This semester, all members of the freshmen class are required to take Flex, a mandatory study hall, yet some students are beginning to wonder if it is actually helpful.  The initial purpose of a mandatory flex for freshmen was to assist in their transition to high school and help new students master time management.

Flex is supposed to be a distraction-free time to get work done, but many freshmen largely treat it as another free period. One freshman believes that “flex gives students [an] incentive to complete their work, but also takes away important freedoms that we were given upon entering high school.” The largest opponents of the flex period are the students who arguably need it most, those taking two math classes. The flex period takes away their one free period each day, giving them no time to themselves. They argue that free periods were one of the benefits they were promised in high school, and because they decided to take on a more difficult course load, they were denied this new freedom.

Other members of the class of 2021 echo this sentiment, saying that by being forced to do their work during flex, they are actually less likely to do work. Many freshmen admit that they get more work done in free periods than in flex periods, simply because they are more motivated when they can choose whether or not to work.

The faculty had previously discussed dissolving the mandatory flex period after the first semester if it was not effective. As of now, it seems like the class of 2021 has to wait until the second semester for the freedoms and free periods they were promised.