Some students say they’ve missed too many classes already, while others want longer break
By: Nathan Richison
This story has been updated on Oct. 18, 2022 after some additional reporting.
In the week leading up to the Fall Semester Break, some students felt there had been too much time off during the semester already.
“I honestly wish I didn’t have the day off… I wish I had a bit more class time with my instructors,” said Rosalie Polvorosa, a Business Administration student at Red River College Polytechnic.
Polvorosa said she thought there was too much time off recently and wishes the days off were a bit more spread out.
“Yeah, some students were not feeling good, because they were missing their classes,” said Manpreet Kaur, president of the Red River College Students’ Association.
These students are mostly those who have classes that only land on Mondays or Fridays, which are the days most impacted by long weekends, Kaur said.
“I’m going to lose two programming hours and for me, those hours are very important,” said Sebastian Yauri, a Business Information Technology student.
Yauri said he thinks there have been too many missed days as well, especially Mondays.
“RRC Polytech follows all statutory holidays as prescribed by the provincial and federal governments, which includes the National Day of Mourning on Sept. 19, 2022 a one-time event,” Laina Hughes, communications officer for the college, said in an email.
Kaur seconded this, saying it’s not something the students’ association can change. They follow the college, and the college follows the stat holidays, Kaur said.
These holidays, with the exception of the National Day of Mourning on Sept. 19, are incorporated into academic planning, meaning that the college adds days to the beginning or end of the term to offset any ‘missed’ school days, Lauren Parsons, a spokesperson for the college, said in an email.
Other post-secondary institutions like The University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba provide a whole week off during the fall term.
“I think I prefer a reading week. It’s nicer to have time to do some other things than schoolwork,” said Camilla Scneeberger, a Graphic Design student.
Schneeberger previously attended the University of Manitoba and said a full week off in November would be ideal.
The college currently provides a week-long break during Winter Term. Because of “the uniqueness of our programs and the certification requirements for apprentices and other disciplines,” the college doesn’t do the same during the Fall Semester, Hughes said in an email.
