Students’ Union won’t push for fall reading week

By Chris Adams, May. 22, 2014 —

Though a majority of students who completed the Students’ Union survey favour establishing a fall reading week, the SU will not push for one. At least not this year.

The survey, conducted in the winter semester, shows students are indecisive about what days they would give up for a reading week in November.

“Approximately 60 per cent of students were interested in creating a fall reading week, but students were divided on how that should be accomplished,” SU vice-president student life Jonah Ardiel said. “We don’t want to advocate for any changes to the academic schedule that might only make around 25 per cent of the student population happy.”

The University of Calgary has a set number of instructional days during each semester. The summer break, block week or the final exam period would have to be shortened for a fall reading week to be possible.

The U of C’s longest break during the fall semester is the Remembrance Day weekend from November 8–11. A fall reading week would extend that break by three days.

The University of Saskatchewan recently approved a fall reading week for November 2014. The U of S plans to drop a day from their orientation week and a day from their final exam period to make it possible.

U of C Wellness Centre manager Debbie Bruckner said that an added break in the fall would help students balance their time, though she doesn’t see the university adopting a fall reading week any time soon.

“I don’t think there’s a clear solution to the fall [reading
break] right now because there’s too many potential losses. Whether it starts early and the impact on block week, or even the impact on res move in going later,” Brucknersaid. “It’s a tough one.”