By Margaret Stinnett

While some universities give their students a fall break, UK eliminated its fall break two years ago.

David Randall, professor of physiology and chair of the University Senate Council, which makes the decisions for the academic calendar, said the break did not completely disappear.  Instead, additional days will be added to both Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.

“The fall break is not gone, it has just reappeared in a longer Thanksgiving break,” Randall said.

Many areas of the university are considered when deciding the academic calendar, Randall said, including residence halls and dining services.

Sheila Brothers, administrative coordinator in the University Senate, said the decision to cut fall break was based on numerous concerns, including students traveling late Wednesday to get home and students skipping Wednesday classes before Thanksgiving.

The committee was split in making the fall break decision. Some argued students would begin skipping Tuesday, but Brothers said the decision is meant to keep students from missing class and missing the holidays with their families.

Freida Eggleton, chair of the calendar committee at Western Kentucky University, said every institution makes calendar decisions based on their individual campus culture and needs.

Eggleton said WKU has a two-day fall break, as well as a Thanksgiving and winter break, which is equivalent to the length of UK’s. However, WKU’s classes run five minutes longer than UK’s typical 50-minute and 75-minute classes.

Bruce Manley in the Communications, Publications and Transfer Equivalency department of the Office of the Registrar said UK classes should meet 800 minutes based on a 16-week semester,

“As long as the courses are meeting for the required time, then breaks can be scheduled around that,” Manley said.

Scott Burks, director of Student Records and Registration at the University of Louisville, said their fall break has been in effect for the past 10 years. Their fall break was initiated by student demands to have a full week off every semester. Students argued they already had one full week off for spring break and they needed more down time in the fall semester, he said.

Randall said the University Senate started an initiative two years ago to lengthen fall break to one fu­ll week. However, if students were to have a full week fall break, they would be paying the same amount of tuition but for fewer days in the classroom, Randall said.

“This would have cost students more in tuition by cutting instructional days by two or three days,” he said.