Reading Day traditions may be interrupted this year by an atypical occurrence: class.

In a 21-9 vote, University Council chose to make Reading Day a normal school day for this semester. However, the cancelation of Reading Day does not guarantee that Friday classes will meet on May 9.

“A faculty member would still be free to not hold class on Friday,” said Faculty Senate President Paul Stoddard.

Reading Day, which normally falls on the Friday before finals in the spring semester, serves as a break between classes and the start of finals.

There is no Reading Day during the fall semester, because finals run Monday to Saturday; in the spring semester, finals run Saturday to Friday.

Faculty members and students weighed the pros and cons of canceling Reading Day from both sides. In the end, faculty members found the ability to hold class more beneficial.

“It makes it that much harder for the students to have the instruction that represents the standard syllabus,” said mathematical sciences professor Linda Sons. “Those of us who teach courses that have a very fixed national syllabus are being put under pressure to bunch-up in order to cover that syllabus.”

Student Association Senator Carol Orrego said canceling reading day would benefit lab classes held on Fridays that are already working harder to get all the necessary work finished.

The reasons for canceling Reading Day were also questioned.

“We are not going to make a significant improvement by eliminating this one day,” said William Tolhurst, associate professor of philosophy. “Suppose we had one more snow day, would we have decided for that reason to skip Reading Day?”

Many student representatives expressed their concerns for problems that could result from canceling Reading Day.

“Obviously we understand that class needed to be pushed back by one week; however, continually changing [the schedule] is a little undesirable to [students],” said Student Association Speaker Rob Batey.

“Giving the students an ability to relax for one more day can make a difference in final scores. We do have the ability to go in as refreshed as possible. We’re getting rushed, we’ve had so much happen to us this semester.”

Student Association Senator Aaron Funfsinn said he was concerned for teaching assistants who use the day to help prepare students for finals and also foresees a scenario that students might still skip on Reading Day Friday.

“There is no optimal solution,” NIU President John Peters said. “If you have a Reading Day, you take the option away from the professor.”

Faculty members mostly voted for the cancelation of Reading Day, while students mostly voted to keep Reading Day.