As Southern University in Baton Rouge begins planning for the switch to a four-day class week in January, administrators and students analyzed the application and feasibility of such a policy at LSU.
Southern recently announced its plans to drop Friday classes beginning next semester. Administrators there are not the first to consider trimming the class week as a cost-saving initiative.
“Each university is different,” said Director of External Affairs Jason Droddy as he considered the implementation of such a program at LSU.
For instance, many of the benefits of not having classes would be offset because faculty would continue working on campus, Droddy said. Buildings with both classrooms and offices, such as Prescott Hall, would have to stay open regardless of whether there were classes taking place.
“You would still have to have the Student Union open,” he said, as the University would still need to provide for students living on campus. “I don’t think the savings were there to warrant offered.”
Wells said he was skeptical of the idea of a four-day week.
“When you look at financial models, there would be a lot of problems with moving to a four-day week,” he said, adding that he thought it would “negatively affect a lot of systems currently in worse.”
 
____
Contact Clayton Crockett at [email protected]