Yage Wang — Staff Writer

Starting in fall 2019, Dordt University has significantly changed their yearly schedule for exams and moved up the start of the semester.

The spring 2020 started approximately 5-6 days earlier than the past years.

Previously, semesters started on the second Tuesday of January. With Monday off to give students a travel day, the first week of the spring semester generally kicks off with refreshed, fully-restored students. A four-day week of studying balanced the overwhelming feeling of new semester and also quickly adapted the students into studying mode.

David Riadi, a junior computer science major who went back home for Christmas, had a tight schedule in January.

“I left from Indonesia on the 1st of January, so, I arrived at Dordt on the 2nd.” said Riadi, “Since I was in the orchestra, I needed to practice in the evening and the next day we left for the tour. After the tour, we got back on the 8th and school started right away on the 9th.”

On the top of starting classes earlier than the past years, spring 2020 also has classes beginning on a Thursday rather than on Tuesday. Used to the previous schedule, some students still thought class started on the following Monday.

Gareth Johnston, a sophomore Community Development major, went back to Canada for Christmas and didn’t come back to campus until Saturday the 11th.

“I skipped Thursday and Friday because of my ride,” said Johnston. “And I think lots of people are inclined to do so as well because it’s only two days, and it’s the syllabus days.”

Many departments on campus have to adapt the new schedule of spring semester as well. Many students have noticed the renovation of the library. While students were off campus enjoying the holidays with their families, the library staff, janitors, and other constriction workers changed the old carpet and repainted some of the walls between holidays.

“The shortened schedule did make it very tight for the library, but we got it all done,” Library Assistant Jennifer Breems said, “But the goal of the shortened schedule is for the Good Friday as a day with no classes. I think that’s a really good goal because never has before Dordt had been given a day break for Easter. And as Christian College, you would think an Easter Break makes sense. I’m really looking forward to the Good Friday with no classes.”