With the fall semester at Stevenson University nearing completion, the spring semester academic calendar was recently announced, and some new adjustments were made that are different than previous semesters.

            The spring 2021 schedule will have similar start and end dates as the traditional spring semesters, but spring break and finals week will look quite different. Rather than a usual spring break, Stevenson has decided that, in order to minimize travel and associated health risks by traveling, spring break will be eliminated and instead distributed over the course of the semester. The university has strategically spaced these break days throughout the semester, so students will get a three-day weekend, three mid-week breaks, and a reading day to compensate for the loss of a full week off. 

      Cara DeSantis, a senior at Stevenson, said that “this semester was really overwhelming,” and that these new break days could really help students cope with stress and mental health issues. On the other hand, Cassandra Schreiber, a sophomore at Stevenson, likes the idea of the break days but said she would rather have “a couple of consecutive days [off], so we don’t have to worry about work.” There was also a concern over how effective these new break days would be because they’ll be placed mid-week, and that they could have the potential of “breaking up the flow of the work week,” according to DeSantis. 

            Nonetheless, the loss of a traditional spring break was disappointing to many students. Both DeSantis and Schreiber expressed concerns over not having a traditional extended spring break in order to decompress and relax. Particularly as a senior, DeSantis conveyed how she will miss spring break since it’s typically a time for students to celebrate having almost made it through four years of college; however, she understood the restrictions that COVID-19 poses for all involved.

Finals week will also look different next semester, as the dates for exams begin on a Saturday and end on a Thursday. 

For more information about the spring semester, go to the Stevenson University’s Important Academic Dates homepage or contact the Registrar’s office.