SF State’s Academic Senate approved the Academic Calendar Policy last spring, mandating changes that affect this fall’s final exam schedule.

For the first time, fall semester final exams will begin on a Saturday and end on a Saturday.

Students and faculty spend the last days of the semester with exams, but some will be sitting in classrooms punching away formulas and bubbling Scantrons until the very last moment on Saturday, Dec. 22.

Saturday is traditionally the first day of finals, but the schedule will be interrupted on Monday, which will be observed as the last day of instruction. Final exams begin on Saturday, Dec. 15, and resume on Tuesday until Saturday.

“It’s lame,” said Allison Carroll, a nursing student who has two finals on Dec. 22. “[Classes] should be done on Friday.”

When SF State’s Academic Senate approved the full week of fall recess during the week of Thanksgiving, the university needed to recover lost days of instruction. California State University policy mandates a minimum of 14 weeks of instruction. The university policy also states that classes begin on the fourth week of August and end by Dec. 22.

“Under those constraints, we didn’t have any other options,” said Senate Vice Chair Shawn Whalen. Whalen was the chair of the Academic Policies Committee, which constructs and reviews the academic calendar last term.

SF State needed to use Monday as an instructional day during finals week because the university needed to balance the schedule after losing Mondays to observe Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, and the fall recess, Whalen said.

“California Education Code specifies that we have to observe Veteran’s Day,” Whalen said. “So whenever it lands on Monday or lands on Sunday, we face the problem of not having 14 Mondays between the fourth week of August and Dec 22.”

Comparatively, San Jose State University starts instruction on Thursday, Aug. 23, does not have fall recess, and finishes final exams on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Some students and faculty are upset about the Saturday finals. Biology Professor Laura Burrus said the amended finals schedule was not favorable. When Burrus went over the course syllabus and noted the time of the final exam, students were less than thrilled.

“I think it makes any travel plans for students and faculty very difficult,” Burrus said. “With such a large lecture room it’s impossible, and people are going to have finals at other times.”

David Meredith, former Chair of the Academic Senate, is not surprised by the faculty reaction.

“If it’s a concern, it hasn’t gone back to me,” Meredith said. “The faculty is upset, but certainly it’s what their representatives voted for last year. Faculty is often not aware of this until they construct their schedule for the year.”

Members of Associated Students Inc. usually sit on committees at Senate meetings to reflect the interests of students, but their attendance fluctuates, said Senate Staff Representative Bridget McCracken.

“We have people from ASI who sit on the committees, but unfortunately we struggled with their level of commitment in the past to attend Senate meetings,” McCracken said. “We are working with ASI to get stronger student commitment, and as far as student voice is concerned, that is the best access to actual students and what their opinions are. Their committee membership is so crucial.”

Current ASI President Isidro Armenta is in the process of appointing ASI members to the Academic Senate and is trying to improve student representation on university committees.

“There’s very little I could say for last year, but this year we’re striving for more shared governance for student input in all discussions related to this university,” Armenta said. “This is a call for all students to get involved. We’re only a board of 19 representatives, and there are countless university committees. We still need input from those interested, and the doors are with open to hear from those voices.”

While some professors use the last day of instruction for final exams, classes need to meet during the mandated final exam times even if an exam is not given, according to the SF State Faculty Manual.

In April 2007, the Academic Senate adopted an Academic Calendar policy that would fix the calendars five years in advance. Amendments to the calendar must be approved by the Academic Senate.

The Academic Policies Committee based the policy on responses from a survey of 250 of the nearly 35,000 students, staff, and faculty. The policy mirrors the current calendar.

“I think the calendar policy we place have in place reflects the majority will of the campus at this point,” Whalen said. “When we have a five-week holiday there’s no difference between Friday and Saturday.”