USC nixes traditional spring break in an attempt to minimize COVID-19 spread

University of South Carolina students will not have a traditional spring break this school year, the school announced Thursday.

In lieu of the typical one-week spring break, USC will have four extra “wellness days” spread out throughout the semester.

“We have all had to adapt during the pandemic, but the dedication of our faculty and students to our core mission of teaching and learning remains strong,” USC Provost William Tate said in a news release. “These changes will ensure we can offer students the rigorous, engaged education they have come to expect while further mitigating the threat COVID-19 continues to pose to communities around the globe.”

USC did not have a set week for spring break for the spring 2021 semester. On the school’s website, the dates for holidays and breaks were listed as “to be determined.”

USC follows universities throughout the country, such as Florida State University, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, University of Kentucky, Baylor University, Iowa State and more, in canceling spring break, according to media reports.

College of Charleston, which also canceled spring break, is facing push back from students who say canceling spring break can have negative effects on student mental health. An online petition calling for College of Charleston to reverse its petition has more than 1,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

The wellness days will be Feb. 25, March 12, March 30 and April 21.

Spring semester begins Jan. 11, 2021.