The Grand Valley State University Student Senate is continuing to work on resolutions about student life as well as academic and university life, including one to establish a fall break at GVSU for the next school year.

Katie Carlson, vice president of educational affairs, has been working on this resolution with her committee for a few years now, and she said it is hoping to finish and pass the resolution.

“Almost every public institution in the state has a fall break besides us,” Carlson said.

The committee has been collaborating with Dean Fred Antczak of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to initiate the break. Carlson said Antczak has been enthusiastic about having a fall break, partially because he helped to implement one at the last university he worked at and knows the steps that senate has to take to get one at GVSU.

Having a fall break would not give students extra days off, but instead redistribute days off. The days for fall break would come from no longer getting the Tuesday after Labor Day off, as well as going a day into winter break to have final exams start Tuesday instead of Monday.
“It’s important for people to know that we wouldn’t be getting any extra days off with a fall break,” Carlson said.

Even so, when talked about it in the meeting, the senators all had positive things to say about a fall break and agreed that of other students they had talked to, students outside of senate seemed to be in favor of it as well.

Fall break would be implemented so that GVSU students have the Monday and Tuesday after midterms off. To help support the resolution, Carlson said the educational affairs committee would be talking to the counseling center to see when students needing counseling during the year peaks. It is also planning to get opinions of the resolution from students and faculty through a survey.

“It’s important for this semester because after Thanksgiving it won’t be as big of an issue anymore,” Carlson said. “Classes have to meet the same number of times throughout the semester, so with this resolution we would get two weeks of every single day off, not going to classes.”

Other events being planned include Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, President’s Ball and Battle of the Valleys, which is the week of Nov. 5-9.

For Battle of the Valleys, senate is still working on raising money for the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan. “Battle of the Valleys is coming up soon, so do what you can to be involved and go to your other organizations and promote it,” Student Senate President Jack Iott said to the other senators.

Senator Sarah Hay, who is helping to organize the fundraising efforts, said that during the Battle of the Valleys week, the senate will be selling shirts for $10 to benefit the foundation, and the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan is also donating its “Be Nice” shirts that will also be for sale to students.

“The money is going toward a really great cause, so we want to do all we can do to help them out,” Hay said.

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