Thankfully, we don't have class on Friday.

I'm pretty sure I got this email because I have a parking spot behind BIF, which I pay for.  That lot is used for parking during football games.  So they are letting the parking patrons know of some inconvenience that will happen before the game with Nebraska.  Something similar happens when there are volleyball games scheduled at Huff Gym.  But the numbers who attend those are much lower than who attend football games.

It used to be that ALL college football games nationally were scheduled on Saturday.  You might be surprised to learn that when I was at Cornell, classes like ours met three different times per week (for 50 minutes per session) rather than twice a week like ours does now.  Most of my classes were MWF, but I did have a couple that had Saturday sessions.  Somehow they could accommodate that, even with a home football game - the football parking was separated from the Arts and Sciences Quad where I had my classes.

I try hard not to bring in outside political issues into our class.  That is disruptive in a way that I don't think is helpful.  But this is an inside issue.  The universities primary mission had already ceded Saturdays to football in fall, when we have have a home game.  In my opinion, that should suffice.  This alternative schedule with games on Friday night or Thursday night does not benefit the academic side of the house at all.  So, I for one think it is an error that we've gone down that path.  I am not personally inconvenienced by this as I am not typically on campus on Friday afternoons, but I still think it is wrong.