Despite a discussion about a longer fall break, students will have only one day off for fall break in 2010.

But, they can expect another weeklong Thanksgiving break in the fall if the University Council approves the 2010-2011 academic calendar next month.

The Educational Affairs Committee approved the proposed calendar Monday.

Jeffrey Dorfman, professor of agricultural and applied economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, told the committee he was hesitant about the proposed fall schedule.

“[The weeklong Thanksgiving break] destroys the whole momentum of the semester,” he said. “And the kids forget almost everything when they come back.”

But despite Dorfman’s suggestion to return to the former two-day fall break, the committee voted to approve the proposed calendar.

“I would suggest that we move ahead as we did it this year – at least for a couple of years,” Gayle Andrews, co-chair of the committee, said. “I personally don’t think we have enough evidence [to change the calendar] after one semester of trying it a different way.”

The committee also discussed starting classes on a Monday in the spring, instead of on a Thursday.

“I’d rather start each semester on a Monday – if we could have it,” said Stephen Rathbun, associate head of biostatistics in the College of Public Health. “[Starting on a Thursday] puts those that meet on that Thursday lab ahead of everybody else.”

Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction, said he preferred for classes to begin on a Monday.

“If we could start school on a Monday, it gets students in the flow of things,” Morehead said. “Another advantage is it finishes drop/add in one week.”

In addition, Registrar Rebecca Macon recommended spring break to be pushed back a week in to March 14-18, 2011.

She said she received complaints the spring break is too early and the weather is too cold.

Another item discussed was a joint resolution between faculty and students that would create guidelines for classroom expectations. The Student Government Association recently approved the Compact for Responsible Scholarship, which outlines expectations for both students and faculty in the classroom.

“The intent is to create a system of awareness and expectations,” Joe Broder, chair of the UGA Teaching Academy, told the Educational Affairs Committee. “This is not part of any official kind of rule.”

The compact is divided into three sections – communication, respect and engagement – for faculty and students.

Some of the expectations listed for faculty include providing clarity of course policies, keeping office hours and appointments, returning to learning material quickly, maintaining a respectful learning environment and using technology to enhance learning.

Expectations for students include being honest with professors and other students, attending every class on time, understanding and respecting faculty diversity, completing assignments and tests on time, and coming to class prepared and ready to learn.

The compact is not binding and should be used as a reference, said Connor McCarthy, SGA president.

“It can be used to set a mutual expectation – a culture on both the faculty and students’ part,” Broder said.

The committee voted to endorse the compact, and the proposal to adopt it University-wide will go before the Executive Committee April 9 before it can be put on the next University Council agenda.