Goodbye common hour: schedule changes coming in fall 2026
Grace Turner, Staff Writer
Photo by Grace Turner
Common hour will no longer be held starting in the fall semester of the 2026-2027 school year.
The loss of common hour is due to a shift, elimanting the course slot that currently runs on Monday and Friday from 11:15 to 12:30. This slot will become a regular Monday, Wednesday, Friday course slot, running 50 minutes.
This schedule change is coming through Hunter Baker, provost and dean of the University Faculty at North Greenville University.
“This is as close to prime time for instruction as we can get,” said Baker.
One of reasons for the change is faculty interest.
Baker said, “I had faculty members asking me to do something about it because they didn’t like teaching Monday, Friday classes. They felt like it was too much space between those class meetings.”
One opposition to the loss of the common hour is that time slot has become a place for clubs and organizations to meet, however, Baker said this opposition was minimal.
He answered, “I just thought that the rationale for having class time then was stronger than club meetings and if you really want to meet, walk around this campus in the late afternoon. I mean there’s a lot of open space for meetings and people not holding classes.”
Payten Anderson, junior theatre education major, prefers the upcoming change.
She said, “having the hour and 15 minute class on the day that is supposed to have all 50 minute classes throws me off.”
For Anderson, knowing everything is going to look the same each day will help her with consistency in field placements. She will now be able to see the same kids each time and work on building relationships.
Anderson also acknowledges, however, why some students may be against the change.
“I can see people not liking losing common hour, because if they have their schedule built in such a way that they don’t get lunch every single day, then they at least know they have common hour to get lunch on Wednesdays,” said Anderson.
Junior English major, Grace Hopper, spoke to some of the downsides of this change.
She said, “I can see how there would be a benefit to it. Honestly, I’m a little bit sad because it was really nice to have that block of time on Wednesdays.”
Hopper likes having the time to do school or her personal Bible study.
