The University announced that it will delay the start of the spring semester by nine days and cancel Spring Break in an email sent to members of the Boston College community on Monday.
“While the course of the pandemic requires all of us to recognize that plans may change, our intention is to return for in-person instruction on campus beginning in late January and continuing through Commencement on May 24,” the email reads.
The announcement comes on the same day the Office of International Programs announced its cancellation of all spring study abroad programs.
The email, signed by Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead and Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, said that BC will push back the start of the spring semester from Jan. 19 to Jan. 28.
Although BC is canceling Spring Break, originally scheduled for March 1 through 5, the University will not hold classes on March 3 to provide a mid-week break.
The email also announced that Easter Break would be shortened. Classes will now be held until 4 p.m. on Holy Thursday, and they will resume on Easter Monday—while the University had originally scheduled no classes to be held on either of these dates. There will still be no classes on Good Friday, which falls on April 2.
The University’s decision on Patriot’s Day, which falls on April 19, is contingent on whether the Boston Marathon takes place that day. In the event that the marathon is postponed, classes will be held on that Monday.
Final exams will take place as scheduled between May 11 and May 18, the email said.
As was the case in the fall semester, BC will require all students, faculty, and staff to be tested for COVID-19 upon returning to class for the spring semester.
“Access to residence halls and other on-campus facilities and services will be tied to proof of COVID-19 testing, and students will be expected to quarantine in their rooms or off campus until their results are returned,” the email reads.
The email said that BC intends to continue its asymptomatic surveillance testing and contract tracing, quarantine, and isolation procedures next semester.
“We will offer additional updates as our plans for the spring semester are finalized between now and January,” the email reads. “The Boston College community has come together in remarkable ways thus far in 2020, and we look forward to working together for another safe and successful semester in early 2021.”
Featured Image by Colleen Aslami / For the Heights
