The potential switch from the quarter to the semester system,
currently being considered by Academic Senate, would make life
easier for two UCLA graduate schools already on the semester system
““ the School of Law and the School of Medicine.
If UCLA was to revert back to semesters, the academic calendar
would start at the same time for all students, graduate and
undergraduate, at the university. Currently, the law school and the
medical school students start classes five weeks before other
students.
The synchronization would mean greater efficiency with regard to
the provision of services to the graduate students involved in both
schools, from parking services to student funding of campus
groups.
Both graduate schools operated on the quarter system after the
University of California decided to take up the four-term year in
order to have year-round operation in 1966.
The law school then reverted to the semester calendar in 1978,
while the medical school switched back to operating on a semester
basis in 1987.
Barbara Varat, administrative associate dean for the School of
Law, said the switch would allow the university to better serve the
needs of students on the semester programs.
“Some of the services don’t work as well because we
start five weeks earlier,” she said. “Everything
requires different attention; the departments have to work hard to
make sure services are put in place for us on time.”
Varat said one of the biggest effects of a switch would be to
simplify the work required from administrative services and housing
services.
Currently, administrative systems must process fees and ensure
registration takes place earlier for graduate students on the
semester system.
Any housing contracts are signed for a different lease period,
starting in August and ending in May. Different payment schedules
make the disparity between calendars more worrisome for
administrators to think about.
Sean Pine, registrar for the Law School, said a switch to the
semester system would ensure graduate students would not be short-
changed on benefits, including parking services.
“If a graduate student doesn’t receive a parking
permit for the year, they can’t appeal the decision until the
quarter starts, which is five weeks in for these students,”
she said. “In this sense, a lot of offices aren’t set
up to deal with us.”
But there also may be some negative aspects of a switch, as
Patricia Anaya, assistant director for educational development in
the School of Medicine, suggests.
“A switch to the semester system would mean exam periods
at Med School would coincide with upper campus exam periods,”
she said. “Logistically, this could cause problems with
regard to classroom availability and scheduling.”
Students most affected by the change would be those doing
joint-degree studies, in particular those in two programs on
different academic calendars.
Addie Rolnick, a joint-degree student in law and American Indian
studies, said the difference in deadlines for selecting classes
often made scheduling confusing.
“I don’t always know if I will be able to get into a grad
course until it is already too late to drop a law school
class,” she said. “When I am enrolled in classes for
both programs, the schedules often conflict because my quarter
classes tend to be longer blocks of time, and often take the spot
of two or more law school classes, making it difficult to fulfill
requirements.”Â
Taking BAR review courses can also force some joint-degree law
students to miss part of their quarter classes in the spring, as
Michelle Fahley, joint degree student in law and American Indian
studies, explained.
“Generally, BAR studies begin at the end of May and
students in joint programs who are taking classes in Spring Quarter
are still in class,” she said. “BAR review courses are
usually every day for about five hours per day, so it makes it more
difficult to attend quarter classes.”
Anthony Solana, a joint-degree student in urban planning and
law, said semesters allow students to understand classes more
comprehensively.
“The semester system allows students more time to be what
they should be: students,” he said. “That means not
only attending class and doing your reading, but becoming involved
in extracurricular activities and taking the time to engage
professors and fellow students.”
Both the School of Law and the School of Medicine reverted to
the semester system for pedagogical reasons: most professors felt
the material being taught required more time to sink into
students’ heads.
“We switched in 1987 mainly because of curriculum,”
Anaya said. “At the time, we were running one and a half
quarter classes to allow for the material to be adequately
covered.”
Varat said a great incentive to switch in 1978 was that the
majority of law schools operated on the semester system, and as a
result, most law firm summer job programs started and finished too
early for the quarter system.
She also said the School of Law supports and encourages the rest
of the university to return to the semester system.