Friday classes endangered in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Friday classes are so rare at some Florida universities that many students and faculty enjoy a four-day workweek.\nOn campuses in Pensacola, Jacksonville, Tampa and Fort Myers, fewer than half the classrooms were in use Friday mornings, and more than three-quarters were empty by 3 p.m., according to state data from the past school year.\nAt the University of Central Florida, about half the classrooms bustled with students until around noon Fridays. But by 3 p.m. UCF, too, had only a handful of classes going.\nNow, several schools have declared the short week a problem. But the situation has evolved over decades, and no one expects to fill Friday schedules quickly.\nUCF Provost Gary Whitehouse said Saturday-morning classes were the norm when he was a student four decades ago.\n"Certainly the president (John Hitt) is conscious of ours and most everyone's lack of productivity on Fridays. Really, it has implications of the campus being too busy some days. If we can spread it out, it's much better.\n"I'd like to say there is a simple solution," he said, implying that there isn't. "We're working on it."\nThere is resistance. Professors often like to have the day open for research, travel, faculty meetings and office hours. Students see Friday classes as something they can and should avoid.\n"Usually, college students like their weekends to start on Thursday nights," UCF senior Amara Chaudhry, 24, of Orlando said.\nShe almost got through her entire college career without taking one Friday class. But this semester she got stuck with two. She tried to convince herself to enjoy the novelty, but that didn't last.\n"I kind of don't like it," Chaudhry said.\nFor many of her fellow students, Friday classes remain novel.\nAn Orlando Sentinel analysis of data on classroom use from last fall, reported by 10 universities to the state Division of Colleges and Universities, shows scheduling drop-offs everywhere, although it varies widely from school to school.\nAmong the findings:

• From Monday through Thursday, 65 percent or more of classrooms on Florida's university campuses were in use from 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. But on Fridays, only half the classrooms were in use at 9 a.m. That dropped to 44 percent by noon, 25 percent by 3 p.m. and 9 percent by 6 p.m.
• Weekends started especially early at the universities of South Florida, West Florida, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast. USF never had more than a third of its classrooms in use on Fridays. By noon, 80 percent of the classrooms at USF and UNF were empty, and 90 percent were empty at UWF.
• Florida's three oldest, most traditional universities -- Florida A&M, Florida State and Florida -- offered the fullest Friday schedules. More than half their classrooms were in use at least until 2 p.m. But sharp drop-offs occurred after that.
• UCF, Florida Atlantic and Florida International were the middle of the state's pack. Between a quarter and half of their classrooms were in use at least until midafternoon Fridays.
• By 5 p.m. Fridays, none of Florida's 10 public universities was using even a quarter of its classrooms. At Florida Atlantic, only three of 79 classrooms were used. At USF, only two of 159 were used. And at UNF none of 69 classrooms was in use.

Some schools, such as UWF, say their Friday schedules are fuller this year, although statewide data is not yet available.\n"We're beginning to shift," UWF Provost Parks Dimsdale said.\nUniversities with traditions as commuter schools, such as UWF, UCF and USF, long assumed that Friday classes were too tough for working students who juggle college and jobs.\n"The general impression has been that the students also find Friday afternoons rather inconvenient and would rather not take those classes," USF Arts and Sciences Dean Renu Khator said. Khator is leading a study there on filling out Fridays.\n"We realize, obviously, that space is a crunch, and that is something we simply cannot afford to do anymore."\nFor university lobbyists trying to convince the Legislature to build more classroom buildings, space crunches are hard to explain when campuses are vacant on Fridays.\nAlso, almost all of Florida's universities are trying to become more traditional residential colleges anyway.\nScheduling is complex. UCF must fit almost 3,000 classes into about 150 classrooms to serve 39,000 students.\nSchedulers can't put a 200-student class into a 30-seat room, or a 30-student class into a 200-seat auditorium. Certain classes must run back-to-back. Individual colleges at every university have their own demands. And most classes require two days a week.\nSo with Monday-Wednesday and Tuesday-Thursday combinations favored, Fridays often are the odd day out.\n"It's an intricate process to schedule classes," said UCF Associate Vice President Maribeth Ehasz, who oversees the process on campus.\nMany professors don't like Friday classes either. But they're not blowing the day off, UCF Faculty Senate President Michael Mullens said. Mullens is an industrial-engineering professor.\n"Most faculty are required to do significant research, and in order to maintain a research train of thought, it really helps to have some dedicated days you can focus on research," Mullens said. "Friday is a natural."\nOf course, Mondays could make good research days too, he said. Or Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, for many faculty.\nBut professors who volunteer for Friday classes often find them a waste of time. Students don't sign up. And many who sign up fail to show up.\n"We are in a consumer-oriented organization, and our consumers are students," Mullens said. "And they will certainly choose the non-Friday classes first. Yet, if we offer those classes and they have to take them, they'll come."\nPerhaps.\nRachael Weaver, 20, a junior from Orlando majoring in business management, said there are pluses and minuses to Friday classes. One plus: balancing a schedule so that no day is overloaded. \n"People like to go on vacation," Weaver said. "Friday is definitely the biggest blow-off day of the week"