Letter: New schedule

Dear Editor,

I'm not sure how familiarized you are with the new class schedule for next year. I started to try and put together my schedule for next fall tonight. After an hour of frustration and staring at inefficiency of time, I have pretty much given up.

What startled me initially was receiving a random e-mail one day from the Registrar saying, "We are testing out a new class schedule on you next year. At the end of the year we'll see how we like it. You can view your classes on Bannerweb now."

I am not an RCSGA senator so I don't know what goes on in those meetings, but is this something that they played a role in? This obviously affects every single student at this university - don't you think the students should have some say in it?

And even if RCSGA was behind this, why didn't I get asked my opinion on it? Are our senators really representative of the student body?

Let me give you an example: I will be taking a class next semester for my major in the Business school from 9 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. Another class that I need to take, in just a few rooms down from the first class, doesn't begin until 10:30 a.m. In visiting the Registrar's Web site to see why this might be, I see that they have blocked 40 minutes between every 50-minute class. I can honestly not think of one good reason why this is so. Not one! For two hours every week next semester, I am going to be stranded in the small atrium of the B-school with not enough time to get something to eat, not enough time to start a homework assignment, not enough time to go back to my apartment, not enough time to do anything but sit.

This prospect of inefficiency and lack of productivity disgusts me. My days next year will go from long to longer, efficient to wasteful.

I know you know people at this school, and if you don't, then you know someone who knows someone. What I'm asking of you is to do some investigating here, and try to find out why I will be spending two hours a week wasting my time next semester.

Eric Rudofker

University of Richmond, 2011