Welcome back from reading week UNB Saint John! From all of us here at the Baron, we sincerely hope you enjoyed some time to rest. 

As you may or may not know, UNB launched a survey in October about the timing of reading week, seeking the opinions of the UNB community (students, staff, and faculty) on if the current positions of both reading weeks are effective. The survey is no longer accepting responses, but it will be interesting to see if there will be any changes in the future over the timing of reading week. 

As per the academic calendar, reading weeks occur the week of Remembrance Day during the fall semester, and the week of the first Monday of March during the winter semester.  

Since the fall reading week just passed, the Baron thought it would be useful to connect with students on campus, gauge their opinions, and see what our student body thinks about the timing of this break. 

The general sentiment on campus is that the timing of our fall reading break is too late in the term. Looking at other universities in the Maritimes, we see breaks as early as the week of Thanksgiving, but none later than the week of Remembrance Day.  

Two students, who requested they remain anonymous, both expressed that they would like to see reading week on the same week as Thanksgiving.  

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A few other students all voiced that they would prefer reading week to be the first week of November.  

One fourth-year nursing student said: “doing ten weeks of school before a break is a long stretch. I was ready for a break [the week before reading week].” 

A fourth-year arts student expressed how hectic the semester feels after reading week, considering how little time there is before the semester wraps up: “by the time reading week ends, the rest of the semester feels rushed and like there’s no time to get everything done.” 

A different fourth-year arts student noted the frustration students are experiencing with the current setup of the fall term reading week: “I think that reading week should be the first week in November because by that point in the semester everyone is burnt out and in desperate need of a break. Also, with the current reading week being in the second week of November, when we get back, we have piles of final projects, midterms, and essays due because our professors schedule them all at the same time. They only have 4 weeks after reading week and they all make everything due then. The current schedule is not balanced. Either move reading week or spread our due dates out more because students are sick and tired of suffering from UNB’s lack of planning and poor judgement.” 

Though there seems to be a general consensus on campus that the reading week is too late in the semester, a couple other students voiced that they were content with the placement of reading week and did not think a change was necessary.  

One arts student was particularly happy with how little time was left after the break: “I guess yeah, it’s kind of late. I like it though. No matter when reading week is, the end of the semester is still going to be busy. I think the less time between reading week and winter break, the better.” 

Overall, the majority of students who spoke with the Baron seem to favour a reading week at least one week before the present placement. With UNB’s survey having made the rounds in October, it will certainly be exciting to see if there is any change made to future academic calendars.