Student Senate looked at a new resolution Tuesday that encouraged the SMU administration not to mandate Friday classes as specified in the President’s Task Force on Substance Abuse report.

The bill, written by Student Body Vice President Bethany Peters and Cox Senator Andrew Tuttle, seeks to show that putting certain classes, such as ACCT 2311 and 2312, on a Wednesday-Friday schedule is not in the university’s best interests. Senate will vote on the resolution next Tuesday.

According to the resolution, “Many students who do not schedule classes on Friday do so to have the opportunity to work a full day either on school projects, with an internship or a paid job for career or financial purposes.”

The task force recommended in its report that every college and school hold classes on Friday in an effort to curb partying on Thursday nights and to encourage academic rigor.

“A five-day schedule tells students that faculty members expect students to devote five days to their academic pursuits,” the report states. “In particular, it conveys that Thursday night should be used for study and that students should be prepared to attend classes the next morning.”

Peters and Tuttle suggest in their resolution that classes meeting only two days a week should be offered on both a Monday-Wednesday schedule and a Wednesday-Friday schedule. They say in the resolution that “Friday morning classes will not prevent Thursday night activity but instead could increase absences or result in poor performance,” noting that the choice to go out on Thursday is independent of whether or not the student has a Friday class.

A full version of the resolution is available on Student Senate’s Web site.