The University is proposing a revised 2010-2011 calendar in order to move up the date of graduation by eliminating the week between final exams and commencement.Allayne Barrilleaux, assistant vice president of academic affairs, said there was typically a one-week period between the last day of classes and the commencement ceremony in past years, which caused seniors who were waiting to graduate to wait around until graduation day.
In fall 2010, there will be a study day on Dec. 1 for students to prepare for final exams, which begin on Dec. 2 and end on Dec. 8. Final grades will be due the following day, and commencement for summer and fall graduates will be held on Dec. 11. The study day is being kept so it can be used for classes in case of a hurricane evacuation.
In spring 2011, there will be no study day because Mardi Gras break gives students an extra Wednesday off. The final exam and graduation schedules begin with exams from May 5 to May 11 with final grades due on May 12. Commencement will be on May 14 for spring graduates.
When University President Stephen Hulbert arrived at Nicholls, he brought insight into the way other universities handle commencement ceremonies. “Dr. Hulbert said that at a lot of other universities, they do not process grades until after graduation,” Barrilleaux said. In Hulbert’s scenario, final grades would be turned in nearly a week after commencement.
Barrilleaux said a problem presented with Hulbert’s scenario would be students walking across the stage without knowing if they would actually graduate.
Another concern is that it would not be known which students are qualified for graduation honors. Some students’ grades may have dropped, making them ineligible for titles like magna cum laude. Other students’ grades may have raised, but they didn’t get the title because the University would be using the previous semester’s grades.
Even though these cases are rare, it’s still possible, Barrilleaux said. Before, teachers would know students’ grades when they walked across the stage.
The new calendar has the graduation day moved up, eliminating the week in between finals and commencement. To ensure that students know their grades when they graduate, grades will be due within two days after the final exams.
In recent years, the University would mail diplomas after the commencement ceremony, but the new schedule will allow the University to hand the diplomas out at the actual ceremony, saving the University money on postage.
The Student Government Association and Nicholls students were surveyed regarding the calendar change. Their options included a Saturday exam or eliminating the spring study day.
Many were in favor of eliminating a study day. “They didn’t vote on it, it wasn’t a formal procedure,” Barrilleaux said. “Talking to several students anecdotally just in conversation, they said they would rather not have the study day,” Barrilleaux said.
The updated calendar is still considered a draft because it has not gone through the four required levels of approval. It must go through the committee proposing the update, Faculty Senate, Academic Council and President’s Cabinet.
Barrilleaux said there are more benefits to the proposal than there are costs, and that it is not and cannot be perfect. “The primary cost is the eliminated spring study day,” Barrilleaux said. “When you are dealing with 1,000 or so people at graduation, how do you satisfy them all? But we are trying to do our best.
