A new campus matrix will go into effect this fall, increasing the time between classes to 15 minutes, according to the academic senate.
The chair of the matrix committee, Dean Savage, motioned to adopt the new campus matrix in February after being voted on by the Academic Senate — 45 voting yes and two voting no. The new matrix will change the bell times of classes, allowing more time between them.
One of the contributing factors to the push for the new matrix was the addition of Queens Hall to the Queens College campus. Since the spring 2013 semester, students were able to take classes at Queens Hall; however, they must walk passed the track field in order to get there, which often made them late for other classes if they were back to back. The new matrix will give students a 15 minute break between back to back classes — five minutes longer than the old matrix.
Sarah Klarman, a senior, took a class in Queens Hall during the spring and had another class in Powdermaker Hall immediately afterward. “It was a nightmare to get there in less than 10 minutes,” Klarman said. She knows students who had to drop classes because of how difficult it was to be on time.
When the new matrix was first proposed, it had also included a new free hour on Thursdays, but it was removed before the motion passed due to its unpopularity within the academic senate. According to the minutes, the free hour would not have been mandatory.
Its unpopularity was rooted in the fact that it would conflict with some labs that could not be rescheduled for another time.
“I would’ve liked to see it pass,” John Andrejack, executive director of student development, said. “Another free hour would have increased time by a third and opened up more possibilities.”
Another free hour would have helped clubs organize events by giving them additional time slots, Andrejack explained.
