I took the photograph above of the University of Denver's Ritchie Center at dusk the other day. Classes ended Thanksgiving week at DU, and will not resume until the Tuesday after New Year's. Why such a long break? Because DU is on the quarter system. The down side of the quarter system is that the spring quarter extends into June, a disadvantage to DU students competing for summer jobs against students on the semester system, who end classes in mid-May. DU did explore the idea of switching to semesters, but decided against it. The official reason, besides the expense, was that students are exposed to more classes on the quarter system, and thus receive a broader eduction. However, rumor has it that the real reason was that both students and faculty did not want to give up their long holiday break. Is that a cynical attitude, or what?
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