The clock is running on Walker Byrd’s term as SGA president, but there is one initiative Byrd hopes to build student support on.
Over the course of the last year, Byrd’s administration has sought to work with the University to bring a halt to “high-stakes” assignments such as projects, test and quizzes from being due during the last week of regular classes.
Byrd said the proposal started with a resolution passed in the SGA senate in 2014 calling for dead days in the academic calendar.
“Dead days weren’t really a feasible option for the calendar,” Byrd said. “So we re-evaluated and looked at what’s best for students’ success. After looking at it, we thought some kind of terminology like this proposal would be the route to go.”
SGA President-elect Jesse Westerhouse, who serves as executive vice president of initiatives in Byrd’s administration, said he’s worked on the proposal over the last year.
“The goal is to limit not only the stress and the anxiety that comes with finals, but it gives students more time to meet with their professors and get a feel of where they stand in that class before finals comes around,” Westerhouse said.
Byrd and Westerhouse brought the proposal to the University senate, which put together a committee to look at the issue.
The committee looked at 27 universities across the country and found 18 of the 27 had a similar policy. The University of Tennessee has an almost identical policy to the one Byrd and Westerhouse are proposing, which limits any assignment during the last five calendar days to no more than 10 percent of a final grade.
“That discussion came through [the committee], but there were some roadblocks with different ways to enforce this policy,” Westerhouse said.
Paul Patterson, associate dean of the College of Agriculture, chaired the committee and said the original proposal was too vague for the committee.
“I think it’s an issue that should be discussed further,” Patterson said. “So come back with language that’s a little more specific.”
Patterson said he personally supports the proposal, but understands that teachers may have a good reason for having assignments due during the last week.
“My opinion as a faculty member is you shouldn’t put a lot of weighted material during that last week of class, particularly if it’s going to be hard for you to get feedback,” Patterson said.
Byrd said he expects it to be some time before the University adopts the proposal, but hopes if students support the proposal, that they let the University administration know.
Westerhouse said he will take up the issue when he takes over the office of SGA president.
“I absolutely plan to continue that and plan to do everything I can to make it a reality,” Westerhouse said.
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