Changes with JanTerm cause upset

Changes with JanTerm cause upset, issue 15, Joe Evans, News - By Joe Evans on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 02:40

JanTerm is seen as an opportunity to branch out from one’s classes for an intended major and explore different classes. It allows students to explore classes that might broaden their perspectives on their major and their education.

JanTerm has changed since the past year, and this has caused a big stink among the professors, faculty and students alike. The main change in JanTerm is that it was shortened from four weeks to three weeks. This caused a lot of opposition from both students and professors. “I don’t feel like we are getting the full experience of JanTerm in only three weeks,” senior Kyle Fox said.

Professors also share similar opinions about how the shortening of JanTerm has affected them. “Since Janterm had been shortened, we have to cut down our classes to accommodate for the lack of time” Assistant Professor of Theatre and Communications Richard Cheatham said, “I feel as though the students are being shortchanged because of material being cut in order to accommodate to the shortened timeframe.”

Originally, JanTerm took place over the course of four weeks in the month of January. Many students and professors preferred this because not only did it go four weeks, but also it was coupled with three weeks of winter break. “It gave us enough time to finish grades in the fall semester and prepare for JanTerm while still being able to relax and enjoy the break.” Cheatham said. However, that meant that students would get out for summer around the 23 of May.

The reason that JanTerm had to be shortened is because of financial reasons. “Whittier College frequently rents out its buildings during the summer for various events.

Since the students leave campus for summer break on the 23 of May, it didn’t give maintenance enough time to prepare for the summer events.” Professor Rich Cheatham said, “Therefore the college was losing money, plain and simple.” Due to that fact, Janterm was successfully voted to be pushed back and entire week, making it three weeks, in order to save money.

This also affected winter break, reducing it to two weeks rather than three. Undoubtedly, this caused opposition among both the faculty and students, but it still passed and the change has been in effect as of last year. “It seems to me that this cut in JanTerm shows that it is more focused on the money and financial gain, rather than the education and opportunities that are presented to students,” senior Kyle Fox said. “JanTerm is all about allowing students to enjoy a different kind of class, or even study abroad, without dedicating an entire semester to it.”