Looking at whether extending the fall study break is a step in the right direction
A new proposal drafted by university senior administration suggests a one-day extension to the current fall study break. Before being sent to the Senate for a final vote, the Board of Undergraduate Studies and the Board of Graduate Studies will gather to decide on the proposal on Jan. 25.
The proposal, which has received mixed reactions from various organizations on campus, offers the option for extending the break that students receive after the Thanksgiving long weekend from one day to two days, in exchange for moving the first day of classes from the Thursday after Labour Day to the Wednesday.
The CSA and members of the administration collaborated in early November 2017 to poll students on the issue. Further discussion took place at a Senate meeting later in the month before the current proposal was formulated.
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
Sean Mitchell, the engineering undergraduate representative in the Senate, as well as the student senate caucus representative with the CSA, has expressed displeasure with the proposal put forward by the administration.
“One of the biggest things that bothers me is that what was discussed in the deliberations hasn’t been really considered in this new proposal that they’ve put together,” Mitchell told The Ontarion.
Of the four original options included in the poll sent to students, none of the proposed actions — which included scheduling exams on Sundays or shortening the winter break — appeared to be taken into serious consideration.
According to Brenda Whiteside, associate vice president of student affairs, this is not the case. “I think the fact that we took options and came back with something that’s different suggests that we actually listen pretty hard to all the challenges and try to resolve all of them,” she explained.
Another point of contention regarding the current proposal is the effect that the possible change could have on Orientation Week, a crucial time during the school year according to all parties.
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
“What we have now is a situation where Orientation Week gets 90 to 95 per cent participation from new students,” says Robert Routledge, manager of the Student Transition Office at Student Life. “Our metrics on students having built relationships that they maintain, feeling of connection to the university, feeling academically prepared, are all higher than or comparable to national benchmarks.”
Routledge expressed concern about the possible negative impacts a shorter Orientation Week could have on incoming students. “We’re risking students feeling less prepared, having less friendships, less connections to the University, less people they know who they can go to for help,” he said. “I can’t definitively say that will happen, but that’s what we risk.”
The risk to marginalized students who belong to non-dominant identity groups such as non-white, LGBTQ+, and female students, for whom the school protects program time during Orientation Week, is an even greater concern for Routledge. “We’re worried about what the compression of the schedule might mean for their participation as they are our most at-risk population.”
The discussion surrounding an amendment to the current schedule of dates has focused on mental health issues and rising stress levels on university campuses. In the 2016-2017 school year, four University of Guelph students died due to suicide.There continues to be debate regarding how beneficial an extended fall break would be in improving the mental health of students.
[media-credit name=”Courtesy of U of G” align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
In a written statement to the Board of Undergraduate Studies and Board of Graduate Studies, the Advisory Committee for Student Wellness and Mental Health (ACSWMH) stated that they “do not support the proposal that adds an extra day to the fall break and reduces the orientation period by one day,” citing a lack of supporting evidence.
“ACSWMH supports a four day fall break (Thanksgiving weekend plus the Tuesday) with the stipulation that no midterm exams or significant assignments be due the remainder of the week.” Some students are skeptical of changing the current schedule of dates without sufficient information to support the decision.“I don’t feel there is enough data to justify adding one day to the fall study break at the expense of a full day of orientation activities for incoming student[s],” said a University of Guelph student who requested to remain anonymous.
“I think that an extended fall study break will do nothing for student stress levels,” said Jacob Reed, an engineering student in his fourth year. “I haven’t had a good Thanksgiving in three years because I study all the time on that weekend.”
If the proposal is approved by the Board of Undergraduate Studies, the Board of Graduate Studies, and the Senate, students can expect an extended fall study break in the 2018-2019 school year.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion