U of T Mississauga will introduce a fall reading week for its undergraduate students in October 2016. The reading week will be held on the four days immediately following Thanksgiving Monday, and will be reassessed after two years.

“A fall reading week will be an important component of our students’ success,” said Professor Deep Saini, vice-president of U of T and principal of U of T Mississauga. “It will allow students extra time to focus on their academics, and spend time reading and better understanding course material. And it will also offer them a chance to relax, catch up with friends and family, and enjoy a much-welcomed mental health break, particularly for our first-year students transitioning to the university environment.”

In a recent survey of UTM undergraduate students, faculty and staff, a significant proportion of respondents from all three groups voted in favour of a fall reading week (approval ranging from 70-82 per cent). Survey comments ranged from “it’s a great opportunity for students to recharge” to “it would cut down on students’ anxiety” and “it would create symmetry between the fall and winter terms.”

Over the past year, UTM held three town halls at which the possibility of a fall reading week was extensively discussed. Many other Ontario and Canadian universities have introduced fall reading weeks in recent years. The majority of these are offered at the same time as the one at UTM.

UTM will still maintain 12 full weeks of classes in the fall and winter terms. Classes will begin after Labour Day. A fall reading week will mean a shortened study break at the end of the fall term between the last day of classes and the start of exams. The fall break will not affect the length of the December holiday break.

Information about the fall reading week can be found at this website along with the proposed schedules for future fall reading weeks.