The results from a survey intended to gauge student support for more time off for religious and cultural holidays and longer reading periods for finals are in ‘ and the responses may be surprising.

While students voted in support of time off for the Lunar New Year, the end of Ramadan and more time off before finals, a majority also voted against giving up any other breaks in order to make room for these new days off, a result that may keep the calendar from changing at all.

‘The state regulates the amount of hours that we have to be in class,’ said Matt Johnson, deputy to University President Lois B. DeFleur. ‘In order to give any other days off, we would have to cut into current breaks.’

‘The students that I spoke with seemed hesitant about this,’ he added.

The Student Association’s Academic Calendar Survey for 2010 to 2012 surveyed 1,214 students and was sent out to members of the administration in an e-mail at the end of February.

‘We were impressed with how many students participated,’ Johnson said.

Eric Katz, the chair of the SA’s Research and Planning Committee, was also struck by how many took the survey.

‘It was a very good sampling pool,’ Katz said, ‘1,214 is close to the 10 percent mark of the student body.’

Of the 1,214 students who completed the survey, 53 percent were in favor of having time off for the Lunar New Year; 41 percent voted for days off at the end of Ramadan; 51 percent were in favor of an extended fall break around Thanksgiving; 45 percent voted for an extended Spring Break; and 63 percent supported an extended reading period before finals.

Though students voted in favor for more time off, a majority chose the option ‘I would not support changing the calendar’ as an answer to the follow up questions. This was the last of five options in the questions that asked how students would prefer to make days up for the extra days that would be taken off. Other options included beginning the fall or spring semester earlier or ending them later.

There were only two holidays in which time off was not favored.

‘I was shocked at the overwhelming support against Veterans and President’s Day off,’ Katz said.

Of the students that voted, 47 percent were against having holiday time for Veterans Day in the fall semester and 46 percent also voted against time off for President’s Day in the spring.

‘The main thing I noticed [of the survey results] is how often students supported not changing the calendar,’ Johnson said.

‘I do not anticipate a change in the calendar,’ he added.

The final academic calendar is planned and approved by Binghamton University President Lois DeFleur and should be completed by the end of the semester.