Recently, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee made a decision to allow individual departments the ability to decide whether or not to hold classes on dead day.

Dead day was historically held the Monday during finals week. It provided time for faculty development programs, and for students to study for their exams.

This was changed last year, and dead day was moved to a Wednesday during the quarter. This quarter, dead day was held on Oct. 15.

Eric Cheney, a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, said there were various considerations that went into making dead day optional. The day used to be a mandatory faculty development day.

“I think it negatively affected some departments if they had a lab on that day,” Cheney said.

Certain departments, specifically the science department, may have lab work on that day.

However, since there is no uniform measure of which courses will be held, some students may not be aware they have classes during dead day.

Cheney said that the decision to allow professors to hold class was made over the summer.

“It would be up to the professor, and I think the announcement that it would be up to the professor was made before classes started,” Cheney said.

This is also an area which the Student Academic Senate has been looking into.

Jennifer Treadway, ASCWU vice president for Academic Affairs, said that this led to some difficulties at the last Student Academic Senate meeting.

Treadway said that the largest source of concern was from students who were unsure which courses were meeting, and which ones were not.

“The Student Academic Senate is proposing having the day the Friday before finals week,” Treadway said. “We feel that the Friday before [finals] would be more beneficial to the students.”

Treadway also said that the proposal would hopefully benefit not only students, but faculty as well. This proposal would be presented to the Faculty Senate for discussion and approval.

According to Janet Shields, secretary for the Faculty Senate, the original decision to move the day from Monday of finals week was based on polls and surveys of students and faculty. These polls related to how students and faculty used the Monday previously.

It was found that most students were using that Monday to study for finals, but that it could be more beneficial to move it to another day to allow students to work on projects and homework.