Starting the summer semester of 2023, all of Salt Lake Community College’s physical locations will be closed on Fridays, with the exception of the South City Child Care Center.
The change, which will only affect the summer, was announced in an email the college sent out to employees on Nov. 10. Friday closures applies to both students and employees, requiring full-time employees to spread a 40-hour work week over four days or work remotely on Fridays. A decision of which option is enacted falls on agreement between an employee or team and their supervisor.
The email cited slow operations on summer Fridays for the change, as well as the prospect of increased morale for employees, implementation of “efficiency protocols” to reduce energy and water usage, and maintenance that doesn’t impact college operations.
“We wanted to make this announcement as early as possible so that our employees and departments can make plans now and think through the impacts,” the email concluded.
Some employees, like Jennifer Saunders, dean of the School of Applied Technology and Technical Specialties, are on board with the idea.
“It is reasonable to consider exploring different hours of operation in the summer,” Saunders said. “Based on the reports I have seen, degree programs will experience little to no scheduling or delivery impact. Nothing will need to be rearranged or rescheduled.”
However, not everyone agrees with the shift.
“I feel that the limiting of student access to resources does not outweigh the potential benefits,” said Angela Belnap, interim associate dean for the School of Health Sciences in the division of allied health. “This is specifically true of facilities that cannot be replicated in the home.”
Belnap points to reliable internet, medical simulation labs, study spaces, and quiet rooms as examples. She also said the schedule change could potentially affect students’ job schedules.
Like Belnap, SLCC student Jaden Stringham expressed disagreement with Friday closures.
“I think it’s the student body’s benefit for the campuses to be open,” Stringham said, “especially considering SLCC is a school that has many underprivileged students. To be able to help those types of people … seems more important to me than any benefit from closing the campus down.”
The email that announced the schedule change said the college will survey full-time employees and students at the end of the summer semester to gather feedback and “gauge the success of the pilot.”
