Thanksgiving Break has been extended to one week for all future academic years, according to Edward Scheinerman, vice dean for education at the Whiting School of Engineering.
“A full week vacation during the spring semester is a great asset to students, giving them a time to relax and recharge,” Scheinerman said. “We wanted to provide that respite in the fall semester as well.”
Scheinerman said there was no specific impetus for the change, but that he believed the change was “overdue.”
Steven David, vice dean for education at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, said transportation logistics also played into the decision.
“For those traveling during Thanksgiving week, we wanted to help them avoid congestion and extra expense,” David said.
Residence halls and all University offices will also be open instead of closed during Thanksgiving break, according to Erin Yun, deputy to the vice provost for student affairs. That change will also apply to spring break.
“It is part of our continuing efforts to enhance service and support student needs,” Yun said. “We understand that for some students travel home during these times is challenging.”
Freshman Hee Won Han, an international student from South Korea, said she did not go home during the fall and spring breaks because airfare would have been approximately $1600 each time.
Han said four of her international friends faced inconveniences because they had to vacate their residence halls and stay at a hotel.
“It was awful because they had to stay at a small room,” Han said. “Because they didn’t want to spend a lot of money, they only got one room that was designed for two people.”
Although Han visited friends who lived in the U.S. during the breaks, she said she was glad the residence halls will remain open during the weeks off next year.
“One of the reasons I [traveled] was because I was forced to leave,” Han said. “Now that the residence halls are open, I wouldn’t have to worry about having to find a place to stay during breaks.”
Since the number of class days must remain the same, the next academic year will begin on Aug. 28. Yun said the administration decided starting classes early was the best solution, as many other universities and colleges do so. The fall semester has also started before Labor Day in prior years at Hopkins.
Although giving students a longer break was announced after a year with multiple snow days, Scheinerman said there was no connection between the two.
“Snow days had nothing to do with this decision,” Scheinerman said. “The change [had] been under discussion for well over a year.”
