The Calendar Task Force met Thursday, April 22, to discuss Lawrence’s yearly calendar. The task force is composed of faculty and students charged with the task of evaluating the current academic calendar. The university community has been considering the possibility of switching Lawrence to a semester calendar as opposed to the current term calendar. After hearing several faculty reports covering various concerns from many university departments, the task force voted to end the consideration of a semester calendar. According to a prior survey, faculty opinion on semesters was mixed; approximately half the university departments felt that a semester calendar would have an adverse effect, while about a quarter of the departments responded positively and a quarter responded neutrally.
The task force will continue to meet and evaluate further possible adjustments to the current three-term system. The Calendar Task Force will focus its energies on developing a new calendar that would alleviate some of the problems that students face due to Lawrence’s current September-to-June calendar. A student “town hall” meeting to discuss the issue is planned.