SMU Student Senate’s quest to get reading days added to the spring 2011 semester and 2011-12 academic year ended Tuesday, when Student Body President Jake Torres explained to senate that the academic calendar was already set in stone.

Torres met with the faculty senate committee in charge of the calendar that morning, as he is the student senate representative on the committee.

Torres said the committee was “very receptive” to senate’s request, although they could not change the upcoming calendar.

However, Torres said the committee did put two fall reading days and one spring reading day into the 2012-13 calendar.

“It’s better than what we have now,” Torres said when directing senators to encourage faculty senate members to approve the calendar. 

“Hopefully Faculty Senate will pass it,” he said.

If Faculty Senate does not approve the calendar, it will go back to the subcommittee.

Torres brought 553 signatures on a petition to the meeting with him in an attempt to get reading days back in the academic calendar. 

The petition was intended to show that the student body supports the inclusion of reading days in each semester.

Torres urged senators to get “as many students as you can” to sign the petition. 

The petition asked the subcommittee on the academic calendar of Faculty Senate, the Provost’s Office and the administration to “reinstate reading days for the benefit of the student body.”

Torres noted that many faculty senators were impressed with student senate’s passion about reading days, although they couldn’t fulfill their request.

Senate passed a resolution authored by Torres and Lyle senator Joe Gaasbeck two weeks ago that encouraged the university to add two reading days to the spring 2011 semester, as well as all future semesters.

The fall 2010 semester has one reading day scheduled. The spring 2011 semester has no reading days scheduled.

Reading days have been the subject of concern for SMU administration in recent years; officials worry that students will go out and drink instead of using them to study for final exams.

Senators argue that reading days are crucial for students who are taking challenging courses. 

They also say reading days ease pressure on teachers who often have multiple exams—including finals— to prepare and grade at the end of the year.