Tim Keller
Florida Southern College has announced that fall break would occur this year, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 21 and classes resuming on Tuesday, Oct. 26, making the break two days shorter than in previous years.
The dates for this year’s fall break were “… chosen to provide as many contiguous days of fall break as possible within the constraints of pandemic circumstances and federal requirements for class time,” according to Lindsay Thibodaux, Registrar for Florida Southern College.
The legislation that defines a credit hour in the eyes of the federal government is 34 CFR 600.2.
It states that the legal definition of a credit hour cannot be less than one hour of in-class instruction and two hours of out of class student work for a period of fifteen weeks.
Alternatively, these requirements can be substituted by other activities such as internships, practicum and studio work.
It gives institutions some leeway in setting their standards for a credit hour, but ensures that there is a uniform requirement for academic institutions.
When talking to senior Katie Statile about what she thought about the cut, she said that she was grateful we were having a fall break at all, “…especially because the last two semesters I was feeling completely burnt out,” Statile said.
She went on to state that she thinks that breaks should be necessary to provide both an academic break and a mental break.
“I am a little sad that it was cut short compared to our previous fall breaks,” Statile said.
By cutting two days from Fall Break, Florida Southern was able to meet the minimum requirement of fifteen weeks of instruction with the sixteenth week being finals week.
By fulfilling these requirements, the school continues to qualify for federal funding.
