Montclair State University will debut a new three-term academic calendar, reducing the number of weeks in the fall and spring term from 15 to 14 starting January 2025, class times being adjusted accordingly as a result.
In an email sent out on Oct. 22, Montclair State’s administration expressed the benefits to campus traffic expected to be seen as a result of these changes.
“The time grid was adjusted to reflect new start and end times for classes, with less overlap to help with room optimization, which in turn, should help with some of the campus traffic, alleviating congestion during peak times,” Koppell said.
Students are noticing the changes to class times, even with classes that don’t affect them. Abigail Trento, a freshman psychology major, has hope that these changes will help with campus traffic.
“They have some later options I saw,” Trento said. “There’s one class, not mine but my friends, that goes to 9:45 p.m. So, hopefully, it will help [the traffic situation]? I don’t know because I know everyone leaves at different times, so, hopefully.”
Abigail Trento, a freshman psychology major.
Valerie Quinones | The Montclarion Photo credit: Valerie Quinones
Others, such as Marsden Harmon, a freshman business administration major who is leaving Montclair State at the end of the semester, feels that the extension of time will further drain students on top of the traffic issues.
Marsden Harmon, a freshman business administration major.
Valerie Quinones | The Montclarion Photo credit: Valerie Quinones
“Extending the times of classes even further was a small portion of my consideration for my withdrawal from [Montclair State],” Harmon said. “Most of my classes drain me in the first place.”
Kamron Yuengling, a freshman film and television major, believes that these changes will only have a small effect on the current traffic, if any.
Kamron Yuengling, a freshman film and television major.
Valerie Quinones | The Montclarion Photo credit: Valerie Quinones
“To me, it feels like you’re just moving the crowds around, not that you’re making the crowds smaller,” Yuengling said.
The expected change in traffic patterns cannot be addressed until the coming weeks of the Spring 2025 semester, as that is when the new class times will begin taking place.
