DON’T TAKE OUR BREAK

I am a student at MacEwan University, and I am writing to you to oppose the possibility of Fall Reading Week being removed from the academic calendar.

Fall Reading Week is an essential break for students, who struggle to balance academic work, mental health, affordability, and other unique challenges throughout the semester. Students rely on the break both to catch up on our studies and to take care of our already overburdened mental health. The affordability crisis is increasingly impacting students’ lives, and Fall Reading Week offers students an opportunity to do paid work, or to escape from the ever increasing pressures of student life. We can not succeed academically if our mental and physical health is deprioritized, and the removal of Fall Reading Week will do just that.

The adoption of Fall Reading Week was the result of extensive student advocacy at MacEwan. At the time of implementation, MacEwan was the last of Alberta’s major universities to adopt the break. When students advocate on behalf of their mental health and wellness, we expect to be heard and supported by the University. Students have not been meaningfully included in the consultation process on this issue, and we expect that the decision be paused until students are offered a voice in the discussion. Student wellness is central to the success of MacEwan University, and this change will endanger students and the University.

I urge you to vote against the removal of Fall Reading Week, and pause the decision until there has been meaningful student consultation and until all other options have been thoroughly considered.