UNC has announced its calendar for the spring 2021 semester amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which will include a delayed start.

“We have been carefully listening to the voices of our community as we consider the important lessons learned from planning for the fall and prepare to make updates to our Roadmap to offer classes next semester,” said Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz in a message to the campus community.

UNC will delay the beginning of the 2021 spring semester until Tuesday, January 19, almost two weeks after its previously scheduled beginning. The last day of classes will be Wednesday, May 5 and exams will run from Friday, May 7 until Friday, May 14.

Registration for the spring 2021 semester will begin on November 30, shortly after the completion of fall exams.

Additionally, there will be no spring break in 2021 in “an effort to limit any potential spread of the virus caused by travel during an extended break.”

“We have heard from many of you that we need to provide more breaks during the semester, so we will incorporate five days either individually or in combined clusters for that purpose,” said Guskiewicz.

Guskiewicz told the UNC Board of Trustees in September that the university was planning on delaying the start of the 2021 spring semester.

UNC made national headlines earlier this semester after bringing thousands of students back to Chapel Hill for in-person classes then pivoting to online learning after an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus.

According to data provided by the university, 130 students and five employees tested positive for the coronavirus the first week of classes. Additionally, four COVID-19 clusters were identified around campus in the first week: three in residence halls and another at the Sigma Nu fraternity house.

As of Thursday, UNC is reporting 1,229 cumulative cases among its campus community — 1,153 students, 76 employees. The university had 5 new cases from on-campus testing last week.

“We recognize that this fall semester did not meet the expectations for many people in our community, and we have asked a lot from our students, faculty and staff as we shifted to remote learning twice in 2020,” said Guskiewicz in his message.

The chancellor also clarified that many decisions surrounding the spread of COVID-19 on campus remain. This includes how UNC may use campus-wide coronavirus surveillance testing combined with expanded contact tracing, modes of instruction for spring courses, details about campus housing and plans for isolation and quarantine space, deadlines for spring registration and expectations and guidelines for on-campus and off-campus activities.

Winter commencement for 2020 graduates has also been postponed. The university said it hopes to have a commencement ceremony in spring 2021, which will also celebrate the 2020 spring and fall graduates.

“We have learned a lot from the past six months and will incorporate that into our approach,” said Guskiewicz. “Thank you for your hard work, dedication and patience during these difficult times.”

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