By the Weekly Sillimanian
The academic calendar determines how an entire school year runs. The stakeholders of a school community all rely on its scheduling of events to arrange their own academic, professional, and personal matters. Hence, an abrupt change to its flow might hold unwelcome effects.
Silliman University (SU) revealed its plans of changing the current academic calendar on Nov. 27, 2024—no less than a month when the first semester of the school year was about to end. The updated university calendar was officially published on Dec. 13, 2024, specifying that classes for the second semester would begin on Jan. 13 instead of Jan. 20 and end on May 19. This also meant that the succeeding school year is set to open in June.
When you are a student, faculty member, or staff member with upcoming plans on certain dates, the sudden decision to implement change is inconsiderate and inconvenient. Between holiday plans with family and academic obligations, the latter often holds the undesired, heavier weight.
Many university members expressed their sentiments on the unanticipated calendar shift, stating that they had to adjust family vacations and gatherings, which were already made months prior, to fit the new school dates. Moreover, Sillimanians from far-flung areas had to return to Dumaguete City even earlier, considering the modified enrollment period.
Apart from the holidays, adjustments to midyear classes and internships have its consequences on students and faculty alike. With the midyear term shortened to five weeks instead of six, classes would have to be sped up to two and a half hours in duration every day. For upcoming fourth year students, the time allotted for internships are shortened, hence, resulting in the need to make up for lacking hours. The options are further limited by companies and institutions that require a specific number of hours or months to intern, leading to compromises unfavorable to the students.
Furthermore, graduating senior high school students– whose academic calendar originally ends in May following the Department of Education’s (DepEd) calendar– are left with little time to prepare for college with the June 30 proposed start of classes for school year 2025-2026.
The Weekly Sillimanian stands with the university stakeholders as they call for more heedful administrative decisions. Major decisions concerning the students, faculty, and staff should not be made abruptly without prior consultation with those involved.
While we understand their aims of returning to the old school calendar to match that of DepEd, the administration should not expect the university community to just adhere to every decision made. The proposal was presented to the Dean’s conference for acceptance, not approval– as stated by one administrator.
Unless there is an urgent need to call for such changes, members of the university community should be assured of the calendar given at the beginning of the school year. They should be able to trust the plans of the administrators who hold the power in shaping their academic experiences.
