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...

[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]

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.

[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.

Re: 2007?

[zeldaophelia.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. That's a bit better. I wasn't sure of the date. *shrugs* I should be out of grad school by then even, so it'll be a lot more likely that I'd be able to go.

[meggitymeg.livejournal.com]

Let me preface this by saying that I *really* don't want to come off as defensive or insulting *at all*.

As someone who read the original bid and spoke about it with the organizers several months ago, I just want to say that the planning committee that submitted the bid for HP2005 *did* think, long and hard, about the location and timing of the event. As I live in Boston, I realize that attending HP2005 will be easier for me than for most. However, I managed to make it to Nimbus in Orlando, 1200 miles away, even with a full-time job (and NO vacation days) and a full grad-school class schedule. It can be done.

As for the "tourist season" bit - anyone who lives in Boston will be the first to tell you that October is NOT the height of the tourist season. Salem is a small town, close enough to Boston to be convenient in terms of lodging and travel, but not a tourist attraction on the level of, say, Orlando. It is an expensive city to live in, yes, but there are plenty of cheaper alternatives for a visit, not the least of which are the youth hostels in the area (around $20-25 a night at a hostel, a 5 min walk from the one I can see from my office here to the T, 20 minutes to North Station on the T for $1, and 30-45 minutes to Salem on the commuter rail for around $5). There is also a large community of Boston fandomers that I'm sure will be putting people up for the weekend - I know I will be.

Again, I'm not trying to attack anyone or "start" anything. It's just dismaying to hear how many people have begun complaining about HP2005's location and timing (especially timing) with the sentiment, "No thought or effort was put into this decision" when that is quite certainly not the case.

If you do decide to come to HP2005, I'll be happy to help you with travel and lodging arrangements in the Boston area. :)

[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.

[khirsah.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that the planners were going to try to place the next gathering in a relatively cheap location. Boston (the airport I'm fairly sure you would have to fly in to) has some of the more expensive flights, depending on your location. Especially, one would imagine, around October which is the height of Salem's tourist trappy goodness.

It seems to me a great inconvenience to students no matter that several of them said they were willing to skip classes during midterm month to come. If I can afford the $500 ticket fare from Houston (which, I'll grant, is the very high end of the expected price spectrum: most tickets are around $300), I may come anyway. I loved the last HP convention and am sure that this one will be a blast. I was simply hoping that the planners wouldn't be lulled by a tourist attraction like Salem and would choose a relatively inexpensive place to hold the convention.

I suppose you can't please everyone and I'm aware that no matter where/when it was set, someone would have a problem, but so far I can't see the planner's wisdom in their decision. Perhaps you have the inside scoop?

[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

[khirsah.livejournal.com]

I apologize. I reacted out of dismay when I saw the timing then searched the airfare and saw the hefty price tag. I'm sure there are many reasons that the location was chosen, but my first reaction was to the inconvenience of the time and the somewhat vulgarity of the place. Maybe I'm unnaturally sensitive, but it seems somehow wrong to have this particular symposium in this particular place. lol, I've no doubt very few people see it that way, however, so I'll not go on about that.

I'm sure much planning was put into this and I do intend on volunteering. I may grumble about inconvenience to my friends, but I still love HP and want to see this convention go off as well (if not better) as Nimbus.

[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

[khirsah.livejournal.com]

ps- please reply privately. my e-mail is khirsah_le@yahoo.com I don't want to clog Heidi's journal with replies to what was originally a private grump

[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

[meggitymeg.livejournal.com]

Apology accepted. :) I just now realized that the public hasn't yet seen the planning information that more fully explains the rationale behind the timing and locale. I think when this information is released, a lot of the confusion will be alleviated.

In short, the locale was chosen in part because of its dark past - as a tie-in to the darker elements of the books, which is what this conference plans to focus upon. It wasn't all sunshine and daises, in wizarding Britain or in late seventeenth century New England, and that's something the organizers are hpoing to tie together in HP2005.

As for airfare...I know that AirTran flies into both Boston and Houston, out of Atlanta (since that's where I'm from), and I imagine they've got flights from Houston to Boston that route through Atlanta. As the time nears, keep an eye on their site - they run almost continuous sales - and I bet you could get a round-trip for around $225-$250. :)

[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.

[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.