The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has extended the Christmas vacation by a week and cancelled the five day intersession break to cut back on its January fuel consumption.
The Kennedy School of Government will follow the same revised schedule, but the other three big schools--Business, Law and Medicine--have not yet decided on what action they will take.
The decision to alter the calendar was made "after an evaluation of the potential effects of the current energy shortage on various academic programs," Dean Rosovsky said at a press conference last night. "We're trying to behave intelligently and prudently and interrupt a minimum part of the schedule," he said.
The Faculty Energy Committee unanimously recommended the lengthening of the Christmas vacation last week. The committee is chaired by Richard G. Leahy, associate dean of the Faculty for resources and planning.
Rosovsky said the idea was reviewed Tuesday by the Council of Deans and discussed at the Faculty Council meeting yesterday before it was approved.
The revised schedule calls for students to return for reading period on January 14. Exams will then begin on January 24 and end on February 5, six days later than originally scheduled. The second semester will begin on February 6. In addition, the spring reading period will be shortened by two days.
A memo from Paul M. Bator, associate dean of the Law School, advised law students and faculty yesterday that the Law School is considering several alternative ways of changing its current schedule.
Different Law Schedule
Although none of the alternatives were mentioned in the letter, it is unlikely that the Law School will adopt the same plan as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences because law exams are scheduled differently and the Law School reading period is only four days long.
"The other schools' plans in some cases will be very similar and in some very different--each faculty operates separately. They should know within a week," Rosovsky said yesterday.
Rosovsky said no specific plans have yet been made to deal with fuel shortages after February 6. "It is fruitless to speculate at the future," he said. "Through the rest of the time we'll try to stay open and have as little disruption as possible. We have to be prudential," he said. Students who remain in Cambridge for Christmas holidays will be allowed to live in their dorms, but temperatures will be lowered to 60 or 65 degrees, Stephen S.J. Hall, vice president for administration, said yesterday. However, Rosovsky said no plans have yet been made concerning libraries and other facilities during the vacation. "Indications are that some cutbacks will be fairly considerable, but the Faculty needs more time to make intelligent decisions for the staff," Rosovsky said
Read more in News
Organist, Choirmaster Joins Memorial Church
