Reading week update: Cambridge SU receive student mandate to change Cambridge term structure

The motion proposed by Cambridge SU Undergraduate President, Ben Margolis, to lobby for reforms to the Cambridge term structure was passed today (15/03) at an SU all-member’s meeting.

The meeting was attended by 215 students and the resolution passed with 83 per cent of votes, with 14 per cent against and only 3 per cent abstaining, giving Margolis a student mandate to push ahead with his proposed reforms.

The proposal outlines reforms to the term structure of Cambridge intended to ease the intensity of the academic burden on students while maintaining the 10-week lease structure that most Colleges keep. He exclusively spoke to the Tab to provide details on what these reforms would mean for students.

The proposal was passed with a 83 per cent majority

First presented to the Student Council on the 1^st of February, the proposal recommends the introduction of a reading week between Week 4 and Week 5, with a five-day Fresher’s Week taking place before the official start of term. This would mean that the academic term would be 9 weeks long instead of 8, with individual weeks beginning on a Monday, ending on a Friday and allowing for the introduction of a weekend.

Undergraduate President Ben Margolis said “Our data on why students tend to intermit include frequent mentions of academic work- this is not because of the rigour of the academic syllabus, but because the structure of the term leaves little room for those without capacity to work at the rate demanded by our short terms.

“I was elected on the promise that I would challenge the traditions of Cambridge education, and wouldn’t shy away from proposing comprehensive solutions to the problems that undergraduate students face.

“In the research that we have compiled as an SU, we found that relatively minor changes to the term structure for Lent and Michaelmas could see a monumental change in the quality of education and in student wellbeing.”

Some students feel the current term structure makes the Cambridge workload feel “barely manageable”

The SU website argues that the changes would result in a reduction of student loneliness throughout the University and allow students to embrace extra-curricular activities more fully. The Reading Week specifically is intended to allow students to explore further areas of academic interest and boost professional and study skills, as well as reducing academic pressure.

One amendment was proposed to the overall motion, seeking to keep the Thursday-Wednesday individual week structure due to concerns that students in subjects such as Natural Sciences would be unfairly excluded from the weekend socialising time due to their workload. The amendment was rejected by 65 per cent of voters, with 24 per cent voting in favour, and 10 per cent abstaining.

Cambridge SU will now lobby the General Board’s Education Committee, the Intercollegiate Committee, individual schools, and senior members of staff to reform the Cambridge term structure in line with their proposals. 

UG President Ben Margolis’ full proposal is outlined here.

Feature image credit: Ben Margolis

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