Rosh Hashanah Forces Early Start to Year

Summer will be one week shorter than normal for this fall’s incoming first-year class, the result of an effort by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) to minimize the year’s conflict between the academic calendar and the Jewish New Year’s holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

While traditionally first-years are required to arrive on campus during the second weekend in September, this fall the date has been pushed back to the first weekend in September. First-years participating in the various opening week programs, such as the First-year Outdoor Program and the Freshman Urban Program will arrive in Cambridge next weekend.

The change in first-year move-in comes as a result of the earlier start of the fall academic year in FAS. Typically the academic year begins on the third Monday in September—which this year falls on Sept. 17—but this year the first day of classes will be held on Sept. 12—the previous Wednesday.

According to Gregory E. Atkinson, the department administrator of the FAS registrar’s office, the change to the start of the academic year was made so that Rosh Hashanah would not occur during the first several days of the term. This year the holiday starts at sundown on Sept. 17 and ends at sundown on Sept. 19.

FAS academic calendars are voted on officially at faculty meetings, but the registrar’s office provides a suggested calendar to the faculty. Calendars are approved by the faculty years in advance.

Many observant Jewish students do not attend classes during at least the first day of Rosh Hashanah.

Atkinson said that the registrar’s office felt that the first several days of the term are often “crucial to the rest of the semester,” since students use these days to select classes and sign up for sections, so that it would be better if the calendar could be arranged so that students did not have to miss these days of class.

While some of shopping period still does fall during the holiday, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 said that this calendar—while not a great solution—was the best that could be devised to minimize the conflict.

“Various alternatives were thought through, each of which was worse than the calendar adopted, bad as it is,” Lewis wrote in an e-mail message.

Benjamin Z. Galper ’02, chair of Hillel and a Crimson editor, said that he appreciated the University’s efforts to minimize the conflict with the holiday.

“I think it’s really a nice move,” Galper said. “I think this shows the University takes diversity very seriously.”

He noted that there have been conflicts in past years between Rosh Hashanah and the University’s academic calendar, particularly in 1999 when the holiday fell on the same weekend as first-year move-in.

While the change in calendar only makes upperclass registration three days earlier than it would be under the traditional calendar—this year it will be held Sept. 11 instead of on Sept. 14—the Houses will open a full week earlier than normal, just like the first-year dorms.

Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman ’67 said the College decided to open the Houses a week early because many upperclass students need to return for first-year registration, particularly to table at the first-year activities fair held the morning of registration. He said that the College decided just providing temporary housing to these students would have created too much of a logistical hassle.

However, the College is not encouraging upperclass students to return early and has in fact made efforts to discourage students from arriving before Sept. 7.

Before the end of last academic year Dingman wrote a letter for Houses and the Freshman Dean’s Office to distribute to students urging them to remain home until the weekend of Sept. 7 unless they needed to assist at first-year registration.

“Other schools think we’re nuts,” Dingman said referring to Harvard’s decision to allow students to move in 10 days before classes begin.

To discourage students returning early, dining halls other than Annenberg will not begin serving food until dinner on Sept. 7.

Dingman’s letter in the spring also informed students that no parties would be allowed in Houses prior to Sept. 11. Dingman said that he worried that parties could get out of control during the period before classes start when students usually have no other time commitments.

“Masters have encountered problems with people back with too much time on their hands,” Dingman said.

Dingman is also particularly concerned that the first days of move-in fall during the Labor Day weekend, when many masters and tutors are away from the House and unable to provide supervision. However, despite Labor Day’s status as an official University holiday, students will be able to pick up keys from their houses on that day.

Despite the atypical nature of this year’s calendar at Harvard, an administrator noted that it actually makes Harvard more typical compared to other colleges.

“There are many colleges and universities at which first-year orientation begins during the third week of August, so Harvard students will not be alone in planning for a pre-Labor Day move-in,” wrote Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans in an e-mail message.

The calendar changes will also mean that this year’s winter vacation will be five days longer than under the typical calendar.

—Garrett M. Graff contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Daniel P. Mosteller can be reached at dmostell@fas.harvard.edu.