Western University extends winter break

Students will have a shorter exam period

Image | Western University

Caption: An 11th hour tentative agreement has averted a strike at Western University that would have impacted more than 32,000 full-time students. The university says it will be classes as usual Tuesday. (Robert Krbavac/CBC News)

Students and professors at Western University will get an extra week for winter break, officials announced this week.
"We hope this extra time off will allow you to rest and recover a little longer," University President Alan Shepard wrote in an email on Tuesday.
The holidays will now last from Dec. 22 until Jan. 11.
The three-week break is an effort to help people get extra rest in what Shepard called "a particularly trying year."
"The pandemic has challenged us in ways nobody could have predicted," Shepard said in his email. "This holiday break is important. Please, take the time to take care of yourself."
The university will reopen Jan. 4, when students from professional programs will resume classes.
"We are also working with the deans to encourage instructors to be flexible in helping you finish your term strong. To adapt their teaching and learning strategies to focus on the most important elements of course work," Shepard said.
All Western employees will get two flex days to use for extra time off, anytime between Jan. 4 and May 31.