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Amidst the celebrations that Homecoming entails -- the bonfire, the football game and the delights of Webster Avenue -- Friday classes will also be on the docket, to the dismay of many students.
Prior to 1986, the Friday before Homecoming was an official College holiday on which classes were cancelled. As the Dartmouth policy changed, the College began scheduling classes as normal. Professors have the option of using their x-hours instead of the Friday slot.
John Carey, a government professor, said he was planning to teach his class during his Thursday x-hour. He said he is happy to make his students' schedules more convenient.
"I know that Homecoming weekend is a big event for the students," Carey said. "It's a little sacrifice and I don't mind doing it once a term."
Students generally said they appreciate when professors tailor their class schedules to fit the Homecoming celebration. Sam Ross '12 said that having one of his classes cancelled Friday alleviated a lot of premature stress.
"The time I save in preparation Thursday night will allow me to just kick back and enjoy the start of my first Homecoming weekend at Dartmouth," Ross said. "I don't exactly know what to expect for Thursday, but since this is the first big weekend of the year I'm sure there will be tons of stuff going on."
Most professors, however, said they plan to stick to their regular schedules despite the big weekend. Sociology professor Denise Anthony said she will hold classes, mainly because she was not thinking of Homecoming while making her syllabus. The four-term course system also came into play when deciding whether or not to cancel Friday classes, she added.
"Since we run on 10-week terms we already have such limited class time to convey the material," Anthony said. "If we drop days we somehow have to squeeze them in somewhere else and we then can't cover as much material."
Neil Basu '11, meanwhile, echoed Ross' sentiments, saying he too believes classes should not be held on Friday.
"I feel like Dartmouth has to be realistic about students' expectations over a very special weekend," Basu. "A lot of students won't show up to class Friday, and many that do, won't be able to learn effectively anyway."
Although some were upset that classes are scheduled on Friday, many expected the policy to be enforced because of Dartmouth's emphasis on academics.
"I'm not surprised classes are being held Friday, but it would be nice if they were cancelled," Lani Jaimes '12 said.
Many students not only have classes, but assignments due and exams to take on Friday. Basu said that, while his Friday plans include an anthropology midterm, he still hoped to be able to attend later Homecoming events.
"I'm obviously unhappy that taking a midterm the day of Homecoming may prevent me from partaking in some of the day's festivities," he said. "However, I'm going to make the best of my situation and let all of my stress out when it's over."
