No exams on Election Day

Students now have one less excuse not to vote.

Pitt’s faculty assembly unanimously passed a… Students now have one less excuse not to vote.

Pitt’s faculty assembly unanimously passed a motion Tuesday, recommending that faculty give students a workload break on Election Day.

“Because our academic community cannot and should not function in isolation from American society, Faculty Assembly suggests that all faculty avoid scheduling exams or submission of major items of student work on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2004, or on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004, to facilitate student participation in the electoral process,” the assembly wrote in a motion brought forth by Professor Lew Jacobson.

Jacobson suggested the motion because of his “strong conviction that people get the government they deserve,” adding that the assembly hoped to “clear the way” for students to vote.

“It makes it easier not just for students to vote, but to get involved in the process,” Jacobson explained.

Jacobson pointed out, however, that the motion is only a recommendation, and that faculty members are still free to assign work as they choose.

Some schools, including Columbia University, West Virginia University and the State University of New York-Stony Brook, offer full holidays on Election Day. Others, like the University of New Hampshire, mark it as a “no exams scheduled” day.