Approaching the 10 year anniversary of its implementation in university scheduling, reading break continues to prove essential to student academic performance and mental wellbeing.
In 2017, the University of Calgary’s General Faculties Council (GFC) approved the official implementation of a fall break in the academic calendar, which was reflected in the following 2018-2019 school year according to the Chancellor Cuthbertson Student Success Centre webpage.
“Term breaks are critical aspects of how we support student wellbeing and good mental health. Students are encouraged to use the term breaks to support their wellbeing in ways that are aligned with their individual needs,” states the website.
Understanding Reading Week
This academic year, fall reading break is scheduled for Nov. 8 to Nov. 14, 2026, and winter reading break is scheduled for Feb. 14 to Feb. 20, 2027 as indicated by the Academic Calendar.
Dr. Alex Bierman is a professor in the Department of Sociology at UCalgary, studying stress from a sociological perspective.
“I study the fact that stress is not just an individual experience. Stress is also derived from social structure, especially from structures of inequality. People who are lower in power, privilege, and prestige in society tend to be exposed to more stressors,” Dr. Bierman told the Gauntlet.
Dr. Bierman explains the other half of the discussion is more complex, and pertains to the degree of which people are affected by stressors caused by the same structures of inequality, and if they have the ability or the resources to deal with them.
“First of all, reading week is absolutely essential because it is a structurally derived time for psychological recuperation, and reading week was really designed to be this time to give students a mental health respite, and so I think Reading Week is absolutely essential for students' mental health,” Dr. Bierman said. “I think professors should strive to avoid assigning any work over reading week, or during reading week.”
In terms of reading break stress and mental health recommendations, Dr. Bierman suggests sleep and management between work, family and academic life balance.
“Oftentimes, if we can manage that balance between work and family, between our school commitments and other commitments, I think that's often really important for dealing with our mental health. So I think it's always important that we need to have a balance,” shared Dr. Bierman. “Sleep is incredibly important for people's health. So if you can try to avoid costing your sleep with these other demands-be it work, be it family, be at school-I think it's absolutely essential for people's long-term well-being.”
The University of Calgary’s Chancellor Cuthbertson Student Success Centre website states the approved term breaks are designated weeks during the semester where standard classes and academic assessments are not scheduled
“These breaks are periods of time that are intended to be free of compulsory academic events and assessments for students and are aligned with our Campus Mental Health Strategy and our strategic areas of focus,” reads the term break resource.
UCalgary’s Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy (CMHWS) states it is a systems based holistic health promotion strategy utilizing campus community engagement and collaboration for its guiding principles and core components.
Mental health management and suicide prevention
The Government of Canada website reports that Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults from 15 to 34 years of age.
Additionally, the University of Calgary Suicide and Awarness reports suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth 15 to 24.
“Which is one of the reasons why we have suicide prevention trainings on post-secondary campuses,” reads the website.
Postsecondary studies mark a period of time that is incredibly uncertain. The website outlines how the age group that is comprised of adolescents and young adults are at higher risk due to factors like moving, navigating the job market, access to support and more.
UCalgary also shares that suicide rates in Alberta 11.7 per 100,000 are higher than the national average of 9.2 per 100,000 in 2022.
Introducing reading week
According to the Students Association of Mount Royal University (SAMRU), student government officials are responsible for the advocacy behind the fall reading breaks that were introduced in Calgary at Mount Royal University in 2017.
The SAMRU website reports that previously student advocacy in 2009 led by former REC VP Academic Erin Delamont pushed for and secured an extra “reading day” in November following Remembrance Day, to allow students to catch up on additional work, shortening their week further.
Later in 2013, the SAMRU previous VP Academic Tristan Smyth spoke to The Reflector, sharing how a full reading week would give students
a break and time to stay on top of studies.
Years later, additional advocacy, research with mental health and a trial reading break during the 2015-2016 year that received support from students would lead to the implementation the following academic year shared the SAMRU webpage.
In 2018, higher education centres such as the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta followed.
“Starting a wave where nearly all post-secondary institutions feature a week off in the Fall to provide time to catch up on studies, additional student resources, socialization, and arguably most importantly – sleep,” continues the SAMRU website.
A CBC article from 2016 reports that the University of Lethbridge Calgary Campus already had its first fall reading break on Nov. 7, 2016 and St. Mary's University added one to their schedule
for the following academic year.
Student life doesn’t have to be stressful
Dr. Bierman says reading breaks helps students manage stress indirectly.
“It's not so much that reading break directly gives people any sort of resources to cope with school-based stressors, whereas it gives individuals a respite and a chance to breathe,” Dr. Bierman told the Gauntlet. “And that's often important because when we have a great amount of pressure on us, we often don't have the time that we need to consider different options to creatively address the problems in our lives and I think that's where having that breathing space really comes into play.”
Additionally, Dr. Bierman also encouraged students to consider how they’re feeling in their overall lives in terms of indications of stress.
“I am a stress process researcher, which means that I don't believe that necessarily, empirical research backs this up that stress directly affects people's mental health,” shared Dr. Bierman.
Stress Process Research studies stress caused by inequalities in social structures exposing people to stressors and how it affects them and the resources people have to then handle the stress caused by the imbalances.
Empirical research is a scientific form of gathering research from observation and real world experience as opposed to relying on theory or opinion.
“So if people are experiencing stress in their academic studies, it's not so much that people will directly experience psychological distress, and we can have psychological distress under many different components.” stated Dr. Bierman.
Dr. Bierman added that distress can look like anger, anxiety, and or depression but noted it's important to remember it's not always necessary to talk about distress as clinical values of these outcomes.
“It doesn't have to be at the point where I need psychological help. People can still be affected and be feeling the burden of stress without, for example, needing a clinical intervention, [or] without needing to see a psychologist,” Dr. Bierman added.
Taking back control
Dr. Bierman also explains how individuals themselves decide how to approach stress and how having a sense of control over life is much more effective in addressing issues.
“There are definitely measures that people can take in their lives. One of the most important of these is what we refer to as perceived control or mastery,” said Dr. Bierman.
“We're motivated to address the problems rather than just avoid them. So, what I would encourage students to do, if they do think they're feeling stress from their academic studies or maybe from other parts of their lives, from their work stress, from their family stress, use reading week advantageously,”
Planning ahead, addressing potential stressors and academic strengths can reinforce control.
“Think about what you can do in your life to address these, and also accept the fact that sometimes we can't address everything in our lives, and that doesn't mean we're a bad or incapable person. Sometimes they're in our immovable objects,” continued Dr. Bierman. “Sometimes we can't change the deadline for a term paper, for example, and we just need to do the best we can to cope with those sorts of deadlines,”
Reading Week is official
The UCalgary fall term break in 2018 marked the first academic year in the university's history offering students a full week off from Sunday November 11th to the following Sunday November 18th as stated in the UCalgary Academic Calendar.
Previously, the university observed a pause in regularly scheduled academics during Remembrance Day on November 11th in conjunction with Canada’s statutory holiday scheduling.
However, since the 2017 General Faculties Council decision, Remembrance Day has been absorbed into a full term break for students during the fall semester.
Winter Semester breaks, or more informally known as “spring breaks,” have been offered usually in February, at least as far back as the 2003-2004 academic year according to available online documentation in the UCalgary Calendar Archives.
You’re not alone
As outlined by the provided sources, reading break provides a pause for students from academic stress and school obligations. The General Faculties Council highlights the importance of making the most of exam break stating;
“As the semester ramps up towards final exams, it can be easy to get swept up in the current of papers, projects, and readings. However, term breaks are an excellent time to do some forecasting for the rest of the semester – and beyond,” reads the GFC webpage.
The University of Calgary Suicide Awarness and Prevention webpage provides resources to students, staff, and the community recommending the following to those needing support.
• Student Wellness Services (MacEwan Student Centre 370, 403-210-9355)
• Assessment and Care (Student at Risk) Team
• Mental health and well-being consultant, Staff Wellness
• 9-8-8 Suicide Hotline
• Distress Centre Calgary Help Line: (403) 266-4357
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: +1 (877) 303-2642
• Hope for Wellness Help Line: +1 (855) 242-3310
• Sheldon Chumir Health Centre - Urgent Mental Health
• South Health Campus - Urgent Mental Health
