The University of Maryland administration has announced that Thanksgiving break will be extended immediately to cover Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. Students will be able to fully enjoy their break from November 22nd to the 30th.

Due to this change, residence halls will now close for Thanksgiving Break at 7:00 PM, Friday, November 21, and reopen at the original time at 10 AM. on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Students forgotten by their families may request a 24-hour extension if needed. For other students, with families who do not love them, who are seeking to stay over the entire Thanksgiving break, the cost will remain the same.

Students all over UMD have celebrated this extension. Junior mathematics major, Claire Pham, commented for The Hare, “I’m so glad that Thanksgiving break got longer. I can finally spend a whole week with my family out-of-state and actually relax!”

Faculty and staff have also stated their positive opinions of the Thanksgiving extension as well. Dr. Aidan A. Hale, a professor teaching Animal and Avian Science, remarked that, “I believe by extending Thanksgiving break, the productivity and health of both students and staff will increase dramatically over the week. This is an extremely wise move by the UMD administration.” While he made this comment, Dr. Hale was in the middle of studying engineering students in the wild. God knows they’ll benefit greatly from this extension.

When The Hare questioned the administration behind this decision, an official stated, “We saw the immense success of implementation of the fall break. The increase of productivity from our students and faculty, the decrease of Veos being dumped into the pond, and drop in voyeur incidents proved to us that increasing the number and length of these breaks will be most beneficial to everyone on campus. As a secondary effect, it also improved student well-being and mental health.”

There have also been discussions in the administration to increase the number of days off in the spring semester as well, to match with this extension in the fall. Many students and staff are thankful for this increase in the Thanksgiving recess. Instead of having to worry about lectures and assignments, they can finally take this time to be with their families with the great blessings of Darryll Pines himself.

Image Credits: Gale de Silva