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Topic:  OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History

Topic:  OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
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OUcats82
General User



Member Since: 1/9/2005
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Post Count: 1,862

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  Message Not Read  OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/2/2017 4:44:15 PM 
Apologies in advance that this is a topic not of football nature, but since this is football season it will get the most eyeballs here. I was talking with a friend this weekend, sharing some college stories and thought of a question I have long had but had never come up with a satisfying answer for regarding Ohio University.

While a student at Ohio we were still on the quarter system and all four years we had a lengthy holiday break after the fall quarter, stretching from a few days before Thanksgiving until after New Year's Day (as I am sure many others on here did too). Explained this reality as a tour guide countless times and enjoyed the opportunity to make some extra cash working during the holiday season.

But why was the academic calendar arranged this way? I had heard some explanations, with one of it was to save on coal costs when the university was primarily directly heated this way.

I am sure within the vast knowledge base of Bobcat Attack I will finally get an accurate answer!

Ohio-The State University
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OhioCatFan
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,382

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/2/2017 7:39:58 PM 
OUcats82 wrote:
Apologies in advance that this is a topic not of football nature, but since this is football season it will get the most eyeballs here. I was talking with a friend this weekend, sharing some college stories and thought of a question I have long had but had never come up with a satisfying answer for regarding Ohio University.

While a student at Ohio we were still on the quarter system and all four years we had a lengthy holiday break after the fall quarter, stretching from a few days before Thanksgiving until after New Year's Day (as I am sure many others on here did too). Explained this reality as a tour guide countless times and enjoyed the opportunity to make some extra cash working during the holiday season.

But why was the academic calendar arranged this way? I had heard some explanations, with one of it was to save on coal costs when the university was primarily directly heated this way.

I am sure within the vast knowledge base of Bobcat Attack I will finally get an accurate answer!


The responsible party was the provost at the time, last name was Buckalew (sp?). The stated reason was to save money on heating costs in late November and early December. Since January and February are usually our coldest months, such savings were not all that great. It caused a lot of town-gown tension because it really cut into the Christmas shopping by students in mid-December before they went home; also impacted negatively the local shopping by faculty and staff. Once started it seemed to have a life of its own, and just continued on year after year, with the advantages you site, from a student perspective, often cited.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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MonroeClassmate
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Member Since: 8/31/2010
Post Count: 2,088

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/2/2017 9:09:24 PM 
I had recently graduated when the long break was instituted. As stated, it was to save on energy costs. But I wonder if football was a factor. Three or four games before your students get to campus probably caused some very poor attendance numbers!

I enjoyed the quarter schedule that didn't have the long break.

Getting to Athens the third week of September allowed for some awesome vacation time in one of the finest weather months of the year. I tramped around NYC for two weeks on two different Septembers back in the 70's.

Last Edited: 10/2/2017 9:10:17 PM by MonroeClassmate
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Andrew Ruck
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Member Since: 12/22/2004
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 5,018

Status: Online
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/3/2017 1:17:44 PM 
Saving on energy costs is a pretty dumb reason...but I loved it for the long break and the employment opportunities it created. The job possibilities for Thanksgiving to New years, in that period where retail reigned supreme, were endless. It also just made sense to me...why wait until September, then have a big thanksgiving break only to come back for a spattering of classes and exams before taking another break. Move the school year up and combine the breaks.

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

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DelBobcat
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Member Since: 8/26/2010
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Post Count: 1,135

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/3/2017 4:16:30 PM 
I unloaded planes at DHL during the winter break. Shift started at 9pm. Not fun haha.

But one nice thing is we were in Athens through May and into early June. It really made the fest season better, as they happened during warm weather. And the girls on South Beach were the cherry on top.

Last Edited: 10/3/2017 4:16:48 PM by DelBobcat

BA OHIO 2010, BS OHIO 2010, MA Delaware 2012
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mf279801
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Member Since: 8/6/2010
Location: Newark, DE
Post Count: 2,472

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  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/3/2017 5:33:35 PM 
DelBobcat wrote:
I unloaded planes at DHL during the winter break. Shift started at 9pm. Not fun haha.

But one nice thing is we were in Athens through May and into early June. It really made the fest season better, as they happened during warm weather. And the girls on South Beach were the cherry on top.


Yes. Late May and early June in Athens, that's a special time of year
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.
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Member Since: 2/3/2005
Post Count: 2,997

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  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/3/2017 10:07:53 PM 
Paying my way through college, it's likely I wouldn't have made it through school without those 6-8 weeks of work. I'd work two jobs to stockpile enough money to get through the rest of the school year.
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TWT
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Alexandria, VA
Post Count: 5,105

Status: Online
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/3/2017 10:15:35 PM 
Quarter system is harder when you are in the sciences where it can take a few weeks to adjust to the class and then bam you are faced with a tough mid term. I've heard from liberal arts majors they liked quarters because if they didn't like a class they can quickly be done with it.

Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
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2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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rpbobcat
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Member Since: 4/28/2006
Location: Rochelle Park, NJ
Post Count: 3,570

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/4/2017 6:30:28 AM 
mf279801 wrote:
DelBobcat wrote:
I unloaded planes at DHL during the winter break. Shift started at 9pm. Not fun haha.

But one nice thing is we were in Athens through May and into early June. It really made the fest season better, as they happened during warm weather. And the girls on South Beach were the cherry on top.


Yes. Late May and early June in Athens, that's a special time of year


Still remember girls playing volleyball in the street in front of GAM and going down to Strouds Run.
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ShoreCat
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Member Since: 3/10/2011
Location: Avon Lake, OH
Post Count: 212

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/4/2017 8:18:10 AM 
From a student perspective: Pros: Working at UPS every winter to make a lot of beer money; Strouds run in late May/June; volleyball between Gam/Tiffin. Cons: Having to buy books 3 times a year; getting a late start on Summer Employment.

From an athletic perspective, missing any basketball game in December during the Trent years wasn't fun. But I honestly have no idea how many games were even scheduled in December back then. Also, watching baseball games on a May afternoon and then going across the street to play 9 holes of really bad golf.
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mf279801
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Member Since: 8/6/2010
Location: Newark, DE
Post Count: 2,472

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  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/4/2017 9:02:53 AM 
Uncle Wes wrote:
Quarter system is harder when you are in the sciences where it can take a few weeks to adjust to the class and then bam you are faced with a tough mid term. I've heard from liberal arts majors they liked quarters because if they didn't like a class they can quickly be done with it.


Science major here (Biological Sciences), I LOVED quarters. I can't really say whether or not it made the class harder, but I don't really think it did. For one thing, most of our classes didn't do "A midterm", rather having 2 exams + the final (or in a few cases 3 non-comprehensive exams + 1 comprehensive final) was the norm. I did appreciate the flexibility of being able to take a quarter here or there of part of the course catalog that I wouldn't have taken if i'd had to commit a half a year to it (e.g. entomology, inorganic chemistry).
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BillyTheCat
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Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 10,038

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  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/4/2017 12:28:54 PM 
Before I was scholarshiped, I'd work construction in Cincinnati, 4-10', with an opportunity to work 6 or 7-10's. I could pay for my winter and almost spring semester in those 5-6 weeks.
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Only one OHIO
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Avon, OH
Post Count: 148

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: OT: Former Quarter System Holiday Break History
   Posted: 10/5/2017 12:12:54 PM 
mf279801 wrote:
Uncle Wes wrote:
Quarter system is harder when you are in the sciences where it can take a few weeks to adjust to the class and then bam you are faced with a tough mid term. I've heard from liberal arts majors they liked quarters because if they didn't like a class they can quickly be done with it.


Science major here (Biological Sciences), I LOVED quarters. I can't really say whether or not it made the class harder, but I don't really think it did. For one thing, most of our classes didn't do "A midterm", rather having 2 exams + the final (or in a few cases 3 non-comprehensive exams + 1 comprehensive final) was the norm. I did appreciate the flexibility of being able to take a quarter here or there of part of the course catalog that I wouldn't have taken if i'd had to commit a half a year to it (e.g. entomology, inorganic chemistry).


As an engineering major I loved quarters as well. There was no time to slack off (more of sprint than a marathon) but if you had a lousy class it was over quickly. I think we mostly had two exams and a final as well.

I also loved being in Athens until early June. Yes, I miss those spring quarter days at Stroud's or sitting on the the Frontier Room wall.
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