So last week one of my amazing profs decided to thursday night class last week. Normally when profs cancel a class they usually never schedule a make up class. But this prof of course has to be different, and she decided that she wants to have a full make up class on Friday night. I clearly realize that the prof has no life, since no other prof would do this and most regular people dont want to be at school on a Friday night. So now me and a bunch of other students are going to be forced to go to both lectures on the normal Thursday night, and Friday night. I know im hoping for too much, but someone please tell me Mac has a policy against this....

Originally Posted by amare

So last week one of my amazing profs decided to thursday night class last week. Normally when profs cancel a class they usually never schedule a make up class. But this prof of course has to be different, and she decided that she wants to have a full make up class on Friday night. I clearly realize that the prof has no life, since no other prof would do this and most regular people dont want to be at school on a Friday night. So now me and a bunch of other students are going to be forced to go to both lectures on the normal Thursday night, and Friday night. I know im hoping for too much, but someone please tell me Mac has a policy against this....

I'm assuming this is for Econ 3k03-Sengupta. There is no policy against it and it has been done in the past. For Commerce 3fb3 the prof scheduled a 3 hour class from 9-12 on a saturday. I don't know why you would go to class, her testing style is predicable and the course is super bird.

I'm in that class and I missed last week. It was cancelled last week or it is cancelled this Thursday? And the makeup is Friday? That is effing ridiculous, not to mention I have a shift...

Are you serious?

I mean that as in, "are you seriously asking this?" sort of way?

First there's the "4 days off between my last lecture and my exam is not enough! We need policy!"

And now this, "Friday night lecture?! I had a social event to go to!" complaint... All in one week?

Higher education is hopeless...

WELCOME TO SCHOOL. Even better: WELCOME TO LIFE.

Wow...
Just Woww..

Friday is a very ideal time for most profs etc. They dont care about you at all and your "social contracts"

I believe the only day of the week that is, by University tradition/Law, prohibited from having a class, test, or exam is Sunday. And this is only because of McMaster's religious roots.

I was on your side until: "I clearly realize that the prof has no life, since no other prof would do this and most regular people dont want to be at school on a Friday night."

You realize the point of university is to get an education, and it's essentially you're full-time job, right? Normally, professors have more of a 'life' than you do anyways. You may think that once Friday comes it's time to get wasted or retreat to your home town (or whatever you do ), but really.....
Yeah, I'd be annoyed too if I had something planned, and skip should it come to it, but that's life.

Professors usually talk to TAs and have a class discussion regarding things like this, as well as there's the opportunity to talk to them, but why would you post here instead of approaching them?

Actually, I'm more concerned about my EMPLOYMENT contract where I am committed to WORK on Friday night. What is everyone's problem? Has it occurred to anyone that we may have legitimate commitments that cannot just be blown off? There was little notice given for this change and frankly, the notice we were given is not enough for my employer to rearrange my work schedule. As she counts on me to, you know, show up when I've told her I'll be available to show up, I have to do it.

I wouldn't care so much if this wasn't the last class before her midterm. Anybody who's had SenGupta knows that skipping the last class before a midterm is moronic, because she tests on ridiculous little things that she points out in lecture -- good if you can make it, not so good if you can't.

Yeah, that's life... you know what, it's not the end of the world. But it isn't fair, either.

I dont seriously mean there should be a policy. I just find that they're taking things a little far when you have to go to a night class on back to back days for the same class. If it were 2 different classes on back to back days things would be different. Cramming 6 lectures of material for the same course in 24 hours is a little excessive. I dont care too much that its on a Friday, I just care that its 2 straight night classes for the same course. But then again no one is really forcing me to go, so i guess i shouldnt complain...

Again, have you approached this professor? It shouldn't be too hard to simply do the class on another night.. I've always had no problem rescheduling midterms, extending due dates, and fixing class rescheduling like this.

Not that I'd use it in this case, but the McMaster Ombuds are a good advocacy service for course 'conflict' as well.(http://www.mcmaster.ca/ombuds/). They can contact professors, get in touch with the faculty overseeing professors, and generally advocate on your behalf.

Originally Posted by Kudos

Actually, I'm more concerned about my EMPLOYMENT contract where I am committed to WORK on Friday night. What is everyone's problem? Has it occurred to anyone that we may have legitimate commitments that cannot just be blown off? There was little notice given for this change and frankly, the notice we were given is not enough for my employer to rearrange my work schedule. As she counts on me to, you know, show up when I've told her I'll be available to show up, I have to do it.

I wouldn't care so much if this wasn't the last class before her midterm. Anybody who's had SenGupta knows that skipping the last class before a midterm is moronic, because she tests on ridiculous little things that she points out in lecture -- good if you can make it, not so good if you can't.

Yeah, that's life... you know what, it's not the end of the world. But it isn't fair, either.

In a lot of cases when people complain of friday night things than it is due to social commitments or going home a couple hours later. Your case its actually different, so tell the prof when you find out and see if he could move it to another day or another case let someone higher know that you paid for a class and can't attend since they moved it without asking.

Originally Posted by Kudos

Actually, I'm more concerned about my EMPLOYMENT contract where I am committed to WORK on Friday night. What is everyone's problem? Has it occurred to anyone that we may have legitimate commitments that cannot just be blown off? There was little notice given for this change and frankly, the notice we were given is not enough for my employer to rearrange my work schedule. As she counts on me to, you know, show up when I've told her I'll be available to show up, I have to do it.

I wouldn't care so much if this wasn't the last class before her midterm. Anybody who's had SenGupta knows that skipping the last class before a midterm is moronic, because she tests on ridiculous little things that she points out in lecture -- good if you can make it, not so good if you can't.

Yeah, that's life... you know what, it's not the end of the world. But it isn't fair, either.

This.

This is the real reason you should care. Because you have other legitimate commitments that can't be blown off, and the disorganization/lack of notice of the change in schedule is putting you at a disadvantage. Not because you had social plans, or because you don't want to have two 3-hr classes on consecutive days.

The program I'm in now does this ALL the time. Like, it's actually ridiculous. We have something unscheduled nearly every week. The only difference is that we *usually* get advanced notice. Not always, but usually. And the stuff they schedule in conflicts with other academic requirements, which is ridiculous. But anyways, that's beside the point

I would at least make it known to the prof that you are disadvantaged by her scheduling change. Whether or not you choose to go any further than that depends on how much your mark suffers, I guess (eg from not hearing the hints that she gave in class).

Do you not have any friends in that class?

Everyone one has outside obligations that can sometimes interfere with school. Stop bitching about it and deal with it

First-year life sci's Friday nights:
Chem midterm, psych, bio, physics, chem, psych, bio, physics...
Thanksgiving might be thrown in there somewhere...

The only thing that particularly annoys me is when one of these extra obligations comes up suddenly so you can't plan around it. You usually know at the beginning of the semester if you're going to have a midterm on a Saturday or when your classes/labs/tutorials are in order to plan around them. A week's notice (or less) however is annoying.