Our nation shows respect and reverence for special dates by declaring the date a holiday. Federal and state offices close for Christmas, New Year’s Day, Labor Day, Independence Day and other holidays to show respect for something greater than the daily toil of work. The University’s decision to cancel class showed respect for a monumental occasion.
The LSU Board of Supervisors decided to cancel class on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14 because of the National Championship Game between Clemson and LSU, held in New Orleans.
The decision was a perfect reflection of everyone’s mindset, both on campus and throughout the state, as LSU Nation is gearing up for the first shot at a national title since the now infamous 2011 BCS title game. The Jan. 13 game is not like any other football game. The game will be a monumental occasion.
The powers understood LSU is a football school first and foremost. The most visible part of our campus is Tiger Stadium, and anyone uninterested in football will learn how seriously Baton Rouge takes football by taking a trip down Highland Road during contraflow. The entire city near campus shuts down. The University, and Louisiana as a whole, loves college football.
The best way to show appreciation for this all-encompassing love for college football and support for the success of the LSU football team is to suspend work and class in celebration of the event.
The student body is the heart and soul of the LSU fanbase. Classes were going to have drastically low attendance anyway, as students were planning on spending the day celebrating the game. Having the final game of the college football season held only an hour away from our campus is a rare opportunity for any school, and students deserve the opportunity to take full advantage of this incredible time.
As students of the University, this is a once in a lifetime event, and the decision to make this occasion a holiday makes our feelings all the more valid. Additionally, syllabus week comes once a semester. This is the second semester for the majority of the student body, so almost everyone has already experienced syllabus days. Often the time is spent reading the syllabus out loud, followed by an early dismissal. At best, the class is a shortened day of note-taking, and students who add the class late would have missed this day anyway.
As a student, I could not imagine missing any time celebrating this historic occasion for a syllabus day. I, as well as countless others, would not have showed up to class if it was being held. In the 150 years of college football, having a national championship hosted in New Orleans that LSU is playing in has happened only four times before. It isn’t just your average football game. LSU students have a special opportunity to witness history and the Board of Supervisors understood this.
The stars are aligning once again for a historic season to find its ending in the Crescent City. Some alumni would have given anything to see a national championship while they were in school. Giving us a day off to celebrate the accomplishment of making it to the championship and then a day off to celebrate or mourn the outcome shows that University leadership is in touch with the heart of our campus.
Win or lose, these next few days will be incredibly memorable and should be spent with family and friends, not in classrooms and labs.
Cory Koch is a 20-year-old political science junior from Alexandria, Louisiana.