It’s time to dispel the rumors: classes weren’t held on Ash Wednesday as punishment for the university’s retention rate.

The real reason, as it turns out, had nothing to do with Hurricane Gustav, imitating other colleges or even Mardi Gras itself. Mardi Gras break was cut down so that Loyola could book the Superdome for graduation.

After Hurricane Katrina, the choices for a graduation site became limited. On-campus options for a graduation site, such as the Horseshoe or the University Sports Complex, were insufficient due to a lack of weather protection or space.

“A decision was made not to have it on campus. Looking at what was available post-Katrina, the only thing that was large enough was the Dome. Then, we had to get in line behind Tulane because they had already been having their graduations there, so they had first priority of what weekend they chose, and we had to go opposite them,” said Michael Rachal, director of Student Records and Administrative Services.

This meant that Loyola would have to hold its graduation the weekend prior to Tulane’s graduation. As a result, school days needed to be added in order to end the semester earlier.

“There is a recommendation by our professional society that suggests 700 minutes per credit hour. For a three-credit hour course, you should have 2,100 minutes of class time. When I’m constructing the calendar, that’s what I have in mind,” Rachal said.

Rachal created the base for this school year’s calendar in 2007. It was then finalized by the Administrative Council, which seats representatives from each office on campus.

The current calendar will be maintained for several more years, he added.

“We’re locked in for the next two years without Ash Wednesday because the money has already been put down to tie up the dates for the Dome,” he said.

While Rachal is currently working with SGA to create alternatives to the current calendar, he does not want to take away from student learning opportunities.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy decision on my point to structure it that way. But my goal is to give the student their money’s worth,” he said. “I feel that way about the 2,100 minutes. You paid for that and you should get that.”

Masako Hirsch can be reached at [email protected].