The College Pulse

Today, thousands of fans are gathering at Kenan Stadium and around their television sets to watch Carolina football. But it's a Thursday! Weird, right? Weird, and also extremely inconvenient.

The University traditionally hosts football games on Saturdays, like every other college team in these United States. Apparently, fans and administrators have wanted to host a weeknight game for years and have been unable to work out a schedule. (I had no idea that while some worked tirelessly for noble goals such as lower tuition, safer campuses, or better quality academics, others were working just as tirelessly for Thursday night football.)

This year, to (almost) everyone's delight, the schedule aligned perfectly with UNC's Fall Break. It was decided to host a game tonight, the first night of break. The University didn't want to host a weeknight game while class was in session, so this seemed like a handy solution.

However, as often happens, this plan overlooks a key constituency: employees.

As anyone who has ever been to Chapel Hill can attest, traffic and parking are nightmares on any afternoon, much less during a sporting event. And the University, always concerned for their welfare of faculty and staff, decided to end the workday early, of course.

While anyone would normally welcome a few hours to play hooky, state personnel policies require that employees make up the hours. So, for the sake of a football game, every single employee at UNC must either take vacation time or make up those hours with other worktime. Every single employee.

Chancellor Thorp did kindly send an e-mail to all employees thanking them for "accommodating this adjustment."

Regardless of whether the logistics of a Thursday night game CAN be worked out, my question is whether they should be. Should we be forcing thousands of employees to take vacation time or change their schedules for the sake of a football game? At what point do we draw the line against the tyranny of the Athletic Association?

I'm completely aware that athletics on campus are a major source of revenue. However, I wonder what we really sacrifice for the sake of a few games. I was under the impression that UNC, like our other state universities, exists primarily for its educational and academic achievement. That academic part includes the work of our employees, not just the work of our students.

Let's draw the line somewhere, and we may as well start here. I don't see the pressing need for Thursday night football, especially at the expense of University employees. Fans already have Saturday, which was good enough for my family when I was growing up.