Associate Provost for Undergraduate Academic Programs, Jennifer Karas, said there are 62 more undergraduate sections meeting on Friday compared to fall quarter of 2014, amounting to a 45 percent increase in classes held on Fridays.

The increase in Friday classes represents a shift from classes that met twice a week on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. These changes have been considered by University officials since the spring of 2014 according to Karas. The process also involved multiple town hall meetings for students and faculty to provide feedback on the proposed changes, according to the Provost’s office.

Karas said Academic Deans and the Provost believed the lack of Friday classes was a detriment to students and this committee ultimately concluded that class on Friday would help students in the future.

“They pointed out that a schedule without a regular Friday component did not best prepare students for future jobs, graduate school or leadership positions in the community,” Karas explained. “They also expressed that there is a significant negative impact on the academic culture of the university when students are not intellectually engaged throughout the entire week.”

The DU Alcohol Coalition also raised the issue of increased alcohol consumption at universities without Friday classes as another potential factor according to Karas.

Karas also said that most of DU’s peer institutions already offered Friday classes just as many DU departments have done for years.

Many departments such as science, math, engineering and business already offered numerous Friday sections. According to Karas, arts and humanities, social sciences and international studies will be most impacted.

While some of these departments have offered Friday classes in the past, their offerings have been limited and with mixed results according to Associate Political Science Professor Lisa Conant.

“In the past there has been an unusual amount of absenteeism in Friday classes, it’s been quite noticeable in past years,” Conant explained. “Since it had been rare, some students might have resented having class.”

Conant, who is teaching an upper level political science course on Fridays this quarter, added that since Friday classes are becoming more common, students will hopefully feel that taking them is less of a burden.

Karas explained that so far, the shift is going well and adds that going forward students should continue to expect Fridays to be a regular class day.