Changes to the academic calendar will be discussed, but not voted on, at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting.

Arne Hallam, faculty senate member and professor and chair of economics, will present the two proposed calendar options.

Voting on the calendar proposals will not take place until the Senate meets next month.

Calendar A is the traditional calendar, which Iowa State currently uses. Calendar B differs in that it includes longer class times, a later fall semester start date, an earlier spring semester end date and the possibility of a 10-day January term, or J-term.

“I personally like proposal A, which is how we have it now because I’m not terribly convinced that shortening the semester will make it better, but I’m going to listen to the presentations and see,” said Faculty Senate President Jack Girton.

The current academic calendar was implemented in the fall of 1997. In April 2002, the Faculty Senate made a decision to extend the winter break by one week. This decision prompted ISU President Gregory Geoffroy to develop a task force which considers academic calendar changes.

The Academic Calendar Task Force has been considering changes that would benefit students faculty and staff, and has developed the two proposals.

Ann Marie Fiore, Family and Consumer Sciences Caucus chair and associate professor of textiles and clothing, said she believes Calendar B would benefit the Family and Consumer Science Department.

“Proposal B offers us some advantages with the J-term, which we think students can really benefit from,” Fiore said.

Some of the controversy surrounding Calendar B is that shortening the semester may eliminate some classes that are necessary to student’s overall education.

“The chemistry department is concerned because the shortening of the semester eliminates one lab class, which is something that can’t be made up,” Girton said.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Garden Room at The Gateway Hotel, 2100 Greenhills Dr.