Kerux: a portfolio of Calvin Theological Seminary - Volume 41.7 - 4 December 2006

Editorial: Quarter system not worth a dime

by Christian Bell, Editor in Chief

As we begin the second round of classes at Calvin Theological Seminary in the middle of December, it’s worth wonder whether the seminary’s curious quarter-based scheduling system is worth keeping around. Between the scheduling conflicts, the strange breaks, and the holiday workloads, the answer is clear: the quarterly system needs to go.

Ostensibly, the seminary’s schedule is quarter-based; in reality, the schedule functions more like a trimester schedule with seemingly random and obtusely-scheduled classes in the summer. The academic year – the part that most students are here for – encompasses only three of the four “quarters.”

There are innumerable difficulties with the quarterly system. The most obvious problem is the scheduling conflict between the seminary’s schedule and traditional semester schedules at the college and many other schools. Parents’ schools schedules are out of sync with their children’s, students taking classes at other area colleges are juggling two different schedules, and students who have full-time jobs are constantly having to rearrange their professional lives around fickle seminary scheduling.

Access to the library is another casualty of the system. For the college, which operates on a modified semester schedule (Calvin has a month-long January interim period), the schedule of the Hekman Library is usually dictated by college class schedules. Thus, when the college is wrapping up classes for its first semester or January interim, or during college breaks such as spring break (mid-March) and the January Interim break, the Hekman Library has to decide how much time it will dedicate to remaining open and serving the much smaller seminary community (several hundred students and faculty) versus the college community (4000+ students alone).

These scheduling problems take their toll on students and professors. Students are wrapping up classes for Q1 right before Thanksgiving. Professors are simultaneously grading old work and teaching new classes during the Christmas season, and students undertake at least three weeks of classes and often at least one midterm before Christmas break. Merry Christmas, seminary families. Similarly, Q2 exams frequently coincide with Valentine’s Day. Are students expected to decide between spending the evening with their spouse or passing a class?

Breaks during classes are another complication. Apart from Christmas and Spring Breaks, the only breaks that students get during the quarters are the strangely-scheduled “reading breaks.” Next month, for instance, a 2-day reading break is scheduled for 7 school days after classes resume from Christmas break, while on the other hand the only break during the month of March is for Dies Natalis.

So what should the seminary do? Calvin Seminary should abandon the quarter system and move to a modified semester schedule with a January interim period like the college.

A semester-based schedule is the only sane way to solve the scheduling dilemmas imposed by a quarterly system. Moreso, though, a modified semester schedule that includes a month-long interim period would provide a new opportunity for students and faculty to take school at a different pace and learn different material. It would also provide CTS students the flexibility to participate in seasonal events like the college’s January Series.

While such a change will involve a significant amount of adjustments to the current class and credit system, it’s a change that seems inevitable. CTS can’t continue to run on a different schedule from everybody else indefinitely, and especially not if it is serious about reaching out to more non-traditional students who’s schedules may not be as flexible as the typical full-time student.

Let’s get rid of our quarters. It’s time for change.