J-Away

Can we even call it J-term anymore? When the College administration announced its revolutionary calendar reform last year, it included in its statement vague plans for a three-week term to begin in January. Possible conceptions of a “January Experience” included opportunities for students to pursue research, travel, internships, or academic study, as is the case at many peer universities. On Monday, however, Deans Michael A. Smith and Evelynn M. Hammonds issued a campus-wide e-mail confirming what many had feared—that the College had opted against providing any structured programming for undergraduates between terms and would be limiting campus housing during the term to a limited number of high-need individuals.

It is an unfortunate development that there will be no official programming during January 2010. Given the administration’s prior outline of an exciting “January Experience,” we had been hopeful that students would have options for a productive use of their new extended free time, regardless of whether they chose to stay on campus. Instead of providing opportunities, however, the administration’s plan will actually limit the options of many students.

One of the major arguments in support of calendar reform was the possibility of an extended recess with new opportunities that would present themselves during that time. Many imagined J-term as a chance to explore new topics and non-academic interests on campus without the stresses associated with term-time commitments. By aborting plans for structured programming and forcing a majority of students off campus, the administration will effectively remove a large array of opportunities for students, including those who would have used the time to pursue independent projects on campus.

That said, complaints about their decision might be unjustified. The extended break could be a blessing in disguise in that students will be able to break out of the proverbial “Harvard bubble” between semesters. Ultimately, uproar over this issue may be out of line, in that few may have taken advantage of officially sanctioned programs anyway. Nevertheless, the abrupt reversal of plans exposes the administration’s unpreparedness with implementing calendar reform. Rather than first creating a clear plan for how the College would utilize the new January recess, the administration announced the change, and only a year later, decided how to approach the new three-week block.

In light of the administration’s decision, we strongly urge University Hall to take necessary steps to minimize the negative effects of canceling a “January Experience.” One important step would be for the deans to rigorously follow up on their promise to “work with students to identify interesting opportunities and help them make the connections to pursue them.” This would entail providing guidance and sources of funding much like the university does for summer vacation. Another important step would be clarifying and loosening criteria for students wishing to stay on campus during the recess. Being able to remain on campus to utilize Harvard’s vast resources would allow students to pursue non-curricular activities such as independent research, student group activities, and service opportunities in Cambridge and Boston.

In addition, we urge the administration to follow through on its rhetoric regarding the allocation of university resources. In their letter to the campus community, Deans Smith and Hammonds explained that discontinuing plans for a January term would allow the university to focus on developing other programs, including the transition to General Education, improving freshman seminars, and supporting the Arts Task Force. We hope that this rhetoric was not a set of hollow excuses for dropping J-term activities but instead a sincere commitment to focus additional resources on these other pressing issues.

Finally, we hope the administration continues to plan for J-terms of subsequent years. Although today’s economic circumstances present challenges and the university’s resources are spread thinly across other important initiatives, allowing J-term to go undeveloped entirely for the foreseeable future would be an even greater disappointment than the one we now face.