'U' holds less class days than other colleges nationwide

When Jordan Toplitzky came to Ann Arbor this September, he unpacked, adjusted and familiarized himself with the University. But it took him two months to fully realize the benefits of the University's academic calendar - short, intense and flexible.

"The U of M obviously knows what it's doing," said Toplitzky, an LSA first-year student from Los Angeles. "My brother at Brandeis University starts earlier than us, and ends in late May. I really like to end early. None of my friends get out as early as we do. It gives me time to find jobs and internships, and to visit friends. My brother has so many breaks that he spends too many days in Boston without classes."

BRYAN MCLELLAN/Daily LSA junior Bill Mullen sits in his art history class before a midterm exam yesterday in Mason Hall. University students generally spend less time in class than other students across the country.

Toplitzky pointed out many uncommon features in the University's academic calendar, which has a total of 135 days of class in its fall and winter terms - 21 days less than the national average.

But the University's compact academic year may soon not be such a novelty.

In the past few months, several institutions have embraced the national trend - the shrinking the school year. Prior to this semester, then-University of North Carolina President C.D. Spangler mandated a shorter academic calendar for all UNC schools.

As other schools tweak their systems to shave days off academic calendars, University students, faculty and administrators say the schedule here is too popular to alter.

Former University President James Duderstadt said the University's academic policies not only allow students to get an early jump on the summer internship and job market, but also make the spring and summer semesters available for those looking to grab some extra credits.

"In the 1960s, a decision was made to go to trimesters, to level out University enrollment with classes in all 12 months," Duderstadt said. "There still is some wisdom in allowing students to go year round."

The University's spring and summer terms often make it easier to graduate in four years or less, Duderstadt said. At the same time, it has become harder for students nationwide to graduate in four years.

"Michigan was one of the first schools to move to this calendar," Duderstadt said.

"Before the '70s, most schools would go from September to June. Students would go away for the holidays and come back for exams. The Michigan system is a system that has been adopted by many other Universities."

One of the drawbacks of the University's condensed calendar are the shorter-than-average breaks. The University's vacations include a 5-day Thanksgiving holiday, a two-week Christmas break and a nine-day spring break - which adds up to dramatically less time off than students on average enjoy nationwide.

In early November, students are already starting to gripe about the lack of breaks at the University.

"I would prefer larger vacations and a more extensive school year," said LSA first-year student Justin Rathke. "A long spring break, especially."

Lincoln Faller, LSA associate dean for undergraduate education, said quality of education is the pertinent issue, not quantity.

"The measure of a University's effectiveness can't just be attributed to the number of days," Faller said.

Faller, who taught in the African nation of Cameroon, said resources can affect the amount of time spent in class per year. Faller said students spent 48 more days in class in 1914 than they did in 1993 because books were less accessible than they are now, and that students spent more time scouring libraries in search of materials. Such issues also came into play during Faller's time in Africa.

"Cameroon students spent about 30 hours a week in class, but that's because books were in short supply. Books are accessible here. Although they seem expensive they actually are cheap," he said.

It may seem natural to question whether it's worth it for out-of-state University students to pay up to $26,000 per academic year, one of the most expensive public school educations in the nation, for just 135 class days.

But members of the University community said an education in Ann Arbor is worth every penny, regardless of total class hours.

"I think the classes are hard enough that people are getting their money's worth in less time," said LSA first-year student Chris Moffat. "If they can cover the material in less time, I say go for it."

LSA senior Matt Holtzman said the intensity of University classes makes students reach their capabilities, although it does become tiring.

"The rigorous schedule and intense amount of reading makes students apply themselves more," Holtzman said. "I wouldn't mind an extra week of vacation to cool it off a bit. It also lets the University have spring and summer terms, allowing students to graduate sooner."

Others schools nationwide act on a philosophy that a short academic calendar forces students to take heavier class loads than normal. For instance, Dartmouth College has three regular trimesters plus a summer term that all sophomores are required to attend.

"At many other schools you take four to six classes per term," said Ellen Parish, assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth. "Our students take fewer and shorter classes."

One of the most unorthodox academic calendars is that of Colorado College. There, students attend only one class each term, although the terms are about one month long.

Duderstadt said the idea of spacing classes more evenly between terms might have merit.

"My personal belief is that it might make sense to take shorter terms with fewer classes," Duderstadt said.

Since 1964, the national average number of classroom days has diminished from 191 to merely 156 in 1993, according to a recent study by the National Association of Scholars.

11-04-97