U of L -- Credit to U of L

By Connor Gunn

U of L extending holiday break for students

Dec 3, 2020 | 11:44 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB– The University of Lethbridge is extending its holiday break and pushing back the start of Spring 2021 semester classes.

U of L staff says they are doing so to address student mental health concerns and enhance public health and safety following the holiday season.

Spring 2021 semester classes will start on Saturday, January 9, 2021, from its previously scheduled start of January 6.

The university says the move will give students much-needed additional time with family and friends over the holiday period.

“We really felt this was a necessary adjustment we could make to help our students,” says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon.

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“Like many of us, some of our students have experienced considerable stress as they work toward their academic goals throughout the pandemic. This move gives them a little extra time to decompress over the break, to spend some safe, quality time with their support systems, and get a leg up heading into the spring semester.”

The start of the final exam period will be moved one day later to April 16, 2021, and conclude on April 23, 2021.

Spring convocation will run as scheduled on June 3-4, 2021.

“We succeed when our students succeed and we see this as an opportunity to enhance their opportunity for success in the spring and beyond,” adds Mahon.

“All the while, we are very aware that as students go home, they may be in contact with others throughout the holiday season, including New Year’s Eve. With more in-person classes being offered in the spring, this proposal allows for more time to elapse between New Year’s and the start of in-person classes to reduce the risk of transmission among faculty and students on campus. The safety of our campus community and southern Alberta as a whole is still foremost in our decision-making.”

Additional measures will be implemented to support a healthy workplace for employees at the U of L.

Employees will return to work on January 4, 2021.