By: Andrew Redd ~Guest Writer~

Many students copying the academic calendar into their planners this semester were shocked to discover that study day, the Monday of finals week that has traditionally been a free day for students to prepare for exams, had been removed from the calendar.

The decision to remove study day was made two years ago by the Calendar Committee, a university committee that deals with the calendar. The Calendar Committee consists of twelve faculty/staff members and one student.

Senior Director for the Division of Student Affairs and a sitting member of the Calendar Committee, Leah Busam- Klenowski remembers several conversations that she had with the student population.

“I can affirm that both SGA and the Calendar Committee heard from numerous students who were in support of removing or changing study day as well as quite a few who didn’t care about it one way or another,” Busam-Klenowski said.

She also noted that the student representative on the committee was heavily in favor of removing the study day from the calendar.

“The student representatives to the committee repeatedly noted that many students party on the weekend and then use study day to make up for that time lost,” she said.

Students have expressed a variety of reactions to the removal of study day ranging from extreme anger to casual indifference.

Senior Pat Holden, a Health Services major, reacted negatively to the removal of study day.

“Exams are stressful and to take away the study day shows a lack of concern for students’ needs,” Holden said.

When asked if he found benefit from study day, Holden responded, “Yes absolutely. Study day helped me do well on my finals.”

Other students said they had no idea study day had been removed.

Junior Communications major Zeina Farhat said, “I honestly had no idea that it was removed, but I am glad I get go home a day earlier.”