While discussions stemming from the Student Life Initiative have yet to focus specifically on the D-plan, the current talks could lead to discussing the value of the D-plan as early as next year, said Dean of the Faculty Ed Berger in an interview with The Dartmouth.
According to Berger, the discussion of the calendar has always taken a back seat to other issues in the past, but the Initiative provides "an opportunity to re-examine [the College's] commitment to the D-plan."
Berger said most professors have accepted the D-plan and the flexibility it provides, however many are quick to cite both the pros and the cons of the current system of 10-week terms and a four- term year.
He said that while students and faculty enjoy the flexibility of the D-plan, it can be chaotic for structuring curricula. Berger mentioned that problems arise in courses with many prerequisites or that need to be taken in a sequential order.
He cited biology classes that need to be offered during sophomore summer, when the department can be sure that all students will be on and able to take the class. This solution, however, cannot feasibly be applied to most classes or classes that would benefit from being taken sequentially.
Many professors stressed the difficulty of fitting a course into a 10-week term, as opposed to a longer semester system.
Susan Ackerman, a professor of religion, said that the 10-week term is too short, and doesn't allow students in reading-intensive classes sufficient time to reflect on course materials or to develop in-depth research papers.
Ackerman said she would support a semester system that could continue to operate during the summer term, but would replace the three other terms with two longer ones.
Geography professor Susanne Freidberg has taught in both the semester system and the term system, and said that she also prefers the longer classes provided for by the semester system
Ackerman also noted that while it may be cost efficient for the College to operate year round, there is also a need for academic institutions to have "down-time for self-reflection and self-examination of the institution," something she said she feels the College is unable to do during year-round operation.
Criticism of the D-plan also revolves around the adverse effects it has on students' social lives.
Berger stressed the common argument that the D-plan is disruptive to students' social lives, and that as a result, students depend on the Greek system for continuity.
"Social life is hugely compromised" by the D-plan, Ackerman said.
She also noted that students are constantly moving around campus and changing their living arrangements, resulting in a lack of any residential communities and the need for residential "neighborhoods" to enhance student life.
Previous opportunities to discuss the D-plan arose in the College's curriculum reports in 1978 and 1990, but in both instances the subject of the calendar took the back seat to more pressing issues.
The main benefits cited by professors interviewed by The Dartmouth were flexibility for both students and faculty, the opportunity for students to pursue internships during a less traditional off-term, and the many study-abroad programs that are offered.
According to many professors, Dartmouth students enjoy the opportunity of traveling abroad for 10 weeks, as opposed to having to commit to a half-year or full-year program. Additionally, students find less competition when searching for internships and employment at times when there is little competition from students at other colleges, such as during Winter term.
