Not surprisingly, activity for Wednesday of Thanksgiving week was down considerably in 1997. This, however, is a selective sub-sample and may not represent well the entire student population. The available indicators are not a definitive test of the impact of the 1997 Thanksgiving calendar change. A majority of students leave campus before Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. Travel requirements are not the primary reason that students leave early.
Personal preferences are a strong force in the decision to leave early.
Student presence and involvement on campus decreased after the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. Overall, library exits were fairly comparable from Fall 1996 to Fall 1997.