To many people, St. Patrick's Day is synonymous with partying, which creates a dilemma for both professors and students when the holiday falls on a weekday.

Students must decide which, if any, classes they will attend. Likewise, the teachers of those classes must decide what, if any, actions they will take to encourage attendance in their class.

Last year, the Office of Academic Affairs issued a memo giving guidelines to faculty in order to discourage student drinking on St. Patrick's Day. No memo has been sent out this year, according to several professors.

University Provost Madeline Wake, who did not issue the memo last year, said she does not intend to issue a similar memo this year, and she is not aware of any such memo being issued by anyone else.

"St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day to really celebrate being Irish or wishing you were Irish, and that does not have to interfere with class," Wake said. "You can have fun on St. Patrick's Day without alcohol abuse."

Although Wake did not issue a memo, she did say she supports attempts to moderate student drinking.

"On our campus, as on many college campuses across the country, alcohol abuse is a major problem," Wake said. "I think efforts to address alcohol abuse are very important on this campus."

Although several professors have scheduled tests for Thursday or Friday, most said that their decision to schedule a test on those days had nothing to do with the memo sent out last year, or any kind of pressure from the university.

Gale Miller, social and cultural sciences professor, said he is giving a test in his Introduction to Sociology class Thursday, but said he did not schedule the test specifically to curb student drinking.

"I didn't even know it was St. Patrick's Day when I put the syllabus together," Miller said. "I don't pay attention for those things."

He had to reorganize the class' schedule because he had surgery on his ankle, and the test just happened to fall on St. Patrick's Day. No students complained to Miller about the date of the test, possibly because if the test were moved it would be after break, when students' schedules become more hectic, Miller said.

"I'm assuming the students are being kind of rational, but I was a little surprised that not a single person complained," he said.

Other professors do not believe the date of their tests will be a problem for their students. The Rev. Michael Zeps is giving an 8 a.m. test in his History of Western Civilization class, but said he does not think the time and date of the test will affect his students' plans.

"I don't think they do a lot of drinking on St. Patrick's. They're pretty upstanding students that way," Zeps said.

Many students, however, do plan on partaking of green beer but said that it will not necessarily stop them from attending class. Aaron Schmitt, a College of Arts & Sciences junior, said he only has two classes on Thursday, at 2 and 3 p.m., which he plans to attend.

"I'll probably be a little drunk, but I'll go," Schmitt said.

Other students plan on taking at least part of the day off. College of Business Administration sophomore Mindy Mercer said she plans on attending her 9:35 a.m. class Thursday, but not any classes after that.

"Some (professors) have actually cancelled classes and made sure nothing big was due that day because they know it's St. Patrick's Day," Mercer said.

Not all students that skip class on Thursday will be doing so to celebrate the Irish holiday. College of Business Administration sophomore Robert Raczyla said he has a 10 a.m. test Friday in his Sociology of Aging class. He said he will attend his 9:35 a.m. class Thursday but plans to skip his 2 p.m. class in order to study.

College of Business Administration sophomore Matt Grimm said he is not sure if a Friday test will stop everyone from partying the day before. Grimm said he does not drink, so his two tests Friday will not hinder him, but said it may or may not affect the plans of other students in the classes.

"I don't know if it'll change their plans actually," Grimm said. "Some of them are pretty crazy. But it will probably be some kind of deterrent."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 17 2005.