Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

A Wasted Wednesday

For the majority of undergraduates, making it home in time for Thanksgiving dinner later this month will require significant time spent in a car, bus, train, airplane or some combination of the above.

This time is usually spent the day before Thanksgiving, a day on which the university holds classes. In order to allow students to return home to their families for Thanksgiving, Georgetown should consider officially cancelling classes on the Wednesday before the holiday.

The fact that Georgetown students are not afforded the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off is not the most dire issue facing this campus. However, it is a problem that forces many students to choose between their academics and their families.
In practice, professors often end up cancelling classes that Wednesday as it becomes clear that attendance will be subpar. Theoretically, this works, but student who must book tickets far in advance often cannot know whether their professors will cancel class for the holiday, and end up with either far-from-ideal travel plans or expensive last-minute tickets.

For professors who do hold class, the session is often wasted as students choose their families over philosophy or statistics. This does a disservice to professors who must plan their syllabi with this Wednesday course session in mind and end up with few students present.

With Thanksgiving looming, no one learns anything on Wednesday. Georgetown should acknowledge this reality and change its calendar to ensure no one has to choose between academics and Thanksgiving dinner.

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