This limited distribution not only serves to collect preliminary data, but also to troubleshoot the survey. The goal is to distribute the survey to faculty and students later in February, Chivukula said.

The survey is another step in the process of attempting to streamline the academic calendar and make it more friendly to students, faculty and staff, he said.

The original discussion had dealt with Welcome Week in the fall and resulted in shortening the week, with classes starting on Wednesday, Provost Kim Wilcox said.

“It became clear to more and more people that there were lots of questions to ask — how many instructional days?” Wilcox said. “Most universities have a break in January — we don’t. We start before Labor Day — other universities don’t. We should take a chance and think about it.”

Proposals for changes, which would affect the 2010-11 academic year, will be formulated after the results from the survey are analyzed. Chivukula said he hopes this will be done by the end of March.

The proposals must go through Faculty Council then Academic Council. The provost and the president can then present the ideas to the Board of Trustees, which sets the calendar, Chivukula said.

“The survey would be a primary mechanism for taking the pulse of the community,” Chivukula said.

Some ideas that have been mentioned include beginning classes after Labor Day, a possible two-day break in October and a mini-term in January that would allow for study abroad or intensive online classes. The trick is getting the changes to fit into 52 weeks, he said.

The preliminary survey asks participants for their opinions on those ideas, as well as the length of the semesters, other additional breaks and study days before exams.

Once the results of the survey are analyzed, the proposals will be formulated by academic governance. Chivukula said if students have concerns, they should contact their
ASMSU representatives, who speak for the students in the governance system.

Alyn Kiel, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Student Senate public affairs vice president, said the group sent a letter to Wilcox and the dean of the CANR, Jeffrey Armstrong, opposing the fall changes to Welcome Week.

“I think the big issue, even more than getting rid of Welcome Week, was that people felt a little bit disrespected with the way it was presented,” Kiel said.

Despite this, she said people in the student senate are excited students will get to have a say in the new proposed changes to the calendar.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction that they’re talking to students, because students are a major part of who’s affected,” Kiel said. “There’s a lot of different opinions.”