Marcus Clem | Collegio Reporter

Some people are wary of the upcoming, Mayan-predicted, end of the world, but most students are just worrying about finals.
The problem, some of them say, is that the time traditionally reserved for

study and review before exams, known as dead week, is being occupied by classwork.

“I think that dead week should be more lax,” said Aubry Keller, junior in biology. “Instructors assigning things right before dead week, or without prior notification, can make it extremely difficult for students. I know of one student who was assigned a huge paper he did not know about until recently, right before dead week. This has caused a big mess with that teacher and things like that can be really detrimental to students.”
As long as notification of dead week work is given in the course syllabus, Keller and Megan Pavlu say it is the instructor’s decision to make.
“I’ve had work, but it was all on the syllabus that we would have things due and tests and whatnot during dead week,” said Pavlu, sophomore in communication. “It wasn’t a big surprise. We all knew that it was coming. While it is slightly annoying, it’s not that big of a problem for me.”
Pittsburg State has a provision to enforce the protection of dead week through the Student Government Association. Students who believe they have been unfairly tasked with work in violation of academic policy can contact SGA and complain. This matter is then referred to the professor’s department head or the dean of the respective college if necessary.
Some courses of study, like interior design, essentially have no dead week because work is assigned from the start of the term through the last day of classes. Finals take place in the last days of the week and students are free to go on break.
“I always thought that was nice because I was done a week early,” said Lynsey Marie, sophomore in interior design. “Then again, it is hard on students, because we do not have that extra time to prepare for finals like everyone else. It’s also hard because some of my finals are projects that take a lot of my time.”
Grace Hartzell says having assignments during dead week is an inconvenience.
“I don’t think it is bad that dead week has been busy,” said Hartzell, sophomore in early childhood education. “I just think that it is taking away from that extra week to prepare for finals. I don’t think that it is a bad thing, because most of the finals are cumulative, so we need all of the lectures to be done. We need that information.”
The biggest concern for students is stress and the effect it can have on finals preparation, Marie says.
“I feel like all instructors should make dead week include time to answer questions,” she said. “This helps us with whatever we are struggling with, so that we as students learn and benefit from our work, instead of just concentrating on getting done in time. I feel that when you are rushed your work is only half as good as it could be.”