‘The worst possible solution’: University of Utah students furious over major scheduling changes

Students are hammering the University of Utah’s administration over new plans to spread out class scheduling across more days and times each week — which has been billed partly as a way to improve parking congestion on campus.

The move means starting in January, more classes will be scheduled on Mondays and Fridays, for instance, instead of mostly in the middle of the week. It also means some classes will be offered earlier and later in the day, after an analysis found most courses were scheduled between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

U. Provost Mitzi Montoya had initially posted on her blog about the overhaul to scheduling in July, writing that “smarter scheduling supports student success, strengthens academic outcomes and helps us use our resources more wisely.”

But it didn’t gain much attention until the U. announced the changes on its social media accounts last week. Immediately, furious students flooded comments about the switch. On Instagram, more than 2,000 railed the decision.

“This is GENUINELY the worst possible solution you could have ever found for this problem,” one person wrote.

“Who does this benefit? Because it’s certainly not the students,” added another.

Late last week, students launched a petition that has quickly gained more than 6,000 signatures, calling on the U.’s leadership to not move forward with the changes and instead consider building more parking lots or garages. A small group of about 20 also protested Tuesday outside the library.

“I’m really disappointed,” said Grace Jones, a freshman who attended the protest. She commutes to the U. from Syracuse each day, leaving her house an hour and 30 minutes before her first class starts at 9:10 a.m. She then drives back to Davis County to work two part-time jobs as a lifeguard and physical therapy technician.

For commuters like Jones, and those who have jobs, many feel the scheduling changes will amplify the problem.

Montoya, who in her role is focused on creating efficiencies at the university, said the changes are meant to help with class-scheduling “bottlenecks.”

If students can’t take the classes they need to finish their degrees because those courses are offered at the same time, she wrote in her blog post, that can lead to graduation delays and more student debt. Currently, the U.’s four-year graduation rate is 34% and its six-year rate is 64%.

“No student should be held back because of inefficient course offerings or scheduling practices,” Montoya wrote.

The provost also spoke to The Salt Lake Tribune’s editorial board last week and said the plan’s benefits include more evenly distributed parking demand and a more efficient use of buildings and classrooms.

Building a new parking structure could also cost more than $10 million, she wrote in her blog — “resources that could otherwise support student success initiatives or hiring more faculty.” The U. later clarified on Sept. 8 that number was an error, saying it actually would cost $100 million without otherwise explaining the difference.

Is this a parking solution?

Those critical of the changes pointed to a figure that amounts to about half of Montoya’s erroneous July estimate: the $4.7 million the university collected from students and employees who bought parking passes — and tickets issued to violators — in fiscal 2024, according to the school’s annual financial report.

Students also argue it already ranges up to nearly $1,000 to get a campus parking permit. Yet Jones, from Syracuse, said she still circled the lots for 30 minutes on the first day of classes, looking for a spot.

Commuters like her feel stretching classes out over the day will keep them on campus longer — taking up limited parking spots as they do and exacerbating the problem.

“I’d bet my tuition that no one making this decision has ever tried parking on campus,” another student commented on Instagram. Another said: “This PR disaster will be studied someday in a 10 p.m. class.”

Some worried, too, about the safety of commuting later at night.

The U. has since said its unpopular Instagram post was “poorly framed” and parking isn’t the main reason for the scheduling changes. In an email to students who wrote to administrators with concerns, the U. said the aim is much larger: It’s about student success.

The university also posted a follow-up message on Instagram, saying, “Thank you for sharing your feedback and concerns with us. Class scheduling is a complicated issue.”

And, ultimately, the university noted that students still have control over which classes and times they sign up for — and will hopefully find more choices.

Students will be able to start looking at an updated course catalog later this month, with a smaller batch of about 180 spring classes affected out of the 3,500 offered. By fall 2026, about 70% of courses will be scheduled outside the “primetime” hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“We understand student life is busy and complex,” the email said. “You are pursuing a degree and scheduling classes around work, extracurricular activities, sports and family time.”

Meanwhile, the U. has been approved for a $160 million bond for additional parking; it’s currently waiting on its board of trustees to decide how that may materialize.

Students ask: What about jobs, child care?

Aside from parking, some students argue there’s a reason to slate classes for primetime hours: They’re the most convenient for people to be on campus, particularly those who have jobs or kids.

One commented on the petition: “I am a full-time student with a full-time job. 9 a.m to 5 p.m. classes on Tuesdays/Thursdays are how I am able to succeed with my education.”

Another added: “Offering more sections doesn’t help if they’re at times students can’t take. People build their schedules around jobs, child care and commutes.”

Eric Sheffer, a student who spoke at the protest, said he works as an intramural referee, a job that can go from 3 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. He doesn’t have the capacity to keep that position and take evening classes, and he needs the money to pay for tuition.

He’s concerned that lower-income students will be the most affected — as the most likely to be balancing school and work.

Montoya had said in her original blog post that she feels the changes will help students with “diverse needs,” such as jobs or families, or those who don’t perform best in morning classes.

“Working students, commuters and caregivers often need more flexibility to build a schedule that fits their lives,” she wrote. “When courses are concentrated in the same narrow time block, it disproportionately affects students managing the most outside responsibilities.”

But the students speaking out don’t agree.

Leo Abi Najm, a freshman, feels that the U. “doubled down and dismissed” students who pushed back and raised concerns.

At the protest Tuesday — where one person held a sign that read, “Commuter Services may take my Prius, but they will never take my freedom” — the small group asked to create a parking advisory committee, where students could offer input before the administration adopts changes.