SA Representatives Raise Concerns Surrounding Final Exam Schedules and Dim Lighting in Mod Lot

The Student Assembly (SA) discussed final exam schedules, lighting in the Mod Lot, and community engagement at its meeting on Tuesday night.

Andreas Pantazakos, MCAS ’24, said certain classes at Boston College—unlike some other schools in Boston—have final exams scheduled on Saturdays.

“I won’t be here for my final for my Spanish class, and they made it really difficult for me to get out of it—really difficult,” Patazakos said. “I had to go through the department, I had to be on the phone for an hour with these people. It was really hard for me, and it was kind of ridiculous.”

Pantazakos then asked the SA why final exam schedules are inflexible even in the case of family conflicts.

“Number one, why do we have a final on a Saturday?” Pantazakos said. “Number two, why is it so difficult for me to make it up for family matters?” 

Julia Spagnola, UGBC vice president and MCAS ’23, said BC has one more study day than most schools, which may be why some finals are scheduled on Saturdays. 

“I think that’s something to ask, too—how study days are determined and then if that’s part of why there’s finals on Saturday,” Spagnola said.

Trent Liesching, SA representative and MCAS ’23, later brought up concerns about dim outdoor lighting in the Mod Lot.

“Especially during the winter months when it gets snowy or icy, it really is a safety hazard,” Liesching said.

Jonah Kotzen, Council for Students with Disabilities (CSD) policy coordinator and MCAS ’24, shared that the CSD had gone on a walk around campus with the BC Police Department last semester to assess accessibility and safety.

“They were curious about points that were dim lit on campus,” Kotzen said. “So I can bring that up to Lieutenant Postell when I meet with him next.”

Josh Golden, chair of the Community Relations Committee and MCAS ’25, mentioned potential plans to provide a table where students can place post-it notes with any ideas, grievances, and suggestions they might have for UGBC representatives.

“So I think through this we can sort of start to kick-start that process of people knowing who we are and us having more of a personal touch with them,” Golden said.

Kotzen also announced that he would be doing a UGBC Instagram takeover to share his experiences balancing UGBC with being a college student. He said he would answer questions submitted through the UGBC Instagram story.

“I think, too, that shows to anyone who’s potentially interested in running [for a position within UGBC] or is a freshman next year, anything like that—it shows them what this looks like a little bit, how this is integrated into a normal student schedule,” Spagnola said.