The legislation to eliminate Saturday finals - and thereby alter the entire Fall Semester calendar - has wound through a number of organizations and committees throughout the several years it's been under debate. All of the people who've worked on the plan have made changes to it, and on Thursday the University Senate will make a decision on the latest suggested plan - the most complicated one so far.
But without bringing students back into the process, this complex solution is ignoring the needs of the largest groups of people it will affect.
There are many who would love to see Saturday finals eliminated - from the freshmen who are stuck in the dorms an extra day to the facilities staffers who don't want to work the weekend. In fact, most students, faculty and staff would likely vote in favor of removing Saturday finals if it were put to a popular vote today.
Unfortunately, the legislation currently receiving the most support within the senate and other university groups does a lot more than just eliminate Saturday finals.
If University Senate votes this legislation into practice, Fall Break will be reduced to a single day and students will attend their Friday classes on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Break.
The complexity and problems caused by the proposed legislation beg the question of whether the change is really worth the trouble.
Students need Fall Break, and turning it into a quick three-day weekend could make Fall Semester too long and overwhelming for students.
Also, academic consequences arise from turning a Tuesday into a Friday and having Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes three days in a row.
The whole plan sounds confusing - because it is.
As nice as an end to Saturday finals would be, the current plan for doing so just isn't worth all of the problems it would cause.
The benefits of this legislation lie almost entirely on the administrative side of the issue - despite the fact that eliminating Saturday finals was once about meeting student and faculty needs.
On Thursday, University Senate needs to remember that original purpose.
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