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Dalhousie students will get a day off from classes starting in the fall.

Dalhousie students will get an extra day off from classes next fall.

The Dalhousie Senate has approved a 鈥淔all Study Day,鈥澛爐o take聽place this year on Friday, November 12. With a holiday on November 11, Remembrance Day, the extra day off provides for a four-day weekend in November.

But it's only for students. The university will remain open.

鈥淭he intention is to give students a chance to catch up,鈥� says Rob LeForte, vice president (education) for the Dalhousie Student Union. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the 鈥榩inch鈥� time of year鈥攕tudents are getting their midterms back and a lot of assignments are piling up 鈥� so this is a day to study or catch up if you need to.鈥�

The DSU brought the proposal for a fall study day to the Senate Committee on Academic Administration, which also saw merit in the idea.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exactly that, a chance for students to catch their breath,鈥� says Alan Shaver, vice president academic and provost. 鈥淭hat first term especially can be challenging for students who are new to the university experience having come from high school.鈥�

The day off from classes is in addition to Munro Day, a university-wide holiday scheduled for the first Friday in February, and winter study break, this year falling from February 22 to February 26.

The University of Ottawa has opted to schedule a full week off of classes in the fall of 2010, instead of just one day. Trent University in Peterborough has had a fall reading week鈥攐fficially 鈥淩esidential Reading and Laboratory Week鈥濃�� for many years.

Dr. Shaver says scheduling a full week off from classes in the fall聽would be聽more difficult to arrange while maintaining the full number of teaching days in the term.