Spring Break
Please allow students to miss classes for Drexel game on ESPN
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Sports
November 18, 2008 is supposed to be one of the biggest days in Drexel sports history.
No, we do not have a chance to beat the No. 1 team in the nation like we did when our men's lacrosse team upset Virginia in Charlottesville two years ago. No, we are not playing a game in the NCAA Tournament like Malik Rose and our men's basketball team did in 1996.
But the atmosphere of this upcoming game should be akin to those past games, and the hype surrounding Drexel students should surpass its predecessors.
The only problem is that students might not be able to attend - due to a fear of missing classes.
When the Drexel men's basketball team hosts Penn on ESPN, it won't be just another game. This is a statement game, but not necessarily for the basketball team. It's more of a chance for Drexel to showcase its pride, something that students often complain is lacking at this University.
Let's think about it. ESPN will be returning to the DAC for the first time since Drexel hosted the North Atlantic Conference championship game against Northeastern in the 1994-95 season. That's 14 years ago.
But unfortunately for students, Mark Greenberg, the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, is not cancelling classes for the game. This means students will be faced with a dilemma. Should they play hooky and attend the basketball game or should they play it safe, attend class and just watch the game on their Slingbox while trying to learn about quantum physics?
Now this issue is more complex than it might seem.
From a student's standpoint, it would make sense to cancel classes from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., but Greenberg makes a few counterpoints.
He said students are paying a lot of money to attend a private university, and to have classes canceled would mean that if he suspends class, a professor will have all of his students miss out on 5-10 percent of the material for that term.
Additionally, by not officially canceling classes, Greenberg said it gives teachers more flexibility to allow students to miss the class as long as they get the notes and make up the work. He also mentioned he wants the best interests of the students and he encourages professors to let students come to the game.
No, we do not have a chance to beat the No. 1 team in the nation like we did when our men's lacrosse team upset Virginia in Charlottesville two years ago. No, we are not playing a game in the NCAA Tournament like Malik Rose and our men's basketball team did in 1996.
But the atmosphere of this upcoming game should be akin to those past games, and the hype surrounding Drexel students should surpass its predecessors.
The only problem is that students might not be able to attend - due to a fear of missing classes.
When the Drexel men's basketball team hosts Penn on ESPN, it won't be just another game. This is a statement game, but not necessarily for the basketball team. It's more of a chance for Drexel to showcase its pride, something that students often complain is lacking at this University.
Let's think about it. ESPN will be returning to the DAC for the first time since Drexel hosted the North Atlantic Conference championship game against Northeastern in the 1994-95 season. That's 14 years ago.
But unfortunately for students, Mark Greenberg, the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, is not cancelling classes for the game. This means students will be faced with a dilemma. Should they play hooky and attend the basketball game or should they play it safe, attend class and just watch the game on their Slingbox while trying to learn about quantum physics?
Now this issue is more complex than it might seem.
From a student's standpoint, it would make sense to cancel classes from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., but Greenberg makes a few counterpoints.
He said students are paying a lot of money to attend a private university, and to have classes canceled would mean that if he suspends class, a professor will have all of his students miss out on 5-10 percent of the material for that term.
Additionally, by not officially canceling classes, Greenberg said it gives teachers more flexibility to allow students to miss the class as long as they get the notes and make up the work. He also mentioned he wants the best interests of the students and he encourages professors to let students come to the game.
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