Spring Semester to Start Jan. 19

Posted on Oct. 8, 2020

UNC will start spring classes on Jan. 19 and forego spring break in anticipation of continued disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, planning instead for five break days incorporated into the calendar either individually or in clusters.

Though Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz has said he hopes students can return to campus for the spring semester, no decisions have been announced. Administrators are talking about a return with a reduction in the normal campus population and about changes in the virus testing and contact tracing protocol for those on campus, but they have not settled on details.

The Daily Tar Heel reported that Allan Blattner, executive director of campus housing, said in a Wednesday meeting that only single rooms would be offered in the spring and that the number that could be housed on campus would be about 3,900. Normal dorm capacity including Granville Towers is 9,500. Guskiewicz did not cover campus population in his announcement Thursday.

A delayed start until Jan. 19, he said, would provide “the maximum time between winter break and the start of classes. This allows the largest implementation window for planning for the semester.”

The last day of classes will be May 5; spring Commencement is scheduled for May 16.

Students have told faculty and administrators they fear a spring without the traditional week off because of the strains of dealing with the pandemic. “We have heard from many of you that we need to provide more breaks during the semester,” Guskiewicz said. “In addition, the schools and deans will make clear that these wellness days are intended as breaks from the semester — not for studying — so faculty will be instructed to avoid scheduling exams, quizzes and other major assignments on days following these breaks.”

He added that “many critical decisions remain. This includes how we may use campus-wide COVID-19 surveillance testing combined with expanded contact tracing, modes of instruction for spring courses, details about campus housing and plans for isolation and quarantine space, deadlines for spring registration and expectations and guidelines for on-campus and off-campus activities. We will share these additional details soon.”

Winter Commencement, normally held in December, has been postponed due to the ongoing health and safety concerns, and the University hopes to have the ceremony in the spring, which would include spring 2020 and winter 2020 graduates in addition to Carolina’s planned spring 2021 graduates.

---