In any other year, Spring Break for college students involves road trips with friends, partying on the beach, or even a vacation to a tropical location. However, due to the current pandemic, many of these exciting plans will unfortunately be cancelled. To deter students from breaking social distancing orders and potentially spreading the virus, many colleges around the United States are eliminating Spring Break from their calendar for the new year. They hope that this will reduce students’ temptation to put themselves and others at risk.
One University that is implementing this new schedule is the University of Kentucky, who announced that their spring semester will extend from January 15th to May 15th, without a traditional break for Spring Break. Additionally, Baylor University has also told students that they are going to begin spring semester later than usual to give students 2 weeks to quarantine at home after holiday festivities. The University of Iowa is also following suit, and postponing spring semester and eliminating Spring Break from the schedule. After a semester of online learning, the university will have a later start than they previously announced to students.
Hopefully, cancelling Spring Break 2021 will prevent students from spending time in large groups and continuing traditional activities. Although it is unfortunate that many students will not be able to travel and socialize, as usual, everyone can find positives, despite the current circumstances. Whether it is spending more time with family or being more productive at home, we can all find ways to make the most of the circumstances we have been presented with.
