The provost officially recommended new guidelines for professors to adhere to during Dead Week this semester.

The new guidelines are the result of a proposal drafted by GSB leaders that was approved by the Faculty Senate, then by President Gregory Geoffroy.

According to the new recommendations, professors should not have mandatory final examinations and major course assignments during Dead Week. Although the policies were only approved by Geoffroy April 16, they are already in effect.

Provost Rollin Richmond notified faculty members of the new recommendations via e-mail.

“Instructors are reminded that most students are enrolled in several courses each semester, and widespread violation of these guidelines can cause student workloads to be excessive as students begin their preparation for final examinations,” Richmond wrote.

James Hill, College of Engineering senator, said he will not alter deadlines in his graduate-level chemistry course because he feels a sudden policy change would have a negative impact.

Hill, university professor of chemical engineering, voted to approve the policy, but said the end of the semester was not an ideal time to alter Dead Week policies. “That part shortchanges students,” Hill said.

“I can’t tell students at first that they have five weeks to do a project and then say, `Uh oh, now you have a week less.’ That doesn’t work very well.”

Violating the policy in this sense will still help students, Hill said.

Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science, agreed with Hill.

“You can’t just switch things in the middle of the semester,” Schmidt said. “It’s fine if you want to change a policy, but don’t make it retroactive into a semester that is already going on.”

Hill said he supports a policy that gives students time off before finals, which he said was the policy when he attended Stanford University and the University of Washington.

Following suit with Harvard University, which allows students a week off before final examinations, would be preferable as well, Schmidt said. “Then we should provide student learning sessions and tutoring so they can prepare themselves and go into finals really prepared,” he said.

The new Dead Week policies will be reviewed in the future, Richmond wrote in his e-mail.

“The provost will publicize and monitor this policy each semester,” he wrote.

“In addition, the provost will study the impact of these guidelines on student achievement and report to the university community on the findings.”