Faculty Stage Anti-Saturday Classes Protest
Last Tuesday, 56 faculty members posted their grievances against Saturday classes on the coffee machine in Grill. Denouncing their association with the Academy until their requests had been met, they stood protesting outside of Agora, hoping to attract the attention of prep posse, the most powerful entity on campus.
Saturday classes interfere with hobbies which, despite popular belief, faculty members have. “Every Saturday night the English department gathers to peel oranges,” stated English teacher Tina Turner. “It’s an event that we really have to mentally prepare for, and not having the morning to steel ourselves takes away from the experience.” Overall, Saturday classes take away from the outside lives that the faculty actually do possess.
Similarly, the extra day of classes prevents teachers from “recharging.” Overworked classics scholar Megan Campbell said, “At the end of a long week of correcting grammar and gladiator fights I need an outlet. Literally. I typically reserve Saturdays for plugging myself into an outlet and recharging. Teachers are not humans.”
One group of faculty also feel that students do not actually show up to Saturday classes enough to warrant Saturday classes. Between sports, club events and college testing, extra class meetings are not viable for all students. “I figured no one would show up,” said religion teacher Duran Duran. “So I haven’t shown up in the past 17 years.”
Still, a number of faculty members are pro-Saturday classes. “It gives me an excuse not to see my children,” confessed parent Orlando Bloom. “I love them and all, but I prefer my mornings to be calm.” This comment was met with enthusiastic nods, even from the parents of Exonians that chose to sit in on the Saturday class meeting.
Some students have chosen to protest with the faculty. Upper Frodo Baggins told The Exonian, “Even though I have the privilege of being a student, I believe that this issue affects all of us and we must thus all fight for those less privileged than us.”
Senior Mac User agreed with Baggins. “We always think about how Saturday classes affect us as students, but the truth is that we only have to suffer through them for four years while faculty are stuck with them. These kinds of small details are the things that slowly chip away at one’s happiness.”
The protests have affected both the coffee consumption and lowerclassmen group mentality on campus, leading the administration make a quick decision on whether or not Saturday classes should continue to exist at Exeter. Ultimately the will of the people was thwarted and protesters were left to go on about their lives.