The Proposal

Cambridge term currently starts on a Thursday and ends on a Wednesday, so that there are a few days either end of term when people are in college that fall outside term. By shifting the dates of term by just five days (starting term three days earlier and ending it two later) we can create a week in the middle where no work can be set and no scheduled teaching take place, without any changes to residency periods (i.e. no extra rent!)

Vote YES for student mental health and wellbeing!

By Week 5, we are all feeling burned out and in need of a break. A Reading Week would allow us to rest and recover from the intensity of Cambridge term and give us time to catch up if we've fallen behind.

Vote YES for extracurricular opportunities!

Cambridge has a lot to offer, but many of us struggle to get involved in all the events and societies we’d like to because we are too busy – even during evenings and weekends it can be hard to take time out. A Reading Week would provide the chance to socialise and make the most of Cambridge's extracurricular opportunities without any guilt or pressure to be working.

Vote YES for academic enrichment!

Cambridge is supposed to provide us with a world-class education but term moves so fast that there's little time to absorb what we're learning – by Week 5 many of us are so sleep deprived that everything goes in one ear and out the other! There’s also little opportunity to venture outside the set reading and pursue what sparks our interest. A Reading Week would give us the opportunity to consolidate what we've learnt in the first half of term and develop our own academic interests.

SOME READING WEEK MYTHS BUSTED:

“It will cost students more” – False! The proposed term dates for Reading Week won't change the residency period, meaning that students will be in Cambridge for the same amount of time & won't have to pay extra rent. 

“It will affect Saturday lectures” – False! The Reading Week would introduce 5 days with no scheduled teaching in the middle of term, and would have no impact on the rest of the term structure.

“Faculties will just give us more work” – False! The University has committed that the Reading Week will include no scheduled teaching and no new set work. There will be a system for students to report if we're being set extra work.

The Yes Campaign team in the referendum is led by Ben Dalitz, Tara Choudhury and Anna Ward

Official Campaign teams were decided by an open process in advance of the referendum, and the SU has promoted to opportunity to participate in both teams. Both campaign teams are given a budget (similar to an elections budget) to spend on promoting the referendum, and were given an opportunity to provide arguments for/against the referendum motion which are displayed above.