Now that three committees representing the interests of ISU students and faculty have spoken on their academic calendar preferences, it seems obvious that the current calendar, Calendar A, is preferred by most of the campus.

The Government of the Student Body recognized the importance of student concerns when it recommended the current academic calendar be kept. The Professional and Scientific Council also unanimously voted 27—0 to keep the current academic calendar.

The Faculty Senate, while not extending its support for Calendar B, also didn’t support Calendar A in its entirety. It voted to offer a new academic calendar proposal to ISU president Geoffroy that would add one week to winter break by pushing back the end of spring semester by one week.

This schedule would match the University of Iowa’s academic calendar.

While having an extra week of winter break sounds like a good idea, it would not benefit students.

With the shorter semesters, Calendar B would provide, more work would have to be compressed into a shorter time period coupled with longer classes.

According to the Academic Calendar Task Force Web site, www.iastate.edu/news/cal, a student taking 16 credit hours of classes would increase the time he or she spends in academic pursuits by four hours a week, going up from 40 hours to 44, under Calendar B.

Those four hours are four hours most students don’t have time to fit into their schedules, which are already packed with enough class time, studying and extracurricular activities — not to mention (hopefully) getting enough sleep.

Also, if semesters were one week shorter, it would give students one less week to complete important projects and receive important hands-on experience in lab and design classes.

If Iowa State were to modify its academic calendar to match Iowa’s, as the Faculty Senate suggested, it would effectively eliminate any edge ISU students may have on receiving summer internships, since they are currently able to go to work at an internship a week earlier than Iowa students.

Along with these considerations, students must also consider the oddity of the staggered start times that would come as part of Calendar B.

Much adjustment would be needed, including a revamping of the Cyride bus schedule. Changes to the bus schedule may not work for all Ames residents who use it to travel to and from work and other activities.

All in all, Calendar A is the most advantageous academic calendar for students. The recent votes have shown Calendar A is highly supported, as well. The obvious choice is clear — keep Calendar A in place.