The University of Delaware is considering a change to the school’s spring break schedule to coincide with the breaks of other colleges in the area and thus deter St. Patrick’s Day parties at the university. The Newark university has become known as a "destination school" for St Patrick's Day partiers.

The potential change comes after Willem Golden, a 20-year-old freshman student from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, fell to his death from the roof of a fraternity house at an off-campus party in March, Phillymag.com reports.

While many universities hold their spring breaks during the week of St Patrick’s Day, the University of Delaware’s break typically starts after St. Patrick’s Day. This means that students are on campus during the holiday and students from other local colleges who are on break would go to UD for St Patrick’s Day parties and drinking during the holiday.

Provost Domenico Grasso, who is responsible for student life at the university, proposed the alteration in the schedule at a Faculty Senate meeting on April 4, reports The News Journal of Wilmington.

Grasso said he heard rumors that UD had become a a “destination school” for students from other schools who come to Newark to party during break.

“I’ve heard about this by word of mouth,” Grasso said, “so I want to see if it’s a true statement. If it is, what are the consequences? If there are serious consequences, how do we ameliorate them?”

Some faculty members objected to the proposal. 

Journalism professor Jesseka Kadylak said: “As a professor I don’t know that that makes a lot of sense because how it is currently, it is kind of in the middle of the semester. So, it is a good time before kids get too anxious.”

Robert Opila, a material sciences professor at UD and president of the Faculty Senate, agreed, saying that the change could have a negative effect of the students’ academics,  because they would have to go from St. Patrick’s Day to the end of the semester without a break.