Please allow students to miss classes for Drexel game on ESPN

By: Brett Fischer

Posted: 10/3/08

November 18, 2008 is supposed to be one of the biggest days in Drexel sports history.

No, we do not have a chance to beat the No. 1 team in the nation like we did when our men's lacrosse team upset Virginia in Charlottesville two years ago. No, we are not playing a game in the NCAA Tournament like Malik Rose and our men's basketball team did in 1996.

But the atmosphere of this upcoming game should be akin to those past games, and the hype surrounding Drexel students should surpass its predecessors.

The only problem is that students might not be able to attend - due to a fear of missing classes.

When the Drexel men's basketball team hosts Penn on ESPN, it won't be just another game. This is a statement game, but not necessarily for the basketball team. It's more of a chance for Drexel to showcase its pride, something that students often complain is lacking at this University.

Let's think about it. ESPN will be returning to the DAC for the first time since Drexel hosted the North Atlantic Conference championship game against Northeastern in the 1994-95 season. That's 14 years ago.

But unfortunately for students, Mark Greenberg, the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, is not cancelling classes for the game. This means students will be faced with a dilemma. Should they play hooky and attend the basketball game or should they play it safe, attend class and just watch the game on their Slingbox while trying to learn about quantum physics?

Now this issue is more complex than it might seem.

From a student's standpoint, it would make sense to cancel classes from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., but Greenberg makes a few counterpoints.

He said students are paying a lot of money to attend a private university, and to have classes canceled would mean that if he suspends class, a professor will have all of his students miss out on 5-10 percent of the material for that term.

Additionally, by not officially canceling classes, Greenberg said it gives teachers more flexibility to allow students to miss the class as long as they get the notes and make up the work. He also mentioned he wants the best interests of the students and he encourages professors to let students come to the game.

Classes are canceled during Convocation, a celebration at the beginning of the academic year to honor the three institutions that makeup Drexel University. Sure, a few students might think of this as a great occasion, but does this truly raise the spirit and pride of Drexel students? I think the concept of Convocation works, but in reality, very few students care. Regardless, classes are canceled so students can attend.

Why can't we put a specific focus on improving the morale of Drexel students instead of making everything so academic-oriented? Yes, the Penn Quakers might receive 500 to 1,000 tickets since it was originally supposed to be their home game, meaning there would only be 1,500-2,000 tickets available for a Drexel student population of over 20,000.

But by letting students have a free three hours from 9:30- 12:30, we can tailgate and have students not only fill the basketball stands in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, but also the surrounding areas directly outside.

Imagine what it would be like to have over 5,000 students crowded outside watching the Drexel game on ESPN HD on an 80-inch television. Maybe Princeton Review wouldn't rank us as one of the unhappiest campuses in the country.

This is a great opportunity to show Drexel students that this University does care about its students and it's important to have fun. Is there any better way to display that than by encouraging them to be a part of Drexel history?

I think the bottom line is that there should be leniency if students want to attend the basketball game or tailgate outside the DAC. Let's put students first and give them the benefit of a doubt.

I've already received a handful of emails and spoken to several individuals about this issue. Some students think it is the right move to not cancel classes because they might have graduate courses to take or an important engineering class they cannot miss. But most people feel this is a great way to build camaraderie at Drexel, that we students have a chance to show the entire country (at least those who are watching ESPN early in the morning) that we are Drexel Dragons.

We aren't just the school that happens to be next to Penn. We have our own history, our own campus and our own student pride.

Bruiser Flint says we should make this day a holiday. Greenberg says the decision should lie with the professors. But for a game of this magnitude, I think the decision should lie with the students.