Editorial opinion: Dal should’ve ditched reading week

Every edition, the Dalhousie Gazette’s editorial board, made up of our entire editorial team, debates a question until we come to a consensus. That consensus editorial opinion is summed up here, giving our readers a peek behind the curtain into the minds of the people charged with bringing you the news. 

Dal dropped big news earlier this month for Toronto students holding their breath on Flair flights —- fall break will go ahead.

If your Google Sheets assignment tracker feels like it’s staring you in the face, you’re not alone. Three weeks of missed classes later, finishing these fall semester courses already feels like a tight squeeze — and November’s week-long break won’t ease the pressure.

With the final day of exams now scheduled for Dec. 21, students can only hope their layovers don’t get cancelled and that visions of study notes don’t dance in their heads — like sugar plums — at Christmas dinner.

Dal should’ve ditched reading week to get us out sooner. The way it’s looking, we’ll all just be doing school work over fall break anyway. 

What’s interesting is that fall break hasn’t always been a given at Dal. It was only introduced in 2016, and some graduate and professional programs don’t even recognize it. If some of Dal’s toughest programs can go without the break, undergrads can manage for one semester. Honestly, cancelling it would be doing us a favour considering the workload.

Professors are already trimming content, focusing solely on the nuts and bolts of their courses. Going ahead with reading week will only further limit course content.

But let’s be real, this isn’t just about reading week. Dal needs to save face, and it can’t handle another round of backlash. We’re only having a reading week because it’s less drama — moving it would’ve meant cancelled trips and wasted money on flights.

If hanging on to reading week is Dal’s attempt at a PR save, they should hire a new consultant, because the damage is already done.