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8 a.m. classes may be scrapped

By Angela Forgeron

Waking up for 8 a.m. classes may not be your New Year’s resolution this January — Ryerson may be ridding them from your timetable.

Registrar Keith Alnwick said getting rid of early morning lectures is an issue but not a priority.

“We won’t likely see an end to 8 a.m. classes,” said Alnwick, but added Ryerson is looking at what can be done “for students and faculty with multiple 8 a.m. classes” in the winter semester.

“It’s fair to say concerns for students and faculty are the times which classes are scheduled,” said Alnwick. “It would be nice if everyone have class from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, but we have limited space and teaching resources.”

New Infosilem timetabling software was implemented last fall to get students into the courses they need to graduate.

“Students who find themselves in the situation they can’t get the courses they need to take, our aim is to get everyone into these classes, and then to enhance the timing of these classes,” said Alnwick.

He said although there are more 8 a.m. classes this year, more students get courses they wanted.

Kristall Espenes, a first-year-business-Link student, said there’s not enough time in a day to do everything. Espenes, who commutes from Etobicoke, has three 8 a.m. classes. She waked up at 6 a.m.for her 80-minute commute and gets home at 6:30 p.m.

Earlier this semester, she had four 8 a.m. classes with gaps between classes. The department changed the schedule after numerous students had similar complaints.

Other students weren’t so lucky.

“I don’t like it. You have to wake up extra early to come to class,” said Laura Wallce, a first-year computer science student.

 

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