Memories of a 4/10 summer

Faculty/staff who have been profiled in News @ FIU’s FIYou share their memories of the summer that was as FIU resumes normal operating hours of 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Aug. 3.

By Martin Haro

From June 19-July 31, FIU operated on a modified 4/10 summer schedule, meaning university employees worked 10 hours a day Monday-Thursday and had Fridays off.

The initiative was established last summer to decrease the university’s expenses during summer months and help employees save money as gas prices rose.

As FIU resumes normal operating hours of 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 3, we asked faculty/staff who have been profiled in News @ FIU’s FIYou to share their memories of the summer that was.

What did you like best about the 4/10 summer schedule at FIU?

JoAnn Bova ’99, MPA ’02: I am not a fan of the 4/10 schedule and I will not miss it. However, the extra day did come in handy and allowed me to have lunch and catch up with former colleagues.

Mercedes Garces: I liked having time to run my errands and go to the doctor and relax. The days were too long, though. I much prefer a five-day week.

Matt Herzberger: I’m 50-50 about it. The long days were grueling, but the Friday off was enjoyable. I did nothing so it was perfect.

Diann Newman: I have mixed feelings about the four-day work week. One big benefit is that I was able to spend my day off with my mom. She’s 82 years old and in good health. I am so glad to have the time for us to enjoy each other. We went to movies, lunch, shopping, etc. It was so nice to have extra time! The only problem was that even though the university closed, the e-mails from students with advising requests come in seven days a week. However, I would say that overall, it’s a nice change and I enjoyed it.

Liz Borrell ’01: The best part of the 4/10 summer schedule was having a day off to run errands and get personal stuff done.

Casandra L. Roache: I was able to travel four weekends this summer. I went to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Indiana and Missouri. I’m not going to miss the long days – now I can get back to my regular exercise schedule – but it was an experience.