Dear Faculty,
I know many of you will be preparing your spring syllabi over the winter break. As you are developing these, I wanted to make sure you are aware that Dayton will be in the path of a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. Classes will be in session on that date. It is estimated that this event will begin around 2 p.m. with totality occurring around 3:13 p.m.
There may be heavy traffic and a lot of visitors to the university for this historic event. This could pose a challenge for commuting students to attend classes that day. I ask that you plan your Spring 2024 course schedules accordingly to ensure students will not be penalized for missing class that day during impacted class time blocks. I suggest you not give any in-class exams or high-stakes assignments during that time.
Further, I encourage you to allow students to have an opportunity to view the eclipse. Special viewing stations will be available on campus. Regardless of what time you hold class that day, I encourage you to further engage your students by incorporating the eclipse event into your course materials and/or assignments, if possible, to do so.
Best,
Amy Thompson, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
