Spring Semester Date Changes
| by Jeff Cason and AJ Place
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
We are writing with some important updates and changes to the College calendar for the spring semester and in-person winter research.
Since we began living with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned how important it is to be flexible during this uncertain time, while also responding to health and safety guidelines and providing the best possible experience for our students.
After our October 8 announcement of new winter and spring semester start dates, we heard from many of you with concerns about a need for breaks during the semester, and about a desire for earlier start dates.
Therefore, after careful consideration and attention to the state of Vermont guidelines, we have decided to change the start date of the spring semester from March 1 to February 24. Dates for students who receive approval to return for research also will be adjusted. The dates for winter term (J-Term) will remain the same.
Although Vermont state guidelines will not allow us to schedule a full week for spring break, these changes will allow us to get an earlier start to the semester and to provide some scheduled days off for our students and faculty. Recognizing that conditions may change, we stand ready to make any adjustments that are needed in response to the progression of the pandemic, winter weather, and travel restrictions.
Here are the winter and spring semester schedules:
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Key Dates |
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January 2 |
Pre-arrival quarantine begins for approved winter-term research students. |
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January 16 |
Winter-term research students arrive on campus. |
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January 19 |
Remote winter term begins. |
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February 7 and 8 |
Pre-arrival quarantine begins for all students, living on or off-campus and enrolled for in-person study. |
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February 12 |
Remote winter term ends. |
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February 21 and 22 |
All students studying in-person, whether living on or off-campus, report to the campus testing center for Day 0 testing. On-campus students may move into their rooms after testing. |
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February 24 |
Spring semester begins remotely for all students. In-person classes may convene after the completion of Day 7 testing. |
We will announce more details about the spring semester schedule, including days off, and additional activities and opportunities for community connection in upcoming weeks, but we wanted to let you know, for planning and travel purposes, that we’ve made these changes. You can find this and other College announcements on the Middlebury 2020-21 website.
Best regards,
Jeff Cason
Provost
AJ Place
Acting Dean of Students