For the first time in SAIT’s 94-year history, students will enjoy a full reading week in mid-February, aligning the institution with others country-wide.
Travel brochures illustrate various vacation options students have when booking a trip for reading week. The first full reading week in SAIT's history runs from Feb. 15- 19 this year.
Previously, SAIT’s reading break consisted only of Family Day Monday and the previous Thursday and Friday.
This year, no classes are scheduled from Feb. 15 – Feb. 19, giving students two additional days off.
Gordon Nixon, vice president of academics, said SAIT was the only institution in Canada to have 16-week semesters. All other post-secondary schools are based on 15-week semesters.
“The winter semester is always the most stressful for students,” Nixon said.
“The decision made has a lot of benefits for our students.”
Whether students take the extra two days to study, prepare for exams or enjoy some rest and relaxation, it’s a time to recharge the batteries, Nixon said.
Sherry May, a business management student, welcomes the extra two days off.
“I am going to the Caribbean for the week,” May said.
“St. Kitts, and I’m leaving the Thursday before reading week starts.”
Nixon said committees were formed, and many meetings were held to reach the decision.
“It was not a knee-jerk reaction,” Nixon said.
Lee Haldeman, associate vice president of academic development, headed the committee in charge of examining all of the pertinent issues involved in making the decision.
“The credential framework has been a three and a half year journey,” Haldeman said.
“It was based on extensive research not only at SAIT, but provincially, nationally and internationally.”
Haldeman said SAITSA showed the strongest support for change.
They were “especially grateful,” Haldeman said.
Apprenticeship students are the only ones excluded from the week-long break. Alberta Industry Training (AIT) is in charge of setting apprenticeship students’ schedules.
In order to keep the year-round schedule uniform, the fall semester also had to be shortened.
Nixon said to attain the desired schedule, classes had to start after Labour Day, which benefits students from out of town.
He said students won’t have to start paying rent until September and those who work in the service industry have time to make some extra money.
“Labour Day weekend is good pay for a number of students,” Nixon said.
Ashley Kotek, an architectural technologies student, said she is looking forward to the additional time off.
“I think it will be a good time to catch up on homework,” Kotek said. “I may also go camping.”
Though reading week gives students a chance to catch up on their studies, instructors are required to work, unless time off has been previously requested.
SAIT’s schedule also had to cater to World Skills 2009.
The change is a permanent one and Haldeman said the new schedule is equivalent to losing only two days of classes per semester.
So far all feedback has been positive.
