The resolution urges the UNC-system Board of Governors to allow each institution in the 16-campus system to modify its 150-day academic year.
In their first meeting of the year, council members also asked that the University return to a shortened 140- to 144-day school year in an attempt to accommodate students who participate in summer educational activities. The resolution will be sent to Provost Robert Shelton for further evaluation.
The BOG lengthened the school year to 150 days in 1996 in the final days of former UNC-system President C.D. Spangler's administration. Spangler implemented the extension in hopes of enhancing the educational quality of the state's public universities.
Faculty members who support the resolution claim that a 150-day academic year causes complications in collaborative efforts with other universities and hinders students' participation in summer education. The council's Educational Policy Committee presented the issue with the concern that the current calendar does not allow enough time between the end of summer school and the beginning of the school year.
Committee members have particular interest modifying UNC's academic schedule so students who partake in summer enrichment activities -- such as studying abroad and interning -- have enough time to complete them. "This is an issue of students who do participate in research, in summer activities," said Douglas Crawford-Brown, chairman of environmental sciences and engineering.
Proponents of the change cite the discrepancy between Duke University and UNC's school years, causing problems for the new Robertson Scholars program. The program allows students to take classes at both schools. Scheduling conflicts arose when the program's officials realized that Duke's fall semester began on Aug. 27, while UNC's began on Aug. 21.
Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said faculty are not attempting to cut back on work days. "(The resolution) simply refers to classroom days," Estroff said. "The students have the 75-day semester, (the faculty does) not." A new calendar would give faculty more time to revise their courses, the resolution stated.
The council also approved a measure Friday for more thorough reviews of departmental grading standards. To assess grade inflation, the resolution calls for annual departmental evaluations of grading standards and submission of reports to their deans.
Former Educational Policy Committee Chairman Boone Turchi proposed an amendment, which also was approved, that would require the committee to report the evaluations to the Faculty Council at least once a year. "I think the intent of the amendment is to keep the issue from being buried."
