Central Michigan University announced its spring semester plans on Tuesday.
The semester start and end dates are as planned, beginning January 11 and ending May 7. The biggest change for students is they don't get to see their beloved spring break.
Executive Director of Communications for the university Heather Smith said students will still get those days off.
“Instead of a week long spring break, there will be five wellness days of no classes that will be added into the calendar and they'll kind of be sprinkled in throughout the semester,” Smith said. “Really what that does, it reduces widespread travel, yet it still provides those rest days for students.”
The first week of classes will be in an all online format before shifting to either in person, HyFlex or remaining online the following week.
Smith said it is very similar to how the Fall 2020 semester looked.
“After hearing from many students, their desire to be back on campus, CMU made the decision to offer in person learning as well as a variety of other options to participate in classes. All of that happened this fall and we’re seeing that it is very successful.”
Smith said the university’s goal is to keep the health of the entire campus community at the forefront of its decision.
A number of groups were involved in the decision making process, including students, faculty union leaders and the president’s cabinet.