The facts: With the semester coming to a close, the next week of exams are prefaced with two reading days, creating a four-day weekend for students to prepare for their exams.

Our opinion: The current time for reading days, at the beginning of next week, is seen as nothing more than another Memorial Day weekend, rather than a chance to increase student studying potential.

The issue of reading days has been under much debate with Student Government, administrators and in calendar committee meetings. Some have suggested the termination of such pointless days prior to exams, arguing the weekend is sufficient time for studying. To fix this, administrators should reassess the effectiveness of these days and how to maximize their potential to help students.

We doubt most students use these days to their full potential because they’re so clumped together, making them seem like a mere vacation between classes and exams. After they’re over, the schedule remains stressful and overwhelming for students. This is especially true for students who have exams back-to-back, even with the ineffective policy of 24 hours between exams.  

To rectify this matter, spread the breaks throughout the weeks of exams — realign the reading days for the Wednesday of each week of exams. With the break in the middle of each week, rather than two days at the beginning of the exam period, students could have breaks for studying.

The weekends would serve as two days of studying for Monday and Tuesday exams and the Wednesday break would serve as study time for Thursday and Friday exams. Students could study on days they need to for their appropriate exams, but also could take a break in the middle of exams for mental relaxation.

Provost Warwick Arden, who is in charge of the academic calendar, as well as our representatives in Student Government, should advocate for these new reading days as a way to benefit students in their studying, rather than the four-day weekend we have now.

These days could also aid students with different studying habits. Some students work best with time to spread out their studying, rather than the usual late-night cramming session. With reading days in the middle of the weeks, these student are ensured time off from exams to study for the upcoming ones.

Students and faculty could benefit from this change because of the studying and relaxing potential these breaks could provide during the midst of chaotic exams. Students’ studying habits would benefit as well as would professors’, with time off from administering exams to either grade previous exams or to allow the same mental break. This has the potential not to just give students a break, but also to prepare for success on their exams—don’t just get rid of these days, utilize them.