Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) elections came and went, with candidates promising new ideas for Carleton, but one generated a lot of excitement among students: the option of having a fall reading week.
While the idea of a week-long break in the fall sounds appealing, it is best if you read between the lines and see the consequences of having a break in the middle of the fall semester.
Even though this sounds promising and we all could use the extra rest, the inconveniences may outweigh the benefits. Students should be prepared to give up a lot. Looking back at the past reading weeks at Carleton, it has become all about travelling to the hotspots such as Mexico or Cuba and relaxing rather than sitting down and catching up on work for an entire week. The majority of students do not use reading week to actually do school work and if Carleton does get a fall reading week, why would the student body do an about face and change?
More than likely students are going to buck the trend and relax while the work that was supposed to be done remains unfinished.
Further, sacrifices will need to be made since there has to be a certain number of scheduled class days. For example, if school has to start earlier in September, students may miss out on Frosh Week activities.
Exams may have to be compressed into a shorter period or extended later into December cutting out some of the winter break. These consequences will also affect the faculty and TAs who would have to stick around later in December.
Finally, the fall reading week may not apply to all faculties – this is the case at University of Ottawa – but this detail hasn’t been promoted.
So before getting all excited for a fall reading week, look into what the consequences of having one would be before you decide to support it or not. q