University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

University of Alberta Students’ Union

Fall Term Reading Week Proposal
Virtually every North American post-secondary institution has some form of extended break
in the early part of the calendar year. In the United States it is commonly known as Spring
Break; in Canada it is generally referred to as Reading Week. Both drum up connotations of
ski or beach trips, largely due to the rite-of-passage mythology popular culture attributes to
these breaks. This is particularly unfortunate; at the University of Alberta, Reading Week was
established in the early 1970s as a response to stress-levels among students that steadily
increase from November through January, where they peak and level out. During one of the
highest-stress points in the year for students, most institutions, including the University of
Alberta, have a Winter Reading Week. It is regarded as a crucial respite for students to
unload stress and reflect on their learning objectives.1

In recent years, particularly the last decade, the Students’ Union has been responding to
more issues surrounding the mental health of individuals in the University of Alberta
community. With an increasingly competitive academic environment on an institutional,
national and even global level, additional financial stresses and increasing societal pressure
on post-secondary students and graduates, our community has been compelled to address
the mental condition of staff and students.

In recent years, the University of Alberta has taken some excellent proactive steps to address
issues of mental health:
o Development of the Helping Individuals at Risk program and the policies
and procedures that accompanied it have taken a bold step in
institutionalizing a system to recognize those who need help but cannot find
a way to reach out for support.
o Reacting to a steady increase in new patients, Student Counseling Services
has expanded its number of counselors in 2010 by five. This is particularly
notable in a year dominated by budget tightening in all departments.
o There has been an overall increase in the frequency and quality of
programming throughout campus intended on addressing mental health,
both from the University and from the Students’ Union.

In 2009, Student Counselling Services received more visits in November than in any other
month. Given the above initiatives and the concern that stress levels for students begin to
rise in the middle of the term, it stands to reason that a compelling, proactive initiative to
promote good mental health is a Reading Week in the Fall beyond the four-day break
introduced in 2000.

1
“Final Report of the Senate Task Force on Wellness,” University of Alberta Senate, July 2003,
p. 14.

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

This is an idea that has been developing at institutions across the country, and we are starting
to see support among students for the idea at the U of A. Given a mandate to explore the
idea in the most recent Students’ Union general election, the UASU has been researching,
consulting with the community, and developing a proposal for a possible Fall Reading Week.

The purpose of this process is to engage the community in a discussion about this initiative.
Discussion around it so far has helped shape the proposal so that it works best for, and
benefits, as many members of the community as possible.

Principles Behind the Proposal

This proposal was developed under the following principles:

o The current number of Fall instructional days, 63, will be maintained.
o Exams will not end any later than December 22nd, the last day current policy
allows.2
o The proposal will work within existing University policy as much as possible and
will be incorporated into our own policy.
o The current Calendar would be maintained as much as possible, including the
retention of study break days before exams.
o The Fall Reading Week will not be extended to programs and courses that are
exempt from the Winter Reading Week.3

These principles yielded a series of consequences:

o In order to maintain 63 instructional days and still conclude exams no later than
December 22nd, classes must begin earlier.
o In order to minimize the earlier start for staff and students, a Fall semester
reading break would be best suited to the shortest week in the term, the week of
the Remembrance Day holiday, where only three days would need to be
displaced.

2
In early consultation with several Associate Deans, it was agreed that moving exams back even
one day, ending on the 23rd, would be much too onerous for staff and students who are required to
travel over the Christmas break.
3
There are certain faculty-specific considerations that have not yet been formulated in this
proposal.

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

Following these principles and considering the aforementioned consequences, the following
proposal was developed:

The University of Alberta adopt a Fall semester reading break

concurrent with the existing Remembrance Day and Fall Break Day,
usually the second week of November, with classes beginning the
Wednesday before Labour Day rather than the Wednesday after.
The Students’ Union acknowledges that the Registrar retains the responsibility of creating
the academic calendar. Consequently, the SU has created the following projection of the
semester end and exam dates for the next ten years.

August December
Year Classes Start Classes End Exams Start Exams End*
2011-2012 31st 7th 9th 22nd
2012-2013 29th 5th 7th 20th
2013-2014 28th 4th 6th 19th
2014-2015 27th 3rd 5th 18th
2015-2016 26th 2nd 4th 17th
2016-2017 31st 7th 9th 22nd
2017-2018 30th 6th 8th 21st
2018-2019 29th 5th 7th 20th
2019-2020 28th 4th 6th 19th
*Note that, under this proposal, one instructional day is gained on the Tuesday following Labour Day. The
utilization of this day will be discussed further with the Registrar.

No proposal of the many discussed was without flaws. This proposal was no exception, but
of all the considered options, it best balances the needs of students, staff and the institution.

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Proposal

In the course of ongoing consultation, there has been general support for the concept of a
Fall Reading Week as many believe it would improve the teaching and learning environment
throughout the institution. The drawbacks of the proposal are largely logistical in nature, but
must be addressed with care.

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

Major Benefits of Proposal

o First and foremost, staff and students receive a needed break.
• This will be particularly valuable for first year and transfer students as well as
staff in the early days of their career.
 For all students, this is a time that should be used to reflect and catch
up for the coming exam period. Students new to the institution will
have an opportunity to regroup and assess their new academic
circumstances in addition to engaging their traditional and important
support figures such as parents, friends and former teachers.
o Professional development opportunities for staff
• This will be an ideal period to participate in professional development and, as
with the students, catch up on research, lesson plans, grant applications and
prepare for the coming exam season. If a Fall Reading Week were to be
implemented, the next conversation worth having should surround what kind
of professional development programming can be offered throughout the
institution.
o Academic and non-academic programming initiatives
• A week without classes would provide an opportunity to essentially “check
in” with students to ensure that they are achieving what they had aspired to
at the University, whether that be improved academic performance, an
understanding of career path, or involvement in a student group. This period
of reflection could be complemented with corresponding programming
initiatives such as academic advising, writing workshops, social events and
career fairs. The opportunities to maximize the potential of this week and
provide an advantage to our students are vast. Currently, York University
refers to their break as “Fall Co-Curricular Week”, and offers a variety of
services to enhance academic success. For more information, please visit:
www.yorku.ca/fcw.
o A redeveloped schedule will allow for relatively substantial improvements in the
Orientation program.
• A Fall Reading Week will allow the Orientation program to add a component
whereby they can engage in relatively rich one-on-one follow up with first-
year students and provide them more guidance and information on services
the University offers. As a volunteer-run program, Orientation cannot
develop this capacity without a break in which to run the program.
• Secondly, with students starting classes a week earlier, Orientation would be
able to operate while the University is actually open, allowing new students to
see a working University rather than a shuttered one. Currently, they are
required to operate the program on Labour Day, when the University is
largely or completely closed.
o Preliminary discussions with Residence Services have indicated that earlier move-in
dates have occurred in the past when necessary.

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

Issues With the Proposal

o Possible Reduced Preparation Time for Staff
• Admission processing deadlines in larger faculties are very tight as it is, with
some faculties processing admissions for students close to September.
Bumping up the start of classes may further interfere with what has been
relayed in consultation to be an already hectic process.
• It is still unclear as to exactly how this would affect the professoriate. With
classes starting earlier, there are concerns for grant applications with
September deadlines.
o Child care concerns for academic staff and students with young families
• The current starting date of the University allows students and academic staff
with young families to prepare their children for the new school year before
classes begin. Moving the starting date for Fall Term would have classes
begin earlier at the University than at elementary and secondary schools in
the area, though only by one or two days. For more information, see the
table below.
o Student Preparation Time
• A major issue for students with regards to starting at the end of August is
concern about losing time at their summer jobs, which are typically more
lucrative than jobs held in the school year.
• Beginning classes in August also raises issues for students who start their
housing lease terms on September 1st. However, NAIT has programs that
start in August, and in the past, early September starts dates for the
University have moved many students’ lease agreements to begin in late
August. Additionally, the Students’ Union is aware that many students either
begin their leases in May or live year-round in Edmonton, but there is no
available data to support this.

2010 fall starting dates for Edmonton Area schools are as follows:
School/ 2010 Start Date
School District
Grant MacEwan September 7th
NAIT (17-week program) August 29th
NAIT (16-week program) September 6th
Edmonton Public September 1st
Edmonton Catholic September 1st
St. Albert Catholic August 30th
St. Albert Protestant August 30th
Elk Island Public August 30th

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

Fall Reading Week Across North America

Public Universities in North America with a Fall Reading Week in 2010-2011

School Instr. Days Fall Start Date Classes End Exams End
U Montreal 63 Sept 1st Dec 7th Dec 22nd
U Ottawa 60 Sept 8th Dec 8th Dec 22nd
Trent 59 Sept 13th Dec 10th Dec 22nd
Moncton 58 Sept 7th Dec 6th Dec 21st
Laval 67 Aug 30th Dec 10th Dec 17th
York 60 Sept 13th Dec 10th Dec 23rd
Sherbrooke 63 Aug 30th Dec 10th Dec 23rd
Penn State 74 Aug 23rd Dec 10th Dec 17th
Virginia Tech 72 Aug 23rd Dec 8th Dec 16th
Berkeley 68 Aug 26th Dec 10th Dec 17th

For comparison, University of Alberta academic term dates in 2010-2011

U Alberta 63 Sept 8th Dec 8th Dec 22nd

Rationale:
o Institutions with Fall Reading Weeks typically cite a number of reasons for them, but
the most common justification is the same as that for Winter Reading Week: Give
students some time to adjust and de-stress at a mid-point in the term. In Ontario,
some schools found this particularly important when their enrollment substantially
increased due to the elimination of Grade 13. Schools such as the University of
Windsor see their Fall Reading Week as an important tool in improving retention
and student success rates. The goal there is to reach struggling students at this crucial
point – after midterms but before finals – and provide them with the necessary
support mechanisms to succeed. The pressure faced at this time can be alleviated
somewhat, thereby preventing students from abandoning their academic careers.
Satisfaction:
o The SU is in the process of acquiring further information on student satisfaction
with Fall Reading Week from the Canadian PSE institutions mentioned above. Trent
University informed us that a proposal to discontinue the Fall Reading Week briefly
arose this year was subsequently withdrawn due to overwhelming response from
students in favour of the week.

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

The Process Moving Forward

Currently, the UASU is in the stage of researching and gathering data, both qualitative and
quantitative. The stage following will include thorough discussion on the matter through the
GFC committee structure before the UASU will consider submitting it as an action item.
The immediate steps are as follows:

o Continued Consultation
• A Fall Reading Week is a major change to the Fall calendar and cannot be a
decision made in a vacuum. Over the last few months, the UASU has made
an effort to consult those who would be most affected for their thoughts and
their advice. This has included Associate Deans, GFC committee members,
senior administrators, Residence Services staff and offices of the Vice-
Provosts among others. For a more complete list, see the Outline of
Proposal. The scope of this consultation will continue to widen throughout
the University.
o Students’ Union Data Points
• Through this process the Students’ Union is seeking to get as much direct
student input as possible. To achieve this, the UASU has submitted this
proposal as a question in the annual SU Survey and will forward the question
as a non-binding plebiscite in the upcoming Students’ Union general election.
The results of this plebiscite combined with the analysis of the survey results
will be a major determinate in whether the UASU puts forward the proposal
as an action item. Please see Appendix 1 for the plebiscite question.
o Students’ Union Approval Route
• Jan 25: Students’ Council approves or denies plebiscite question
• Feb 28-Mar 8: SU General Election Campaign Period
• Mar 9&10: SU General Election Polling Days
o GFC Discussion Route:
• Jan 31: Vice Provosts’ Meeting
• Feb 1: Strategic Initiatives Group
• Feb 2: Deans’ Council
• Feb 7: GFC Executive
• Feb 9: Executive Planning Committee
• Feb 15: President’s Advisory Committee of Chairs
• Feb 17: Academic Standards Committee
• Mar 21: GFC

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

Discussion and consultation meetings are planned to continue after the SU election, as the
plebiscite is a non-binding poll that will function as a source of information on
student opinion. The Students’ Union will ensure that it has conducted a thorough and
comprehensive consultation process that reflects the diversity of our University prior to
bringing an action item to governance.

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University of Alberta Students’ Union Fall Term Reading Week Proposal

Appendix 1: Plebiscite Question

Do you support the Students’ Union pursuing the establishment of a Fall

Reading Week, subject to the following principles:

i. classes would begin on the Wednesday before Labour Day (the first
Monday of September);

ii. the Fall Reading Week would occur the same week as Remembrance Day
(November 11th);

iii. the number of instructional days in the Fall Semester would remain at
sixty-three (63); and

iv. the Fall Reading Week would not apply to certain faculties and programs
as per the current Winter Reading Week?