Students and faculty members at Western Texas College are looking forward to the four-day academic week during the spring semester.
But they also want the administration to re-evaluate its effectiveness before considering making a permanent change. Even though classes will only be offered four days a week, the campus will remain open five days a week, Dean of Instructional Affairs Stephanie Ducheneaux said recently.
Laveeda Newsome, an English instructor, said having the four-day week will allow her to diversify her class each day. She said she would not have to spend one day lecturing, another day giving a quiz and the third on a group activity. She plans to encompass all during each of the 75-minute sessions.
“This will allow me to have more of a variety of activities in the classroom,” she said. “I can do better with 75 minutes than I can with 50 minutes because it seems like the time is crunched.”
She said Fridays will be spent working with students and catching up on paperwork.
She said the four-day week will also free her up to work with dual-credit and distance-learning students.
“I will be able to sit down and answer their emails. I might even be able to do videoconferencing,” she said.
Floyd Holder, an assistant professor of social sciences, said the college is “taking a step in the right direction in advancing the school” by going to the four-day week. He said many colleges have already offered the four-day week.
Ducheneaux said Howard College, Odessa College, Ranger College, Cisco Junior College, Frank Phillips College and South Plains College are among the schools that currently use a four-day academic week.
But Holder said the change should be evaluated after the semester.
Students agree. Sarah Campoli, a freshman from Weatherford, Taylor Sealy, a sophomore from Houston, Tyler Dick, a freshman from San Antonio, and Jacklin Allison, a sophomore from Maryneal, each said they are excited about the four-day week, but want the administration to review it at the end of the semester.
“This will give me more time for my sport (volleyball) and studying,” Campoli said.
Dick, who plays baseball, said he would be unable to attend class on 15 Fridays in the spring due to baseball games. Now, he said he does not have to worry about missing class.
“A lot of community colleges do this. It is a lot easier for the schedules,” he said.
Allison had a different reason why she liked the four-day week — her daily commute from Nolan County. With no Friday class, she will only have to spend four days on the road.
“I think for the people who have to commute, this is more practical,” she said. “WTC has a lot of commuters.”
Allison said as a science major she only had one Friday class and now that has been eliminated.
Sealy, who is a theatre major, said Fridays are spent in rehearsals and now she will have the time to rehearse and not worry about missing a class.
Allison said it will also help students who are tutored by other students. She was helping a rodeo athlete during the fall semester and did not see her much because of the rodeo schedule.
“I think a lot of our coaches will take advantage of this and send their athletes to tutoring,” she said.
Sealy said she hopes the four-day week goes well, but said “with anything, you need to review how it goes.”
The administration, during last month’s board meeting, said the program would be reviewed before being implemented on a permanent basis.