MacEwan University will keep fall break after vote to remove it fails

MacEwan University administration will keep its week-long fall break, after turning down a proposal to remove it as a way to avoid scheduling final exams on Sundays. 

The faculty and students' associations stood united against the proposal, which was voted on during a general faculties council meeting Monday. Most of the voters were university executives and faculty, along with some student members.

The vote failed with 68 per cent of faculty members and students voting against it. 

In an earlier joint letter to the council, both associations urged voters to keep the break as is.

"We recognize that fall reading break significantly impacts student mental health and general wellness," the letter reads, in part.

"It is a crucial time for many students to do paid work, catch up on school work, take care of themselves and manage the affordability crisis impacting our community."

The letter indicated that the students' association conducted a survey, and that the results suggested an overwhelming majority of students wanted the fall break to remain. 

"The fall reading week is very important," third-year biology student Semoya Branford said Friday. 

The week before the break, students have "a lot of midterms, lots of projects that are due." Students have midterm exams the week after, as well, Branford said. 

"We use that [break] to disconnect or prep for the school work," Branford said. 

WATCH | Why MacEwan is looking at getting rid of its fall break: 

Why MacEwan University is proposing to discontinue a fall break

1 month ago

Duration 1:43

Students at MacEwan University are calling on executive leaders and faculty to vote to continue a fall break. Many say it is valuable for their mental health, breaking up a busy time for students. It's being pitched as a way to prevent final exams on Sundays.

The joint letter also said pitting Sunday exams against the break creates "a false dichotomy," suggesting they are "not guaranteed to disappear."  

"There are alternative solutions that could be explored to maintain a balance of student and faculty well-being, while ensuring there are enough instructional hours to meet program requirements," the letter says.

Darcy Hoogers, vice-president academic of the Students' Association of MacEwan University, claimed the university consulted minimally with students on the issue.

"That break allows a little bit of pressure to be released," Hoogers said Friday, adding that, without it, the pressure builds.

"That building pressure is overall detrimental to chances of student success."

Bob Graves, faculty association president, said the issue is fundamentally about scheduling, but the university's growth also complicates things.

Faculty are under a significant time pressure and need to make sure they have enough instructional hours, Graves said.

"I don't know that we're fundamentally opposed to the idea of Sunday, but that needs to be recognized as kind of an additional work commitment," he said.

Some faculty members have precarious tenure and "often have multiple gigs that they're trying to do," he said. Those staff members may have to take time off from their other jobs to ensure they can attend a Sunday exam.

In a statement Monday, a spokesperson with the university said, "after a thorough debate, the decision made by the academy today was clear. It is important for both faculty and students to have predictability going forward and this will allow for that."