Editorial: How will you spend your Saturday?

It is hard to understand exactly how college tuition translates into each class session of… It is hard to understand exactly how college tuition translates into each class session of each course taken during a term. It seems that tuition divided by the number of class sessions gives an accurate monetary value, around $30 in state and $65 out of state. Then again, if a class session is missed, a student can still complete and earn the credits for that course as if the absence never happened.

Determining which is the right view depends on personal convictions and is irrelevant to the snow day classes Pitt students can make up on Saturdays, March 27 and April 17. The university handed the responsibility of making up missed classes to the instructors. Only if an instructor holds a class is it at all mandatory. If a class is not held, then this news does not affect a student.

If some Pitt students feel they lost their money by missing classes, they can make up the time if their instructors so choose. If Pitt students have other commitments, such as pre-existing Saturday classes or an aversion to the extra attendence, they can play hooky all the same.

On a case by case basis, the Office of the Provost has accomplished one of two extremes: extra difficulty and effort for students and professors or absolutely nothing.They have done nothing if instructors will not hold classes on the Saturdays, as it’s still their decision. Then again, there is legitimate cause for concern if students have other commitments or classes during the scheduled Saturdays.

Hearing this decision by word of mouth makes it seem ridiculous, but really, after breaking it down, the university has not put all students in a lock; they have to please everyone, those that want their money’s worth including. The success of these Saturdays for those with other classes or plans simply hinge on the flexibility of the professors. Nothing has changed as aspects of a class often depend on an instructor’s qualities.

However, certain aspects of timing cause some understandable frustration. First, the Pitt Program Council is hosting the thrilling Kid Cudi concert on March 27. This will prove to be an inconvenience to students with night classes to be made up that Saturday, or just classes then in general.

April 17, the other proposed date, is also just before finals. In fact, some students have finals scheduled for that day by choice of their instructors. And a class right before the long haul week is a little less than appealing.

Finally, and more importantly, the decision-making process is disconcerting.

There should have been a simple poll or feedback system asking students if and when to have Saturday classes. It is not entirely unlikely that a simple majority of those students that wanted these makeup sessions prefer a specific Saturday to do so. There needs to be more transparency and communication with these kinds of decisions than is presently conducted.

Making up classes during leisure time does not sound good to anyone — the students or the instructors. But there are students that both want and don’t want these classes, so a flexible decision had to be made.

Hopefully, instructors will be as understanding as they were during the snowstorm.