Two Marquette sophomores are working to make sure students do not have to cram the weekend before finals.

College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Kate Goodrich and College of Health Sciences sophomore Theresa Young have been joined by Marquette Student Government in petitioning university administration for a "dead week" before finals next semester that would give students time off from classes to prepare for their exams.

Goodrich said she was annoyed with professors who violated Marquette's policy on finals. As stated in the semester Schedule of Classes booklet for undergraduate students in Academic Session I, "no examinations may be scheduled in the week preceding Final Examination Week."

"The reason Theresa and I started this was because we took organic chemistry last semester and ended up having two exams and a lab before the final," Goodrich said. "We learned new material on the Friday before our 8 a.m. Monday final."

Young said she thought it was inconsistent that other schools, ranked higher academically than Marquette, had study days.

"We realized last semester that all these other schools had study days," Young said. "Marquette is ranked with some of those schools, so we didn't understand why we didn't have a similar set-up."

Some schools that have study days before finals include Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale as well as schools in the Big East — Boston College, University of Connecticut, Georgetown and Notre Dame, Goodrich said.

Goodrich and Young will be in the dining halls next week during dinner hours with their petition. They will be at O'Donnell Hall Monday, Straz Tower Tuesday, McCormick Hall Wednesday, Schroeder Hall Thursday and Cobeen Hall Friday.

Goodrich said she understands she is undertaking a big project and scheduling issues could cause problems. The academic calendar for next semester has already been set.

MUSG President Tim Lefeber, a College of Health Sciences senior, spoke to Provost Madeline Wake about establishing study days. According to Lefeber, Wake said the idea was plausible but would involve a lot of paperwork.

"The status has yet to be decided," Lefeber said.

MUSG has petitioned for study days in years past. Two years ago, the legislative body made recommendations to the Academic Senate to keep the fall break and institute study days before finals. The Academic Senate approved a recommendation for a study day before finals in the fall semester of 2002.

"We had a study day the last Friday before finals two years ago because we had an extra day from All Saints Day being re-instated as a school day," Lefeber said.

Lefeber said MUSG would like to restore study days and have a permanent study day established.

"When a study day would go in effect we're not sure of, it all depends on the flexibility of the calendar," Lefeber said, "We hope to make it happen."

College of Communication freshman Diana Biette said she would sign a petition for study days.

"I think a reading day or two would be nice before finals," Biette said. "It would allow people with earlier finals a chance to study more and give them the same advantage that students with later finals have."

College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Andy Ozga said he would be in favor of 'dead days.'

"A half a week or three days before finals would be cool to study," Ozga said.

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