The Facts:
It’s Dead Week which, according to University policy, means professors should not assign extra assignments or assessments in the lead up to exams.
Our Opinion:
Make sure professors adhere to the policy or quit using it.
For many students, the week before exams has become anything but the Dead Week it’s supposed to be.
The original intent of the week was to allow students a time to review and begin preparation for exams. Instead, Dead Week has become an opportunity for professors to assign last minute papers, projects, tests and quizzes — despite University policy to the contrary.
The essence of Dead Week has disappeared. Most students do not even acknowledge its presence anymore; it has simply become the week before exams. The end of the semester is a stressful for most everyone, especially seniors who are fast approaching graduation.
Why have a “Dead” Week that in reality is just as “alive” — if not more hectic — than the other weeks throughout the semester?
Students deserve ample time for exam preparation regardless of what form it takes. They should have the opportunity to spend the week before exams concentrating on studying, but at the very least to have a week that is less stressful than exam week.
As students approach their final years of college, the effects of stress become more and more apparent with other concerns such as post-graduation plans. Students need at least one week where they can count on a reprieve from major assignments and assessments.
Different students will always have different ways of dealing with stress and finals, but Dead Week must be the period that allows them to deal with those pressures in ways they see appropriate.
Classes shouldn’t necessarily be cancelled, but they’re only going to be effective if they help students prepare for the end of the semester; professors must provide an opportunity to review material for finals to facilitate that process. Assigning papers and projects — or having them due — destroys the intent of Dead Week.
It should either be treated as a week of review and preparation for students, or it should cease to exist. Some professors adhere to the policies concerning Dead Week, but others certainly do not — it’s an unnecessary inconsistency and one the University administration has the ability to correct.
Students would like a week for review and preparation, but let’s not call it something it’s not. Dead Week is either dead — or its not.
