OPINIONS – At FAU, Reading Day is usually a day without class, whether I actually study for finals, go to the beach or just sleep, now it’s entirely my responsibility for what actually happens on this day. Confused about whether or not I had to attend one of my teacher-required Reading Day classes, I decided to look it up. Reading Day is defined in the FAU Student Handbook as “A designated day where there are no classes or examinations; instead, students are encouraged to use this day for study and review in preparation for finals and to meet with faculty during scheduled office hours. Faculty is encouraged to hold some office hours.”

Some of my fellow students were unsure of the technicalities of this “no school” day as well.

“I thought reading day was just another day without class,” says junior music education major Becky Teed. “Or it was just used as a hurricane make-up day.”

Reading Day was cancelled in Fall 2005, due to days missed because of hurricanes. But, usually it is used as according to the student handbook. Regardless of storms and misinformation, some teachers are still holding class.

According to the dean of the College of Arts and Letters, holding classes violates the handbook policy.

“Teachers are not allowed to make Reading Day classes required by students, because it is designed for students to review materials before finals,” says Dean Ken Keaton.

This should have been enough of a reason for teachers to cancel class, but they still continue to add to the workload. One of my teachers, Jennifer Low, went as far as requiring a four-page paper due Thursday in my Introduction to Literary Studies class. Now one has to wonder as well as myself, can a teacher really go against this university policy?

Surprisingly enough, the answer is both a yes and a no, according the College Arts and Letters, because you can never get a straight answer from FAU. Turns out the Reading Day policy is just that, a policy. It is actually up to the dean of each college to decide how the college will follow the policy. But even then, professors can choose to run their class as they see fit. And as students we have the right to fight it.

“If at the beginning of the term, a student recognizes an assignment is due on Reading Day, they then can go to the department chair of the specific college and go through the lengthy process of protesting,” Keaton says. “But, if a student doesn’t realize this assignment until the end of the term, it’s too late so the assignment stands.”

I actually have class on this Thursday’s Reading Day, with an assignment due. Hoping my findings would get me out of the project I e-mailed my professor. Sadly, it had no use in persuading my teacher to remove the homework from the syllabus. I was hastily shot down with a bitter, “Well, it’s either tomorrow [Tuesday] or Thursday.”

Regardless of the circumstances and feelings linked to this issue, you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be going to class just to turn the paper in, and then exiting quietly, cursing my professor under my breath and returning home to my wonderful slumber.

As for other classes with this same Reading Day issue, the only defense you have is to discuss it with your college’s dean. Each department has its own policy on Reading Day, which is downright ridiculous. As a student, we shouldn’t have to go to each and every college just to see if what our teachers are making required is actually legal according to university policy.

Perhaps this might even open the eyes of administration because clearly this information isn’t very accessible for students to obtain. Teachers should first of all know their own college’s policies and know that Reading Day is to HELP the students, not make finals time any worse than it already is. And secondly, FAU should have all of this very important information about classes all together in a helpful and easy location. It might even be called a student handbook, imagine that idea.

May this be known to the student body, that you can do what you want on Reading Day, but know that if there’s an assignment due and you know in advance, take it up with the department chair to get it removed. Otherwise, this semester’s Reading Day might not even exist; it will just be another jam-packed homework school day. Yay, that’s exactly what I need… especially the day before all my finals.