The
Issue 88.11
Clocktower
December 11, 2013
Union College
DEAD DAYS ARE DEAD “At any major college or university, the week before finals are administered and most major projects and assignments are TYLER due for submission. ELLIS The late night working and hardcore studying for finals gives the students a zombie like atmosphere, and causes an eerie silence and many blank, unseeing expressions. Man, this place is silent. What’s going on?
Dead week man. Killer.”
That is a definition from Urban Dictionary of what a “dead week” is. This idea of a dead week, or in our case, dead days, brings a couple questions to my mind. So I set out on a journey to discover what a dead period really is to most schools and why we would need or want it here at Union. An article written in USA Today (“Dead Week a Killer for Students Studying for Finals”) noted that a dead week is supposed to have few, if any, classes, club meetings, recreational activities, or out-of-the-blue assignments. The Iowa
For some, death may appear an attractive alternative to juggling exams and final assignments.
State Daily notes that “the intent is to provide students with time for review and preparation for final exams.” The USA Today article continues to explain that few colleges or universities actually honor the dead week, as students’ supposed time off is still littered with projects, quizzes, and any other assignments that the teachers did not fit into the previous time frame. Union College typically has a few days before finals that are designated as dead days, where the teachers are not supposed to have major projects due or administer tests. Yet there are always loopholes. For example, I have had a teacher say, “Well, the project is technically due Wednesday, but if you would like to turn it in Friday (dead day), that is ok.” Suddenly a dead day has become a new deadline. I also talked to a Union student who has been in a class where the teacher was still teaching information for the final on exam day. I bring up these discrepancies to encourage us to analyze the situation. If we are going to continue to have dead days, I think we should experience them as they are intended to be by enforcing them—maybe even suspending classes on those days. If they aren’t going to be treated as true dead days, maybe we should consider removing them so students won’t get frustrated with the fact that those days are still very much alive. TYLER ELLIS is a senior business major.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE ► CRAFT RESOLUTE RESOLUTIONS
FACIAL HAIR: YAY OR NAY?
LINCOLN’S HOLIDAY SCENE
APPETITE FOR EGGNOG
ON CAMPUS, page 3
CULTURE, PAGE 4
SPECIAL INTEREST, page 5
CONTINUED, page 6