To the Editor:

A year or two ago, The Daily ran a feature debunking some of the myths of Iowa State University. One of those myths was the definition of Dead Week.

It appears the Daily has a short memory. Dead Week does NOT mean students are not expected to do work, or turn in assignments. I challenge you to provide the basis of your statement, “Current university policy states that are not allowed to assign coursework that falls due during the week prior to final exams.”

This is not university policy, and I am told it never has been.

Dead Week means that ORGANIZATIONS are not to plan activities which would take students away from their studies at this crucial time.

My understanding of the policy is that the Daily should cease publication during that week to provide its reporters with the maximum amount of time, rather than professors scheduling a week of inactivity.

I am one of those who has a project due during Dead Week. It was not part of a “flurry of last minute assignments” but rather a deadline stated in the course outline, distributed the first day of class.

Let’s consider the alternatives: I could require that the project be due during finals week, but that would be wrong. Students need finals week to work on finals and nothing else. If I had the project due the week prior to Dead Week, that would have meant that students returning from Thanksgiving Recess would have to turn it in upon their return. How many would have been using the break to complete the assignment?

The other alternative would be to have it due before Thanksgiving. This would make my job of grading much easier, but would result in much less time for the project. In your opinion, which do you sincerely believe to be in the best interest of the students?

Just because your editorial appears on a page marked “opinion” does not mean it should be filled with inaccurate information based on hearsay. Get the facts straight before you take a position on a “university policy” which doesn’t exist.

Dom Caristi

Asst. Professor

Journalism Mass Communication