No spring break this year at University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa

IOWA CITY — A spring tradition at the three state universities is falling victim to the pandemic.

The University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University have each announced plans to shift their spring semester calendars to start later than originally planned. The move includes canceling spring break to try and minimize concerns about students returning to campus and spreading COVID-19.

The administrators at the schools in Ames, Iowa City, and Cedar Falls say they are planning to hold a mix of virtual and in-person classes in the spring.

UNI and ISU altered their fall calendars to end the fall semester the day before Thanksgiving so students would not have to go home and come back to campus again. The University of Iowa is using the regular fall calendar, but is switching to all online classes after Thanksgiving.