Students may be able to log some extra study time or take a catnap between finals this semester.
An administrative initiative passed last fall has increased the time between finals from a half hour to an hour, in addition to moving the earliest exam times from 8:30 to 9 a.m.
The changes were "based on a number of complaints from students who felt they didn't have enough time to get from one exam to another," said former Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Jason Levine, who graduated last year.
For the most part, the initiative -- which grew out of UA discussions in the fall of 2003 -- was supported by both administrators and faculty, Levine said.
"I think it's fundamentally a good idea that students have more breathing space between their final exams," Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dennis DeTurck said.
Despite the positive aspects of the plan, DeTurck added that there may be a potential problem with the more staggered schedule.
Because some Friday exams now will not end until 5 p.m., students who observe the Jewish Sabbath have been forced to make other arrangements.
Yet affected students, such as Class of 2009 President Jon Hefter -- who was scheduled to take a calculus final from 3 to 5 p.m. -- did not seem upset.
"I think it's a nice, comforting idea to have an hour between finals," Hefter said, adding that the University has been very accommodating.
College freshman Avital Falk, who is also taking calculus, is also happy with the University's efforts.
"It would have been helpful if I didn't have a bio final" at the alternative time, she said.
As a result, she made private arrangements with her professor to take the final early Friday morning.
DeTurck said the school will examine the problem for future semesters.
He and the Council of Undergraduate Deans are currently discussing another UA initiative regarding scheduling.
"We are attempting to get fall classes to begin before Labor Day so finals don't go so late" into December, UA Chairwoman Rachel Fersh said.
Unlike the exam change, however, this initiative has been met by mixed reactions from both faculty members and students alike.
"I prefer starting after Labor Day," Engineering sophomore Dan Falcone said. "It doesn't really bother me that we finish later in December."
Both students and faculty "have gotten used to starting after Labor Day," DeTurck said. "A lot of the culture around here would have to get changed in order to do this."
History professor Thomas Childers said that many faculty members plan family vacations and outings for Labor Day weekend.
"I don't think it's a good idea to start classes for a week and then have a long weekend," Childers said.
Tweaking the timetable - The first exams of each day will now start at 9 a.m. instead of 8:30 - The time between finals has been increased from a half hour to an hour - Scheduled exams will remain two hours long and will go later into the day
