Fall Break is left up to faculty and students, UNF says

Traditionally, Fall Break is two days in October when the campus is closed and classes are canceled but this year, UNF is letting professors decide whether they want to hold classes on those days — making up for the lost time.

After Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida, leaving North Florida relatively unscathed, UNF closed its campus for four days and canceled all classes between Sep. 28 and Sep. 30. 

While the time off may have been welcomed with open arms, those lost hurricane days are returning to bite UNF students and faculty who may now have classes during Fall Break.

Most professors have already weaved the Fall Break into their schedules and syllabuses, either as days off for their students or by just assigning online work.

Fall Break has been a feature of UNF calendars for some time and is why UNF is not given the entire week off for Thanksgiving, a decision mostly disliked by students, according to past Spinnaker reporting.

Many parents in an unofficial UNF Facebook group have expressed confusion about whether or not their child can come home over Fall Break or not. 

“My professors have already told us that we will not be having classes, or we will not need to intern those days,” said UNF student Josh Rigdon about the break. “I plan on relaxing since I have to be on campus five days a week and then work part-time on Saturdays. So, this is a much-needed break.”

The university released the following statement clarifying the status of Fall Break in a campus-wide notification on Thursday.

Reminder for Students and Faculty: Fall Break October 17-18

Monday, Oct. 17 and Tuesday, Oct. 18 are Fall Break noninstructional days for UNF students and faculty. The University will remain open, but classes will not be held, unless faculty members and students have already made special arrangements to meet on those days.

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