Here at The University of Michigan, students are always creating new things and cultivating new ideas. Recently, a petition has been circling around social media, and it has caught the attention of many students on campus. A group of students in Activism 203 started the organization “Crush the Calendar,” proposing to change the Fall 2015 academic calendar. They realized that the Fall 2015 semester will end on December 23rd, 2015, meaning that the last possible day of exams is Christmas Eve, causing many issues for students, both in-state and out-of-state, and professors. Therefore, they started an online petition to try and revise the Fall 2015 calendar.
Her Campus at The University of Michigan was able to speak to Lauren Siegel, one of the creators of the organization, and ask her about some of the aspects that went into making this petition.
Her Campus: What made you decide to form this petition?
Lauren Siegel: Like most students on campus, I had no idea there was anything wrong with the Fall 2015 calendar until Luke Barwikowski presented his activism proposal to our class. Immediately I was charged for change, and “Crush the Calendar” was born. Crush the Calendar is the organization founded by myself and five other undergraduate students in Activism 203 (Annie Boehrer, Molly Weiss, William McPherson, Laura Maier and Luke Barwikowski) to change the Fall 2015 academic calendar.
HC: What are the problems underlying the Fall 2015 calendar? Why do you think other students should also “charge for change?”
LS: The current schedule is that final examinations end on December 23, 2015 and classes resume on January 6, 2016, allowing a break of only 13 days. The Winter Break in a typical year is closer to 15 days. The planned schedule would cause: (1) Increased cost and inconvenience of traveling during a holiday; (2) Lost time spent with families during Winter Break; and (3) Faculty to work during a holiday in order to submit grades on time. Any student who has family traditions of travel or holiday dinners should care, in-state and out-of-state students alike.
HC: What change do you hope to see?
LS: We hope to move final exams back, allowing for a longer winter break, our professors to have a full 72 hour grading period before Christmas Eve, and more time with our families. Possible alternative scheduling arrangements to end the semester earlier include: (1) Eliminate the 2015 Fall Study Break; (2) Begin the Fall 2015 semester on September 2; (3) Reduce the length of the 2015 Fall Study Break and eliminate one of two currently scheduled examination study days; or (4) Compress the examination schedule. Crush the Calendar strongly urges the Board of Regents to adopt one of the fixes to the 2015-2016 Academic Calendar.
HC: What is your opinion on student activism and involvement on campus?
LS: I am proud to call myself a Wolverine when I see students speaking out for something they believe— whether I agree or not— in the freezing cold on the Diag. Of course I would always love to see more students pushing for change to better our university, but overall, the faculty and student body provide a support system for students to voice their opinions and ideas that attracts the involvement of most on campus.
So far, 5,446 people have signed the petition. It has made its way through our Facebook feeds and email inboxes, reaching many students here on campus. Michigan students are known for being leaders, and of course the best. We are role models and activists, making changes in our community when we see fit. We want to make a difference and leave a lasting impact.
If you want to learn more about the petition or sign it, check it out here.