Kent State will lose a week of winter break and add it to the summer to match the break styles of other semester universities and allow for more summer classes.

Last year there were 30 days of winter break compared with 23 this year. In 2008, winter break was even longer at 37 days.

“The length of our break was not typical with semester universities, it was more typical of quarter universities,” Provost Robert G. Frank said. “And as a consequence, we went much farther into the summer.”

Akron University follows a similar schedule. Their semester will end on Dec. 12 and start back up for spring on Jan. 10, the same day as Kent State.

The change doesn’t affect spending at Kent State because the semesters remain the same length, Frank said.

But the additional weeks to summer break allow the university to add more summer classes, including the addition of intercession classes. Frank said he believes this helps students to stay on track to graduate.

Students agree that a shorter winter break is a fair trade for more time off in the summer.

“I’d like to have longer summer breaks,” said Brittany Wallace, a senior fashion merchandising major. “I spend too much money on winter break.”

Wallace said she rents an apartment and stays in Kent during winter break, and that there is little for her to do when it’s cold out.

Freshman Ruby Miles, a fashion design major, said she also wants a longer summer break.

The shorter winter break does have its drawbacks, said history professor Kyriakos Nalmpantis.

“Personally, I want a longer winter break because I have family in Europe and it would be nice to visit them,” Nalmpantis said.

Professors’ grades are due to the university on Dec. 21, and he said that would leave him less than two weeks to travel to Europe and back. Nalmpantis said that’s not enough time to justify buying a ticket.

Some professors who teach summer courses, especially intercession courses prefer the longer summer break, Nalmpantis said. He does not teach those classes, but said he could understand why having the extra time in between those semesters would be preferable.

Contact Anna Staver at [email protected].