correct credit hour levels for graduation, and is a new standard that not all classes at Eckerd are meeting. Because of Eckerd's 4-1-4 class system, each class in fall and spring is given the 3.5 credit hour status. The previous schedule had been in place since 2003 and seemed to work well for faculty and students, so school administrators tried to keep the changes to a minimum.

Keeping the schedule the same and lowering credit hour equivalencies was not a viable option because it would have led to students not receiving full financial aid. The decision to keep the credit hours the same and lengthen classes will keep Eckerd from having to deal with issues that may arise with accreditation boards. Considering all of the positives and negatives of each proposal, the best choice for Eckerd became clear and was unanimously voted into effect beginning next semester by the Educational Policy & Procedure Committee.

The system that was eventually chosen, which was proposed by registrar Linda Swindall and Professor Diana Fuguitt, also allows for a lunch period of 50 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 30 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. This lunch period will allow students to have a break to eat during the day, and will also allow faculty to conduct meetings. This common lunch time was important to all members of the Eckerd community and thus was an important factor in deciding how to handle the class time problem.

So next semester, students may have to get to class a few minutes earlier and stay longer, but the alternative of losing credit hours or financial aid would have been a much more drastic negative change.