For students at the flagship campuses of Oklahoma’s two largest universities, add spring break 2021 to the list of COVID-19 casualties.
On Tuesday, officials with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University both announced the cancellation of spring break 2021 in an effort to prevent a spike in cases connected to student travel.
The decision will allow the two schools to end their spring semester on time, as both are starting their spring 2021 semesters a week later than originally scheduled in an effort to avoid a post-holiday COVID-19 surge. Spring classes will now start on Jan. 19, 2021, in Stillwater and Jan. 25, 2021, in Norman.
The schedule changes do not apply to students at OU’s Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.
Both institutions have already canceled their in-person December commencement ceremonies and announced plans to move the rest of the fall semester entirely online after Thanksgiving.
“In the weeks and months ahead, we must remain mindful of the responsibility each of us has to our greater campus community to keep everyone well and safe,” President Burns Hargis wrote in an email to OSU staff and students. “My highest priority is the health and well-being of our campus community while at the same time preserving our academic mission and providing our students with what they need to secure a quality education.”