Montclair State University’s office of the provost informed faculty and staff that the Fall 2023 academic term would begin earlier compared to recent years.
An e-mail from Junius Gonzales, the university provost, said the semester will begin on Aug. 28 and end on Dec. 18. The University will be closed on Sept. 4 for Labor Day, Nov. 7 for Election Day and from Wednesday, Nov. 22 to Friday, Nov. 24 for Thanksgiving break.
The modification is said to be an effort to offer optimal instruction and meet the needs of the growing student population and it will provide a greater alignment for the university’s program offerings with the academic calendar, according to the email sent on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Gonzales also wrote how the calendar adjustment allows Montclair State to “offer more courses on an eight-week schedule that nontraditional students require for continued progress to degree completion and academic success.”
Jaelyn Livsey, a freshman business administration major, spoke about why the lasting days of summer would not make a difference considering the time the semester ends.
“I feel as though it would be beneficial for students because the semester would start at the end of summer,” Livsey said. “So the extra days wouldn’t hurt considering that winter break would start earlier as well.”
Jaelyn Livsey, a freshman business administration major, said the timing of the start of the semester would not be a burden on students.
Aidan Ivers | The Montclarion
Aileen Diaz Pacheco, a freshman business administration major, said the 2023 fall semester adjustment is only beneficial if the 2024 spring semester kept the same timeframe of starting on Jan. 18.
“I think that starting off the semester earlier would only benefit students if the spring semester is kept at the same date,” Pacheco said. “Otherwise, we would just basically be starting the spring semester closer to Christmas so it wouldn’t really be beneficial to students.”
Aileen Diaz Pacheco, a freshman business administration major, said the change's effects would depend on if the spring semester kept the same schedule it has now.
Aidan Ivers | The Montclarion
Shairy Mejia, a freshman business administration major with a concentration in marketing, spoke about how the adjustment would lead to an earlier winter break.
“I feel like it is a good idea to start the fall semester off earlier because we do benefit in the end for the spring semester because we get an earlier start to our winter break, I feel like it’s better that way,” Mejia said.
Shairy Mejia, a freshman business administration major, said the adjustment benefits students by having an earlier winter break.
Aidan Ivers | The Montclarion
Cleo Bradshaw, a senior theatre studies major, emphasized the change would benefit students who live farther from campus or are out of state.
“I think that’s great and it makes it super convenient especially because I live two hours away from campus so I have to travel pretty far,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw also tied in how some students may have night classes during the time of holiday breaks and the impact that may have on their scheduling.
“I had a night class this year the day before Thanksgiving, so it’s super inconvenient when you don’t have the time that you need to travel especially for the people who have to travel further to and from campus,” Bradshaw said. “Overall, it should be great for students.”
