Last week Saint Xavier University announced that this upcoming semester, Spring 2021, initially planned to start earlier. Now that we are starting a week later, however, there will be no spring break. This announcement comes as the statewide COVID-19 positivity rating rises.
Dr. Angela Durante, Interim Provost at Saint Xavier University said this about the decision, “Spring Break was removed from the Spring 2021 semester as a safety measure for our campus community. By starting the term a week later, we are providing additional time to quarantine if it is needed for people returning from the holiday break. Similarly, by eliminating the Spring Break, there will not be time to travel or leave campus for the week. This limits exposure and avoids the need to quarantine upon return. The semester will still finish on time.”
Durante continued by saying, “Our first concern is the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. Starting later and eliminating Spring Break provided an important opportunity for the University to address the further impact of the pandemic on our community.”
Currently, the university has no plans to make any other changes to the schedule for next semester at this time.
When asked about whether the university has a plan if the COVID-19 pandemic worsens between now and next semester, Durante mentioned, “The University follows the guidance of the CDC, the City of Chicago and the Illinois public health departments and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). Accordingly, we will take steps for the common good.”
Provost Durante ended with a comment for the students of SXU, “I think our students always show us that they are nimble and creative as they balance their lives as students with other parts of their lives. They adapted well to the changes in course formats, pivoting on little notice last spring to fully online courses. They adapted again this fall as we continue to deal with Covid-19, taking classes in any of the four formats and practicing social distancing on campus. As they plan for Spring 2021, I hope that our students will work with their academic advisors to make good course selections. They should sign up for the right courses for their majors or minors, ones that work for them, and help them to make progress toward graduation. I encourage everyone to make the most of the spring semester at Saint Xavier, enjoying their classes and each other – even when socially distanced or remote.”