Discussions on the possibility of altering Iowa State’s academic calendar have resumed this semester, and students have an opportunity to weigh in on the issue.

The calendar being considered would lengthen summer and winter breaks and compensate by lengthening the amount of time spent in class each day by five minutes.

An academic task force was appointed by ISU President Gregory Geoffroy in fall of 2002 to examine the calendar options. The task force, made up of 12 people including students and faculty, resumed calendar discussions this month.

The purpose of the task force was to come up with different calendar ideas that would fulfill the requests of faculty and accommodate students better, said Stephen Sapp, professor of sociology and member of the academic task force.

Faculty members wanted more time to prepare for classes, research and attend meetings over winter break, Sapp said.

ISU students would be able to get a week head start in the job market because they would be released earlier in the spring than other colleges, Sapp said.

Students would also be able to work longer over winter break with the extra week, he added.

The academic task force came up with four calendars that Geoffroy has narrowed to two, he said.

The calendar options being discussed are Calendar A, which would make no changes to the current calendar, and Calendar B.

Calendar B would differ from the current calendar in that winter break would be four weeks and 2 days, according to the academic calendar discussion Web site, web2.iastate.edu/news/cal. Current winter breaks are three weeks long.

According to the Web site, Calendar B would offer a January Term, or J-term, that would be held during the first two weeks of January. Students could attend 10 days of class to earn one, two or three credits.

A main difference between the proposed calendars is that Calendar B’s fall and spring semesters would be one week shorter than they are now, Sapp said. The semester would be 14 weeks of classes instead of 15.

Class times would be longer with the Calendar B option to ensure students would have the same amount of class interaction within a shortened semester, according to the Web site.

“I think students and faculty will adjust to the length of class,” Sapp said. “With a longer class period, professors won’t feel hurried on a topic.”

Sapp said the final decision to change the calendar will come from Geoffroy. If Calendar B is approved, it will be implemented in either 2005 or 2006. Students, faculty and staff can post comments or concerns about the proposed change to the academic calendar on the academic calendar discussion Web site. Comments will be taken until Nov. 14.

Kristin King, graduate student in business, said the spring semester would end early, which would allow students to start summer internships sooner.

King said she thinks students would take advantage of the J-term option so they could graduate sooner or on time.

“If the longer [J-term] is implemented, students probably would take classes,” she said.

Kristen Banas, senior in mechanical engineering, said she prefers the current calendar.

“Looking at both [calendar options], I decided to stick with what we have now,” she said. “This is what I know and I like it; I didn’t see added benefits to changing.”

Banas said she does not like the idea of longer class times.

“It’s already hard enough for students to stay awake in class,” she said.

King disagreed, pointing out that five extra minutes of class was not too big of a sacrifice for an extra week off of class during break.

Daniel Altena, junior in veterinary medicine, said shortening the semester by one week would be detrimental to the veterinary medicine school.

“The calendar year is already too short,” Altena said.

Altena said students are running out of time to learn everything they need to, and there have been discussions on making the veterinary medicine program a five year program.

“We’re going to need more schooling,” Altena said. “[The new calendar] won’t do us any good.”