UW students to vote on the future of fall semester break

Referendum includes options to keep it the same, start a week late, or have an entire week off mid-term

A full-week fall break could be in the works at the University of Waterloo, pending a referendum and the university’s approval.

On Oct. 3 and 4, students across the campus will take part in a Federation of Students referendum to determine the future of the fall break at the school.

Currently, there is a pilot project in place that includes an extended Thanksgiving weekend — there is no class on the two days following the long weekend in an attempt to give students time to prepare for mid-terms.

Students will vote on three different options for the fall break, which all result in a total of 60 days of class instruction for the term.

Those options include:

Full-week fall break pilot

Under the plan for a full-week break, there would be no change to the total amount of instruction days. Orientation and classes would begin one day sooner, with classes starting on the Wednesday following Labour Day. There would also be a Sunday exam day added during the fall exam period.

The pilot project would last for three years, starting in 2019.

Continue with current fall break structure

Classes would begin the Thursday following Labour Day, with the two days off after Thanksgiving weekend remaining.

Eliminate fall break

Under the option to eliminate fall break altogether, classes would start the week after orientation week, meaning class starts about a week later.

According to Matthew Gerrits, the UW Federation of Students’ vice-president of education, about two-thirds of universities sampled have a full-week break in the fall semester.

UW has put a lot of focus on the mental health of its students in the past few years, as on-campus suicides and cries from students were brought to the forefront.

Gerrits said student mental health plays into the options for a fall break.

“I would say that it has something to do with it,” said Gerrits.

The successful option in the referendum will be forwarded to the university, which ultimately has the final say.

Matthew Grant, director of media relations at UW, said in an email that the school is open to hearing how the students feel about the future of the fall break, but commenting on a specific option would be premature prior to the referendum.