Proposed Budget Reduction Plan

SmithieandProud
Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:50:04 +0000

I think the confusion here is a lack of understanding of how J-Term actually works. It’s much bigger than the not-for-credit or the for-credit classes, in fact, I would argue those are the smallest part of J-Term. Even if the not-for-credit classes were eliminated (and that’s a big if, again, I think we’re getting spun up over nothing here, folks), J-term itself would continue to exist.

First of all, J-term is a completely optional school period that fills the month of January. No one is required to be on campus and if they are on campus, they arent’ required to take classes of any kind. Houses are open and dining is offered, but in a limited way. People use J-term for a lot of different purposes: some do come back to take a class, but many more use the time to relax, prepare a thesis, train for a sport, work on or off campus, and the vast majority of students don’t come back at all or come back only for the last week when most of the classes have finished, preferring instead to stay home or travel or spend the time in their own way.

If the not-for-credit courses were eliminated, it would certainly be a blow to some students, but they would likely just increase the opportunities for courses that are taught by volunteers (which are also good and fun). But there are also a lot of other things to do during J-term that are not as expensive as the courses and still can engage students. There are trips to New York to see the opera, special movie screenings, trips with the outing club for winter hiking, for example.

The remark about not heating the school was in reference to the origins of J-Term. Many LACs on the East Coast have J-Term though they have adapted it to their own special style (Williams, for example, requires all students to return for J-Term). Back in the day (way, way back) it was cheaper to send students home for the month of January than to pay to heat the campus, since that was the coldest month of the year. So East Coast LACs developed an academic calendar that excludes the month of January. So the only way to get rid of J-term now, would be to lengthen the spring semester by a month, which would be vastly more expensive since instead of paying for food and lodging and activities for a few students, the school would have to fund classes, food, activities, housing etc. for every student. Which is why J-term will never, ever be eliminated, at least not for budgetary reasons. They may pare it down or change its shape (maybe, maybe, maybe but again, definitely not a for sure thing) but they won’t end it altogether.