Final exam period will be shortened from nine to eight days next year, Dean of Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell announced yesterday at the meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS).

Buell said many students and faculty members were dissatisfied with the current spring exam period, which ends on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day.

"The academic year now goes into Memorial Day weekend and that causes all sorts of problems," said Registrar Georgene B. Herschbach in a meeting of the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE) last month. The proposal had previously been discussed at the CUE meeting.

Buell also said yesterday that removing the ninth day from the fall exam period would add an extra day to intersession.

"There is a very short turnaround time between the fall and spring terms," Herschbach said at the CUE meeting. "Students ask us for more breathing room between terms."

But Buell said the change would also result in more courses with tentative exam dates designated as "to be announced."

A slightly larger number of courses would not have examination dates specified until after the start of the semester, Buell said.

The proposal, which is temporarily only in effect for the coming academic year, was successfully reviewed by the house masters and by the Faculty Council, according to Buell.

The most recent change to the final exam period, which took place in the early 1990s, shortened the period from 11 to nine days.

"[The shorter exam period] had been implemented without any visible murmur or anguish," Buell said.

Buell also announced changes in the schedule for the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 academic years to avoid conflicts with Jewish holidays.

In 1998, classes will begin Wednesday, September 16--three class days earlier than usual--to avoid conflict with Rosh Hashanah. And in 1999, classes will start Tuesday, September 21, one day late, to avoid conflict with Yom Kippur. The additional day, necessary to complete the required 125 instructional days for the year, will be added to the spring 2000 term.

Fall term classes ordinarily begin the third Monday in September.

Medical Leave Proposal Passes

The Faculty finally approved a change to the Handbook for Students which would allow the dean of the College to place a student on medical leave of absence.