Printed finals examination schedule incorrect

University officials say the schedule chnage is 'to clear Friday of exams'

By BILL J. PERRY

Students using last semester’s final exam schedulebetter check again. Next week, the first exams on Wednesday and Thursday will begin at 6:30 a.m., more than two hours earlier than usual, said interim dean of undergraduate studies Dennis Nef.

Last semester, final exams on those days began at 8:45 a.m.

“President Welty wanted us to change the exam schedule to clear Friday of exams,” Nef said. “Also, he wanted us to have the exams early enough [in the day] for the spring semester to have a ceremony for graduate students on Thursday evening.”

In the past, final exams began at 6:30 a.m. only Monday and Tuesday. Now, exams will begin at that time through Thursday. The same schedule will be followed in the spring.

“We don’t have two schedules for the fall and spring semesters,” Nef said. Both semesters follow the same schedule, he said.

Even with the change, there are no plans to hold graduate ceremonies on Thursday evening in the spring.

“If we wanted to have a ceremony for graduate students, we now can it on Thursday night,” Nef said. “But there’s nothing planned yet.”

Nef said he hasn’t heard of any problems in past semesters with the 6:30 a.m. start time on Monday and Tuesday.

“That I’m aware of, I don’t know of any problems,” he said. “In the fall semester, some worry about the fog. But there are not as many students taking 7 a.m. classes, so not many are impacted.”

Nef said professors can hold final exams at a time other than that shown on the schedule, but arrangements must be made in advance and with the approval of their department chair.

The modified exam schedule is in the Fall 2004 Class Schedule and can be found at www.csufresno.edu by clicking on the “finals schedule” link. However, some students may be using an incorrect schedule that they obtained at the campus bookstore at the beginning of the semester.

“When Kennel Bookstore put together their schedule planner, they put the old schedule in the planner,” Nef said. “When they learned of the change, they tried to pull them out and to inform the students with signs around the store, but some may have the old schedules if they bought the planner before the first day of class.”

Though the change may be an inconvenience for some, Nef is hopeful students will work with the new arrangement.

“I hope students recognize they are here 45 days [Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes] at 8 a.m. all semester,” he said. “We’re only asking they come early for one day.”