LIU Post students against adding more Friday classes
Students at LIU Post, with the support of faculty members, are urging university administrators to not add classes on Fridays, a scheduling move that they said is deeply unpopular among the student body.
The LIU Post Student Government Association last month adopted a resolution to request that there be no Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes in the course schedule except those offered before recent changes, among other demands.
Traditionally, most courses are held on Tuesday-Thursday and Monday-Wednesday schedules, but the university has expanded the number of courses that offer classes on Fridays.
Friday classes are overwhelmingly unpopular: 98% of more than 1,000 students surveyed said they disapprove of such schedule changes, according to student government president Christian Swidzinski.
Student leaders said many students have work, internships, or other professional training on Fridays. The additional Friday classes would not only complicate their schedules but also add costs, like gas, for the extra trips to the Brookville campus, they said.
"We go to a private school. It's very expensive," said Ailer Thomas, a junior and vice president of the student government. "A lot of people have to work to be able to afford to go here."
Also, Thomas said what in part made the school unique and particularly appealing to prospective students was that the curricula are built around not having classes on Fridays so students could pursue other opportunities that enhance their education.
"That’s what the students were sold on. That’s the story we were told. 'You will never have Friday classes so you will have experiential learning,' " he said. "Frankly, students feel lied to."
In an April 3 letter of support, which was approved at a meeting attended by full-time faculty members, the faculty asked the university leadership to take the student government's resolution seriously.
"We’re concerned that the students’ 'overwhelming disapproval' of Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes could be detrimental to their academic experience, not to mention LIU’s recruitment and retention," the statement read in part.
Students have been resisting additions of such classes for more than a year. In December 2022, a then-sophomore created an online petition to oppose schedule changes, gaining more than 1,200 signatures.
“I haven't encountered a student yet who wants Friday classes,” said John Lutz, president of the C.W. Post Collegial Federation and chair of the English Department.
Ali Jabbour, LIU’s chief communications and branding officer, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that class offerings were expanded in fall 2023 to “provide additional student options and flexibility.”
“LIU seeks to provide class days and times that allow students to build a schedule around their specific needs,” the statement read in part. “Students seeking competitive internships, student teaching placements, and clinical placements now have the flexibility to apply for positions available all days of the week.”
Jabbour’s statement also pointed out that students who don't want to take Friday classes can choose other sections that meet on Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday.
A course may offer multiple sections but students said the preferable ones are likely to be filled up quickly, leaving others with limited options.
The university has had classes on Fridays, but they make up a smaller percentage of the offered courses. For spring 2023, for example, classes on Fridays at the campus accounted for only about 3% of the more than 1,100 courses listed, Newsday reported. For the upcoming fall semester, about 8% of the 882 courses listed on the university website appeared to have sections including classes on Fridays.
When asked whether LIU will continue to expand Friday classes, the university said "the schedule is assessed each semester and is evaluated based on student needs and demand for specific course days and times."
Students at LIU Post, with the support of faculty members, are urging university administrators to not add classes on Fridays, a scheduling move that they said is deeply unpopular among the student body.
The LIU Post Student Government Association last month adopted a resolution to request that there be no Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes in the course schedule except those offered before recent changes, among other demands.
Traditionally, most courses are held on Tuesday-Thursday and Monday-Wednesday schedules, but the university has expanded the number of courses that offer classes on Fridays.
Friday classes are overwhelmingly unpopular: 98% of more than 1,000 students surveyed said they disapprove of such schedule changes, according to student government president Christian Swidzinski.
Student leaders said many students have work, internships, or other professional training on Fridays. The additional Friday classes would not only complicate their schedules but also add costs, like gas, for the extra trips to the Brookville campus, they said.
"We go to a private school. It's very expensive," said Ailer Thomas, a junior and vice president of the student government. "A lot of people have to work to be able to afford to go here."
Also, Thomas said what in part made the school unique and particularly appealing to prospective students was that the curricula are built around not having classes on Fridays so students could pursue other opportunities that enhance their education.
"That’s what the students were sold on. That’s the story we were told. 'You will never have Friday classes so you will have experiential learning,' " he said. "Frankly, students feel lied to."
In an April 3 letter of support, which was approved at a meeting attended by full-time faculty members, the faculty asked the university leadership to take the student government's resolution seriously.
"We’re concerned that the students’ 'overwhelming disapproval' of Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes could be detrimental to their academic experience, not to mention LIU’s recruitment and retention," the statement read in part.
Students have been resisting additions of such classes for more than a year. In December 2022, a then-sophomore created an online petition to oppose schedule changes, gaining more than 1,200 signatures.
“I haven't encountered a student yet who wants Friday classes,” said John Lutz, president of the C.W. Post Collegial Federation and chair of the English Department.
Ali Jabbour, LIU’s chief communications and branding officer, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that class offerings were expanded in fall 2023 to “provide additional student options and flexibility.”
“LIU seeks to provide class days and times that allow students to build a schedule around their specific needs,” the statement read in part. “Students seeking competitive internships, student teaching placements, and clinical placements now have the flexibility to apply for positions available all days of the week.”
Jabbour’s statement also pointed out that students who don't want to take Friday classes can choose other sections that meet on Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday.
A course may offer multiple sections but students said the preferable ones are likely to be filled up quickly, leaving others with limited options.
The university has had classes on Fridays, but they make up a smaller percentage of the offered courses. For spring 2023, for example, classes on Fridays at the campus accounted for only about 3% of the more than 1,100 courses listed, Newsday reported. For the upcoming fall semester, about 8% of the 882 courses listed on the university website appeared to have sections including classes on Fridays.
When asked whether LIU will continue to expand Friday classes, the university said "the schedule is assessed each semester and is evaluated based on student needs and demand for specific course days and times."
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
