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The Dartmouth
July 8, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Friday courses depend on profs

Between the signing of the bonfire in the morning and College President Jim Yong Kim's address at night, students will also have to make time for classes the Friday of Homecoming weekend, as many professors have chosen to continue with classes as usual on Oct. 23.

Professors who plan to hold classes the Friday of Homecoming cite a variety of explanations, including the need to keep up with a demanding schedule and a desire to follow the College's official academic calendar. Since the date is not listed as a holiday by the Office of the Registrar, many professors see no reason to declare it a day off.

Some professors, particularly those in the math and science departments, said they feel that cancelling class would be unfair to their students. According to biology professor Matthew Ayres, the students in his class "are working hard to master a challenging curriculum."

"I want to do everything I can to help them," Ayres said.

Physics and astronomy professor John Thorstensen said that his students "are pretty serious and would like to get their money's worth."

While some professors have chosen to reschedule classes during X-hours, mathematics professor Martin Arkowitz said that doing so would be detrimental to the learning of his students. His class, Math 8, meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday and has an X-hour every Tuesday.

"In mathematics I think it is important to have sufficient time between classes for the student to read the text, do the homework and seek help if necessary," Arkowitz said.

If he moved class to the Tuesday X-hour, his students would have class three days in a row, which would not give them sufficient time for preparation, he explained.

Many students, however, said they would appreciate a break on Friday.

Cancelling classes would give students more time to enjoy Homecoming festivities, Max Hopkins '09 said.

"It definitely adds to the excitement when you have that extra day off," Janie Abernethy '12 agreed. "It makes it a special weekend."

Some students cited the lack of College-recognized religious and national holidays as a more pressing concern than Homecoming.

"They didn't give me classes off for Yom Kippur," Anne Lape '13 said. "Why should we have classes off for Homecoming?"

Government professor Thomas Walker, who rescheduled his Friday class for an X-hour, said that celebrating Homecoming together strengthens the bond between students.

"A more cohesive student body does better academically," Walker said.

In his international politics course, Walker linked the student body's unification to the idea of nationalism, citing political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who advocated cooperation among citizens.

Just as Rousseau encouraged Polish leaders to encourage nationalism amongst citizens through games and holidays, Walker believes that the opportunity for students to celebrate together during Homecoming fosters unity amongst classes and a deeper loyalty to the College.

Homecoming is an important event for alumni as well, and the unity that can be created during Homecoming weekend "spans the generations," Walker added.

Allowing students and alumni the opportunity to bond during Homecoming "will only help Dartmouth in the long run," he said.

While Narula does not object to attending classes on Friday, she said she agrees that Homecoming would be most meaningful if classes were rescheduled to give students more time to bond with their peers.

"Not having classes makes the whole thing more special," Urusvati Narula '13, said.