The Wednesday before Thanksgiving isn't an official UF holiday, but some members of UF's Student Senate think it should be.
In its first meeting of the fall semester Tuesday, senators passed a resolution that will allow students to vote on making that Wednesday an official UF holiday during Student Government elections Oct. 7-8.
The logic behind the ballot referendum is that students can use that Wednesday as a travel day to get home in time for Thanksgiving.
Frank Bracco, former Chomp the Vote director, co-authored the resolution.
"They're not going to school that day anyway, and most professors have it off," Bracco said.
Senate President Kellie Dale voiced her support of the resolution as well.
"I think this is a great bipartisan thing we can all work on together and look forward to," Dale said.
While the senators passed the resolution unanimously, and it is expected to be popular among student voters, it is still unknown whether members of the Faculty Senate's Curriculum Committee, which makes UF's academic calendar, will be in favor of the travel day.
Steve Orlando, UF spokesman, said he doubted administration would be in favor of such a move.
However, Bracco said representatives from five departments in Tigert Hall that he met with seemed interested, as long as students showed significant interest.
"They all were very receptive to the idea," Bracco said.
Among those Bracco met with was Jeanna Mastrodicasa, assistant vice president for student affairs.
Mastrodicasa said she thinks the idea is worth a discussion, but she is unsure what faculty feedback will be to the idea.
One issue, she said, is making sure classes that meet on Wednesday aren't adversely affected by the decision.
"If we did get rid of a Wednesday, they'd have to make sure they have another teaching day," Mastrodicasa said.
And the change wouldn't happen overnight.
"The academic calendar is set pretty far in advance," Mastrodicasa said.
"We're talking certainly not this fall but somewhere down the road."
Bracco told senators that if approved by the administration, the travel day could be in place by 2013, although a change before that is possible.
UF wouldn't be the first school to give the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off, he said.
Seven of the 15 schools in the SEC currently have the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or the full week off, Bracco said.
The University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University and the University of South Carolina have no classes the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day, according to the resolution.
Auburn University, the University of Georgia and the University of Mississippi have no classes the entire week of Thanksgiving, according to the resolution.
