Not to sound disparaging...

[heidi]

I'm really not, and I certainly understand all the potential issues people may have with the scheduling of _witchinghour_ but...

Do many of you in uni or grad school really definitely have classes on Fridays? I only did in my freshman year, and my first year of law school (and knowing the lead organizers, law students will certainly have at least a day's educational sessions to enjoy!)

But of course, that was moreyearsagothanIwanttocalculatenowmeep and it's possible that things have changed.

Comments

[acciopotter.livejournal.com]

I only had Friday classes one semester of my entire 4 years at college (from which I graduated in 2002), and that was just a science lab when I got shut out of all the Monday-Thursday ones. Just my 2 cents.

Sandra

[priscellie.livejournal.com]

I don't know about my 2005 schedule yet, of course, but I don't doubt that I'll have classes on Friday. But I'm in the Engineering school, which tends to have a higher courseload than the college. Or maybe Penn has become more MWF in your absence. :D

So now it's just a matter of whether Witching Our is worth skipping two or three days of classes. Answer: heck yeah! I just wish that it could have seen scheduled in the summer, like Nimbus, or over a longer break. I'm not even sure we get Columbus day off!

[mortari.livejournal.com]

I'm in first year at (British) uni, and we only have one class on a Firday - so not really a problem. My issue is just whether I can afford the plane ticket. If I really do want to go, I should start saving now...

[folk.livejournal.com]

I don't think that it's accurate to say that the location planners didn't think.

I know that there are many students, teachers, professors and other academics who were asked and gave their opinions that an October date was not a problem for them.

I also know that there are many pagans who were asked and gave their opinions that Salem was not an issue for them, spiritually.

The fact that you and Ailei disagree with these decisions does not automatically mean that the people making the decisions didn't think about them first.

[zeldaophelia.livejournal.com]

Not to rain on a parade, but this year with only one class on Friday is the first time I haven't had two or three in 6 and a half years of university. Most of my classes have usually been MWF, it's been rarely that I've had a TR class. That said, I have no idea what my class schedule will be in Fall of 2005, but right now I just can't justify skipping class to attend Witching Hour. Probably a product of being raised by a teacher, but I value my education and the money I'm spending on it too much to miss classes for something that does not directly or even closely relate to my major.

That said, I think that this is a wonderful idea and if I wasn't going to be in school at the time I would definitely be considering going. It's just a case of bad timing for me, so instead I'll look ahead to 2007.

2007?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

2007?

Nah.

2006.

That's the board's intention, at least.

Hope that's a bit of a cheerup?

[folk.livejournal.com]

My department went so far as to schedule classes away from Fridays. And I'd miss classes anyway, if I needed to.

[meggitymeg.livejournal.com]

Heck, I got excused from class - a grad school class - just to take malachan to the airport. If you're good about attending class the rest of the semester, most professors could care less if you skip a class or two. And I'm a product of an undergrad where more than 2 skips was grounds for discipline.

[ladylisse.livejournal.com]

I'm not griping, since I won't even be in college anymore when '05 rolls around. I just won't be going because I just plain don't have the resources and I don't even know what state I'll be in. Hopefully I'll be able to make a POA premiere meetup or something instead.

As for Friday classes, I personally don't have any, but I know a lot of the science majors do, and Fridays are generally when I try to get at least some of my work-study done. Again, not griping, since God knows you can't accomodate everybody no matter how hard you try. :D

[dejaspirit.livejournal.com]

What are you talking about? I'll pick your ass up and we'll drive there, Missy.

*bitch slaps*

[khirsah.livejournal.com]

I realize how wanky deleting a comment is, but I'd meant for my grump to be rather private to you (a response to a friend) and didn't realize so many planners read your journal. *g* I don't want to upset anyone or ruffle feathers when I know they've been working so hard, so I'm taking my grump to my private journal

[zorb]

Despite trying my best to avoid them, I've had Friday classes all but two quarters of college (counting next quarter). I don't know how it will be in grad school, which I will hopefully be in when WH rolls around.

Not that I'm griping, I think it's a great idea. And people who had the opportunity to submit their own proposal should not complain about this, IMHO.

[ladyguenivere.livejournal.com]

well, not to be discouraging (cos I'm not trying to do so!!), but yeah, I always had classes on fridays. my classes were held Monday/Wednesday/Friday. that's standard for Humanities around here. and of course, papers/quizes/tests/midterms were always held on friday so students didn't take a long weekend.

plus, fall is the busiest time of year for anyone working at a university like myself. I'd love to go to Salem, but unless my life changes drastically, I won't be going either. my boss will nail my bum to the chair, haha. :D

[smilie117.livejournal.com]

Junior and Senior year of college I had the opportunity ot have Friday - or just one day off - and I'm sure as long as no tests were on I would so be there anyway - granted I'm no longer in school and was thinking about Grad school but not until at least two years had passed...

But anyway, I'm all for this convention and have gladly volunteered and hope this to be all it can be :D so excited *bounce*

[innerslytherin]

I'm totally not emotionally invested in this, because I won't be able to afford the trip, probably... But when I was an undergrad I had at least one Friday class every semester, and usually MWF were my heaviest days. As a grad student, I have a Friday class this spring.

As an employer who schedules 13 student workers every semester, I've only ever had two semesters where a student worker had all day Friday off.

*shrugs* Here at Purdue, MWF are the heavy days for classes, and Tues/Thurs are lighter.

Then again, how many people aren't going to be willing to skip class for this? I mean, a lot of my students skipped class this week to take off for home. ^_^

[vlamidala.livejournal.com]

In 3.5 years I haven't had a single Friday class, which is pretty standard for NYU as a whole. The only people who wind up with Friday classes (at least as undergrads - I can't speak for grad students except MBA candidates, who also have relatively few Friday classes) are science majors and accelerated language students - and even those classes are missable.

Plus, it's early enough in the semester that missing one class isn't devastating.

[ladyguenivere.livejournal.com]

just a note --

schools on the quarter system will be holding Midterms throughout the month of October, depending on the prof.

*shrug*

:)

[jessryn.livejournal.com]

Well next semester is my last of university and I've never not had classes on Friday. Most classes offered at my school are either TR or MWF, so unless you're an education major(their classes run a little different) you'll probably have classes on Friday.

Not that I care related to the Witching Hour, since I'll be out of school by then, and I would have skipped class for it.

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

It won't be possible to please everyone no matter when/where the event is held! If proposals were solicited and people given an opportunity to comment prior to the announcement, that's it. Mostly, I think, people who would like to complain about the timing should consider that the timing wasn't arranged to screw them personally. :)

Many places do schedule MWF classes, or even the occasional F seminar, at both undergrad and grad levels. (MWF 4-5 is the absolute worst teaching slot to have. Zzzz.) Some students will skip class, and there's time to attempt to rearrange work schedules. I know a few professors and grad instructors who have canceled class to give a paper at a conference, though not merely to attend one.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I think it's also a question of being able to travel during the school year. A trip to Salem, god, much though I would love to be back in MA, would take me at least 8 hours (nothing flies direct from the midwest; I'm in the same time zone as my parents and it still takes me 8 - 12 hours traveling to get home). So it's not just missing the days of the meet, it's also missing basically a day and a half in which to travel there.

I'm not griping, cos I couldn't go anyway (poverty sucks) but for those of us out of the east coast...

I'm the person you AREN'T asking for feedback from...

[expetesso.livejournal.com]

...but at Elmira I had classes six days a week -- Monday through Saturday.

A conference of any sort was adequate reason to miss any class, provided documentation was provided and I made up whatever I missed -- professors were happy to provide students with lecture notes regularly, and classmates were willing to share. If the topic of the conference was defensibly related to the course of study, and/or the attendees were willing to give a presentation to other students upon returning, there were funds available for deflecting costs, too. We had to apply for them after doing the legwork to find out if they were available, but there were options.

[dinahrae.livejournal.com]

I have no issues at all, eitehr I'll already be finished with my degree or the semester will start on the 18th. Either way, I am perfectly happy with the scheduling.

my 2 cents to your query

[ixchelmala.livejournal.com]

Many of the budget cuts experienced here in the state of California have affected the scheduling of classes.

Any classes taken for staff development, many teachers being graduate students, are restricted to many factors that go beyond simple scheduling. Here's an example for a Teacher in So. California in a fairly medium sized district in a good neighborhood:

1 day off every month, cumulative over tenure (not the norm). Anytime one has 3 or more days off in a row, district, and local admin approval is needed. There is no paid vacation time. For traditional school years, summer school jobs through the district are only 6 weeks and end the last week of July.

Any conference attendance would have to be approved by administrator. The time and travel is paid (again, this is not the norm).

October is not a preferred as it interferes with work. More work for teachers who have to leave their classes left behind. More work when they return, as they reestablish their relationships with their students. Then there is the extra travel time, jet lag, and stress of having to convince those who must approve such a conference that is not established or sanctioned by a group like the NEA.

[dangel.livejournal.com]

Since graduating next year is looking more and more like a distant dream, I'll likely still be an undergrad in Fall 2005. If not, I'll probably be in another school of some sort that might not be as flexible, so it's premature to make scheduling decisions now.

Most psychology and natural science classes here have the MWF format. Even if I were to skip Thursday and Friday, it's usually around the time when exams (or other important whatnots) are taking place and they'll probably be around the week's end.

Hope I'm not being too whiny. It's impossible to please everyone, after all. The whole event really does sound like a great idea!

[nightfalltwen.livejournal.com]

I don't know about anyone else, but with the fact that I am going back after a year, I will most definitely have a number of classes per week, including fridays. School costs about 15,000$ a year... Simply can not take a couple of days off. Nimbus was expensive for me because of where it was being held, and I was jealous of that...

Witchinghour I *could* have afforded... if it had been held in the summer.

Alas, that is not the case

[turquoise-dream.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I probably won't be able to go anywya, but just to give another example of sheduling... My school is heaviest on M/W/F, generally. Its impossible to take no friday classes, simply because T/Th classes have longer time slots and one less slot on the thursday (which is when my chem prof schedules exams...)
But htis semester, I had three classes every friday, next I'll have 5 every M/W/F, 2 on tuesdays, and none on Thursdays.

[meril.livejournal.com]

There are very few classes not on Fridays at my community college. If I was taking more than a 3-credit load this semester, I would be definitely taking Friday classes.

Not only that, but I know Iowa State had some five-day-a-week introductory courses when I went there.

Not complaining, just warning. (I have no plans on going to Witching Hour, but that's certainly not your fault!)

[luminousmarble.livejournal.com]

I went out of my way to avoid Fri. classes and I think I managed it...once. Ever. It's a trend for schools to add Friday classes back into their schedules as a cost-saving measure and to ease overcrowding.

I think that the conference timing was carefully considered and that it's a beautiful idea; it's just not well-timed for some groups. I can't justify spending hours on a plane for a weekend--and I also can't get a sub to take my place. It's a paperwork/back-to-school night time of year and it's not a matter of working ahead or catching up when I get back. The work isn't like that, unfortunately. I have to be there.

I imagine high school students who have to travel may not be able to come (homecoming, first round of concerts, midterms for those on quarters, inavailability of chaperones) and that many college students will be discouraged from registering because there's no way to know exactly when midterms are or which classes will be full. Ability to get out of classes really depends on the profs themselves. I'd have skipped class, but not a midterm for which the only excused absence is a doctor's note. (I did manage to get out of class for academic conferences when another prof on staff endorsed it in written form.)

There's also an issue for those who might be able to get out of commitments if they were presenters--they have to *tell* people about what they're doing, and fandom isn't necessarily something that's looked highly upon or that people want to share with RL acquaintances. (Not commenting on if that's right; it's just reality.)

So, yeah, fascinating idea but some big obstacles for some sections of the fandom. (I'm volunteering anyway.)

[abigail89.livejournal.com]

I will not be in school. I am not a teacher. I'm looking forward to a trip to New England. And it won't be bloody hot like it was in Orlando in July.

Count me in. I've signed up to volunteer. Use me.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Hot?

Ha, and here I am concerned that salem will be chilly!

Southerner!heidi