Sac State students are overwhelmingly opposed to a proposed scheduling change that would do away with Monday-Wednesday classes and return the University to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday class schedule, a system virtually abandoned in 1996.

-President Donald Gerth is considering a proposal to change the schedule effective for the fall 2002 semester. He said he would have to announce the decision very soon so that administration, faculty and staff will have time to make plans.

-In a poll taken by The State Hornet Sept. 26-27, 83 of 104 students surveyed said they disagreed that switching the schedule would alleviate overcrowding. Nineteen said they thought it would. Two students were undecided.

-When questioned if they would try to shift all their classes to Tuesday -Thursday instead of the proposed Monday-Wednesday ?Friday format, 95 of 104 said they would change their schedules. Seventy-two students said they would be “very inconvenienced” by the change, 22 “somewhat inconvenienced” and six, “not at all.”

-Students also expressed concern about how the new plan might affect everything from their jobs to the quality of their education. Junior Matt Barnes said that he is wondering about how he will be able to get enough hours at his job as a retail store merchandiser if he can’t work a full day on Friday.

– “My boss wants me to be able to stock things up for the weekend,” Barnes said. “If I can’t because I have class, I’ll have to find a new job.”

-Student Melissa Davis thinks the longer class formats seen in a twice-weekly class schedule.

-“If I was teaching a complicated idea to someone, I would imagine that having longer uninterrupted time is better than several shorter times with more interruptions,” Davis said.

– Environmental studies major Julia Pynn is concerned about the added commute.

– “It will add to air pollution from thousands of people driving an extra day to school, and the extra drive means college will be more expensive for students than ever,” she said.

– Not everyone opposes adding Friday sessions.

-“Look, they’ve got to do something to reduce overcrowding. Why should all these buildings be empty on Friday?” said sophomore Marshon Dixon. “I’d hate it at first, I’m sure. But I’d get used to it, and so would everyone else.”

– According to Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Noble, the seven-member task force of professors and administrators were given a very specific mandate to examine and recommend ways to increase classroom use efficiency. They did not consider the effect of any schedule change on parking, campus child care or other issues.

-Associated Students, Inc. President Artemio Pimentel has spoken to Sac State President Donald Gerth about the proposed changes and said he sees both sides of the issue.

– “The university wants to expand facility usage to its best advantage,” Pimentel said. “But when the school starts messing with the schedule, they’re messing around with students’ lives.”

– “I hope that whatever they decide that they leave it alone for a while so that students don’t have to make another lifestyle change.”