NKU adds two academic holidays to spring semester

Two additional academic holidays were added to the spring semester following feedback from the campus community, according to the COVID-19 Preparedness Team in a recent campus-wide email. 

The two days—Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Thursday, April 1—will be considered holidays for students and faculty. The university will still operate during business hours on these days. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spring break was replaced with a series of shorter breaks throughout the spring semester. The original schedule included three academic holidays, which led to backlash from students on social media. 

According to the email, “The COVID Preparedness Team reviewed alternatives and decided this schedule provides five days off for faculty and students while at the same time reduces the risk associated with typical spring break travel.”

The release also cited other universities, such as the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati, that have made schedules to replace spring break this academic year. 

The email also provided insight into finals week of the spring semester. This semester, all classes—regardless if they are held in-person, online or in a hybrid format—will administer final exams through an online format. 

However, the administration said that finals week in the spring semester plans to potentially have some finals administered on campus.

“Our schedule has the semester finishing on time, and spring finals will be in the same mode of delivery that the class is offered in,” Provost Sue Ott Rowlands said in the release. “As we all know, this could change based on the COVID-19 environment, and we will share the update with campus if that is the case.”

The full list of academic holidays to replace spring break is the following:

• Monday, February 15
• Tuesday, February 16
• Friday, March 12 
• Thursday, April 1
• Friday, April 2