How did it come to be that UMBC develop a class schedule with a “free hour” in the middle of the day? —Donna Lewis ’87, English

In 1970, a group of UMBC students formed a Student Union to address what it called the “power structure” of the university, and provide an alternative to SGA as a source of direct action and advocacy. Its members submitted three requests to the Faculty Senate, including a proposal that UMBC establish a free and unscheduled hour for student assembly, organization, and advising.

In September 1970, Free Hour as we now know it began at UMBC, scheduled on each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. The Free Hour moved to noon in 2005.

Read more at http://magazine.umbc.edu/umbc-magazine-fall-2015/histories-and-mysteries/free-hour/