Next August, UVM students will be able to enjoy one additional week of summer.Classes will not begin until the day after Labor Day, Sept. 2, this upcoming academic school year. According to Provost Gary Derr, there must be a certain number of weeks of class before the end of December each fall semester. Academic calendars are set years in advance, and the start of the fall semester usu?ally begins one week before the Labor Day holiday, stated Derr. This upcoming year, Labor Day occurs on Sept. 1, which is the earliest possible day. Because of this, classes will not begin until after August ends. “The last time this occurred was fall 2003, and that year we started after Labor Day,” said Derr. The consequences of this change include the endings of the fall and spring semesters nearly a week later than this year’s, on Dec. 11 and May 6. The falls of 2009 and 2010 will not see similar changes; classes will begin days before Labor Day. There are mixed emotions among students regarding this alteration of the normal calendar for next year. “I think it’s pretty cool because it means I can work longer into the summer,” freshman Casey Russell said. “And you can’t complain about a longer summer.” On the contrary, some think it is more a hindrance. “If finals end later, there is more of a chance for there to be snow on the ground by the naked bike ride. This will definitely affect the number of participants,” sophomore Terra-Nova Sadowski said.