An immense waste of money

By Scott Tibbs, September 6, 2007

The IDS editorial board whines that it is an "injustice" for Indiana University to hold classes on Labor Day. After all, both Purdue University and IU's satellite campuses get the day off, so why shouldn't Bloomington students have the opportunity to rest on this holiday?

First, let me put the cost of missing Labor Day classes into perspective. If a student pays $5,000 per semester to go to IU, and a semester is 16 weeks long, each day of class is worth $62.50. If 30,000 students pay the same rate, the student body as a whole loses $1,875,000 in education by having classes not meet on Labor Day. We know, of course, that some students (such as out-of-state students) pay significantly more.

I fail to see how it is an "injustice" that IU students have to attend classes on Labor Day. Isn't the whole point of paying for a college education to absorb as much knowledge as possible? Would students feel the same way of their cable company or Internet Service Provider were to take Labor Day off in terms of providing the product that students have paid for?

Even jokingly referring to "civil disobedience" is insulting to the workers who have been exploited by their employers, both here in the United States and around the world. Civil disobedience to advance a cause such as ending racial discrimination, voting rights, or a major public policy concern is one thing. "Civil disobedience" in the name of getting another day off from classes is completely different.

Furthermore, skipping class can hardly be compared to civil disobedience. People have engaged in true civil disobedience for their causes throughout American history, sacrificing financially, risking jail time, and putting their physical well being and even their lives in danger to stand for what they believe in. It shows a serious lack of maturity for the IDS editorial board to place skipping class in the same category as true civil disobedience.

What these people need to do is stop whining and go to class.