The university decided to remove spring break from the spring 2021 semester calendar to make the semester a week shorter, citing public health reasons and social responsibility, according to President Neal Smatresk in an official notice sent Wednesday evening.
A class schedule reflecting the changes will be released in October before class registration opens for enrollment. Instead of the typical weeklong break during March, there will be a no-class day on Friday, April 2, creating a three-day weekend.
The final class day for the semester will be April 22 and finals will conclude on May 1. Martin Luther King Jr. day will still be observed on Jan. 18.
Smatresk said the university’s motivation stems from reducing student activities that would risk exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
“Like the countless other universities across the country who have made similar changes in recent weeks, we believe this is in the best interest of overall public health and social responsibility,” Smatresk said in the notice.
The University of Alabama and Florida State University have also announced revised calendars today.
This story is developing.
Featured Image: The Hurley Administration Building stands at the end of the library mall on Sept. 28, 2020. The university has removed spring break from the spring 2021 calendar and opting for a three-day weekend instead. Image by John Anderson