The University of Michigan is changing a policy that allows for classes to begin 10 minutes after their scheduled start.
The university announced that the "Michigan Time" policy will be phased out on May 1. The policy was put in place in the 1930s to allow for transfer time between classes on the more than 3,200-acre campus.
"The biggest thing is scheduling classes back-to-back — there is a huge advantage to that," said sophomore Mitchell Calvin. "If I had a class that went from 8:30 to 10, and another class that starts at 10 — if there is a 5-minute walk, usually you wouldn't be able to make it, but with Michigan Time you could."
Transfer time will now be shifted to the end of class periods, so classes that end on the hour will wrap up 10 minutes earlier.
Officials decided to move away from Michigan Time in order to be more consistent across the system's schools and colleges, said UM Provost Martin Philbert. The switch will allow the campus to be more in sync with off-campus activities, the university said.
The change likely won't make a big difference overall, said microbiology major Jack Vorwald.
"I'm someone who likes to stack all of their classes at once," Vorwald said. "If they're offering the 10 minutes afterward instead of before, for me, that's good enough. I just need time to travel from one class to another and not be late for a lecture."
