Walking to class from opposite sides of the campus used to make Penn State Berks students late. But this semester, students have an extra five minutes between classes.
The decision was made by many of Penn State University’s officials, such as Penn State Berks Campus Registrar Dr. David S. Bender, who has worked at Berks for 40 years.
Bender said the change enables all Penn State University campuses to be on the same schedule and benefits faculty and students.
“Faculty fits in the same way students do in the [Penn State Berks] community,” he added.
The process was lengthy; two levels of university-wide committees met. The time change is set until the University centrally makes a decision to change it back.
The new schedule might make scheduling or taking classes at another Penn State University campus easier.
A statement on Penn State New Kensington’s website echoes that sentiment: “This new common schedule allows uniformity across the university and eliminates the problems with decentralized scheduling.”
While Bender hasn’t heard much from students and faculty, he did add that fifteen minutes makes the walk around campus “more leisurely.” But some students weren’t as excited about having a leisurely walk.
“[It’s] kind of unnecessary because [our] campus isn’t as big as University Park but [the time is] nice to have,” said Mitaly Simgh, a finance major.
Other students found benefits beyond walk-time.
“[It’s a] really convenient time to get something to eat, even if class is in same building,” Serena Westwood, 18, early childhood education major said.
Tessa Simmons, 19, an early childhood education major, agrees.
“[I] Also think it’s a good idea to take that time between classes to go to the bathroom,” Simmons said.