Finals week changes concern some students

By Colleen Rupp

SC Staff Writer

There have been some changes to this semester’s final exam schedule. Since classes started on Tuesday, January 21, the semester will not officially be over until Monday, May 5.

This means the last day of Monday classes will be held on that day. So what does that mean for finals week?

Finals will start Tuesday, May 6 and will end Friday, May 9. Undergraduate commencement is on Saturday, May 10, so graduating seniors will have no time to spare when they take their last finals on Friday.

Some seniors and other students seem to have mixed feelings on the schedule change.

Emelie Paulino, a graduating senior, said, “Finals week is usually stressful, but now as a senior I feel that it’s going to be a little more stressful due to the fact that if I don’t pass my exams I will not graduate. This semester we have classes on that Monday of finals week, which I feel isn’t such a great idea. It should have been let open for a study day.”

Sophomore Chantal Fulgencio said, “Well I haven’t seen how this would affect my schedule yet but I don’t think it’s a big issue, because it’s something that is out of my control.  However, we should be grateful that finals week wasn’t pushed back a whole week.”

Before now, Friday was the last day students were allowed to be on campus; now students will still be taking exams on Friday night.

Discussions are currently underway concerning keeping residence halls open into Saturday.

Students who have class on Mondays at 5:30 PM or 7 PM or Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 PM will now take exams for those classes from 7 to 9 PM on Friday night.

This change means some students will not finish their spring semester until 9 PM on Friday night.

This leaves professors with seniors only about twelve hours to make sure seniors passed their finals.

In an email, President Marcia Welsh said, “Complete information will come out later, but there will be a rehearsal on Friday prior to commencement. There will be a second rehearsal that will be more informal for those who have a conflict at the Friday time. The Commencement committee is working on all of the details.”

Email Colleen at:

cer1810@live.esu.edu