Southern New Hampshire University has decided to shorten the winter break from 3 weeks to 2. The break will now begin on December 21st and end on January 3rd leaving only two weeks before the start of the spring semester. The decision was made to align the start dates of the campus programs with the online programs but left out any considerations for the campus students' and faculty’s opinions and feelings toward the topic.

The change will heavily affect cross-country and international students who may have already planned for travel based on the normal 3-week break and will now receive less time with their families and have to return to campus with little time to relax. Many students rely on these breaks to work and save money for the next semester but will now take a cut to their normal work time. Winter break is especially important for students’ mental health as it acts as a time to recover from burnout and reunite with family before starting new classes. Without the proper time to reset between terms, students are upset they may not have time to recover.

The faculty is also upset with the changes that were made without their input. They feel as though they have little time to plan for and prepare for their classes in the upcoming term and will have less time to spend with their families.