Finals are always a stressful time of year for any student. Whether the finals are easy or hard, long or short, it’s always a pull-your-hair-out time during the semester where Red Bull or Full Throttle replaces your usual drink of choice, becoming a new — and highly unhealthy — component of your daily diet.

It’s a fact: Students are stressed out the week before finals, not only because they have a test that will be the deciding factor in whether they get an A or an E, but also because the supposed “Dead Week” — the week that is supposed to be paper, project and stress free — doesn’t really exist.

However, as early as the Fall 2009 semester, Dead Week just might be real. Student Government has taken a big step to help relieve some of the stress students face in the weeks leading up to finals by passing the Dead Week proposal, which will give students more time and energy to put into the project and exams that make up such a major portion of their grade.

The Dead Week proposal is a huge step in the right direction, allowing students to have a true week with no tests or projects due. With the recently passed proposal, there are to be no written exams or quizzes scheduled during the week before finals. Also, no projects, lab practicals, papers or presentations can be scheduled during Dead Week unless they are scheduled in the syllabus and the course has no final exam.

Basically, the proposal states professors are to have one or the other, but there will be no more big projects and finals exams at the same time.

Although the Dead Week proposal has been in the works for a while, and those students ironing their gowns and receiving their diplomas on May 9 wish this proposal had been passed sooner, SG took their time with this, making sure they covered every aspect of Dead Week and ensuring there would be no loopholes for professors to slip through.

SG and the University Senate listened to the concerns of students by passing a proposal that will help them balance studying with any extra assignments due during Dead Week.

“I think if everyone were to use the time to prepare for exams, (the Dead Week proposal) would be a real asset,” said physiology professor David Randall in a Tuesday Kernel article.

Now, the nail-biting, hair-pulling week before finals will be a little bit easier — not necessarily less stressful, though. Finals are hard, and that’s all you can say. But, now that Dead Week is real, hopefully students will take advantage of the extra time they have to prepare for the final exam that makes up 50 percent of their grade.