Starting classes after Labor Day means that there is only one reading day this year, and that is a problem. The reading period, usually two to three days in length, is crucial for Penn students as they prepare for final exams. And one reading day is simply not enough. Because Penn refuses to start classes before Labor Day, schedulers are forced to choose between sacrificing reading days and getting students home in time for the holidays. Forcing schedulers to make such a choice is unacceptable. Students should not have to sacrifice this period -- valued both as a breather and a time to study -- so that they can be home for the holidays. When September starts on a Tuesday and Labor Day falls a week into the month, classes should start before Labor Day, just as they do at most of our peer institutions. We are conscious of appearing to be the grinch that stole summer, asking faculty and students to relinquish the last weekend of the summer season. Baseball and barbeques, apple pie and American flags are all good things. But where preserving Labor Day weekend means that students lose their much-needed period of rest before final exams, another All-American value, fairness, ought to take precedence.
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