Pro Argument by Dylan Proietti

Upon my return to campus last week, I was fully aware that syllabus week was on the horizon.

I knew that I would walk into four new classes and would have to endure four syllabi, any multitude of introductions and even be required to suffer through that time-honored, but abhorred tradition known as “ice-breaking.”

All students expect this and often times, attendance during syllabus week wavers, indicating that they may or may not be pursuing more somnolent activities. However, in the midst of the add/drop frenzy, people coming down left and right with spring fever and “senioritis” and the memory of spring break laying hazily in our minds, I tend to encounter a certain Zen during syllabus week.

Although many of us may see syllabus week simply as a chance to ease back into the quarter, I find it absolutely essential. The first, and most important, benefit to this week is the knowledge that the professor gives his or her students. This knowledge rarely has to do with the course itself, but rather the expectations and rigor that one can expect to encounter should they choose to fill their seat for the next 10 weeks.

Furthermore, it starts people off on the proverbial right foot. Rather than start the quarter with a dose of procrastination, showing up on the first day not only shows that a student is interested and dedicated to the class, but that they are willing to put in the necessary effort. It also makes it easier to wake up the following week and attend class when grades are actually at stake.

Finally, there is always the chance that the professor will not only go over the syllabus, but begin with course material also.

Especially in this instance, it seems a better idea to attend class and learn the material than try to awkwardly explain to the professor why you were having a battle of wills with your snooze button on the first day of the quarter.

Con Argument by AJ Gunning

There are not more pointless days at DU than syllabus days. Although I know many students appreciate the extra two days of vacation I find them to be unnecessary and annoying.

I don’t like having to get up in the morning simply to go to a class where the same five page sheet is read to me four different times – which by the way, was the same five page sheet that was read to me last quarter.

Syllabus week has become unnecessary with the invention of e-mail. If professors would simply forward their students the syllabus and the assigned readings a week before the class started, DU could do away with syllabus week altogether. It would also push those students that like to change classes during syllabus week to make a decision sooner as they will have all of the necessary information available to them earlier.

I’m not saying that a brief introduction on the first day of class is worthless; rather what I am saying is that an introduction for a class should take, and normally does take about a half hour, while the average class at DU is slotted for two hours. Hence there is a lot of wasted time on the first day of class.

In many classes syllabus day is simply a waste of a time, and I can appreciate that many students enjoy having an easy day. However, wouldn’t it be more useful to have that day later on in the quarter when even great classes start to drag and the homework really starts to pile up?

There are a number of options available to professors and students to fill the void of syllabus day. In its place, a professor could set up some sort of student topic day, where students can come in to class to discuss an assigned paper or group project. Or maybe the class could benefit most from having a full day off of class to work on assignments in the middle or end of the quarter, and it wouldn’t feel like a waste of a class.

Although most students enjoy the easy day, the honest students will admit that it is rather pointless in most respects and not an effective use of time.