[BostonCard]

This article portrays the motivation as academic calendar related rather than any facilities or cost reasons.

Pure spin. Most offices and facilities close for the week and employees have to take vacation or unpaid furlough. And I'd guess that, far from being a student-initiated change, it was probably opposed by a number of students. My student budget certainly couldn't have borne a trip home at Thanksgiving, especially just three weeks or so before going home for Christmas.

I don't know about that now, a lot of things are changing.  I would imagine that for kids in the East Coast who did want to go home for Thanksgiving, it's a godsend, since they don't have to chose between taking a Wednesday night redeye and missing classes Wed.  Plus, traveling to the East Coast for four days makes no sense; but doing so for 9 (8 if you subtract a day of travel) makes some sense.  Also, it means not having to travel on the busiest day of the year (Wed before Thanksgiving).

Even for kids who live closer, there are some advantages; you can road trip anywhere in the West coast and avoid flying, for example.

I suspect the rationale is similar to my kids' school district giving the entire President's Day week off (it's called ski week).  Absenteeism was so high that week because of families going to Tahoe that the district stopped fighting it and just gave the whole week off.  I suspect a similar situation at Stanford for Thanksgiving.

BC

[BostonCard]

This article portrays the motivation as academic calendar related rather than any facilities or cost reasons.

Pure spin. Most offices and facilities close for the week and employees have to take vacation or unpaid furlough. And I'd guess that, far from being a student-initiated change, it was probably opposed by a number of students. My student budget certainly couldn't have borne a trip home at Thanksgiving, especially just three weeks or so before going home for Christmas.

I don't know about that now, a lot of things are changing.  I would imagine that for kids in the East Coast who did want to go home for Thanksgiving, it's a godsend, since they don't have to chose between taking a Wednesday night redeye and missing classes Wed.  Plus, traveling to the East Coast for four days makes no sense; but doing so for 9 (8 if you subtract a day of travel) makes some sense.  Also, it means not having to travel on the busiest day of the year (Wed before Thanksgiving).

Even for kids who live closer, there are some advantages; you can road trip anywhere in the West coast and avoid flying, for example.

I suspect the rationale is similar to my kids' school district giving the entire President's Day week off (it's called ski week).  Absenteeism was so high that week because of families going to Tahoe that the district stopped fighting it and just gave the whole week off.  I suspect a similar situation at Stanford for Thanksgiving.

BC