Classes go on, despite holiday

At five this morning, Saia Makakaufaki was on his way to St.
Louis, flying home to spend Thanksgiving with his family and
friends.

He plans to watch movies, play video games and take part in the
Thanksgiving dinner. But what he is not planning on doing is
worrying about missing his 9 a.m. class.

“I already bought my ticket a month ago, and besides, when
I come back, I’ll find the notes on the Internet,” said
Makakaufaki, a fifth-year history student.

Many students share Makakaufaki’s sentiments. They skip
class in order to be home in time for Thanksgiving.

Carol Oropeza, a first-year undeclared student, said she is
skipping her math class to be with her family in Delano, California
and to beat traffic.

“My professor goes over what’s in the book
anyway,” she said.

Though many students have no qualms about missing class,
according to Anita Cotter, associate registrar for student and
faculty relations, today is still “considered an official day
of instruction for the university and counted as one of the
required days for fall quarter.”

She said that professors do not need to inform her office if
they are cancelling or shortening a class meeting. Only if they are
indefinitely cancelling a class will her office need to be
notified.

Many professors and students acknowledge the importance of
instruction today and work around the school schedule to fulfill
class requirements.

Ronald Mellor, a history professor, said, “I cancelled my
history 197 class. However, we are going to meet the following week
and will still have to make up the class (missed today).”

He scheduled extra office hours and invited his students to have
dinner with him next week to go over material that would have been
covered today.

Mellor said professors have the prerogative to cancel their
class, but he or she needs to provide a replacement class.

Glenda Jones, graduate advisor of the political science
department, agrees with Mellor that professors can cancel
class.

“Wednesday is a work day. But if a professor chooses to
cancel, he or she should at least contact the department and give
prior notice to the students,” Jones said.

Some students are still hanging around campus because they have
a test or just didn’t want to miss class.

Maya Oren, third-year political science student, is flying home
Thursday because she doesn’t want to go through the trouble
of borrowing notes.

“My professor didn’t want to cancel class. I
don’t want to miss it. It’s more of a pain to try and
get the notes than just to be there,” she said.

Melina Duenas, third-year physiological sciences and Spanish
student, is planning to stay on campus until 1 p.m. today because
of a Spanish test.

“I don’t mind, but still, it would be better if I
could go home early,” she said.