It’s not a April Fools’ joke: Northwestern students have April 1 off Spring Quarter.

Associate Provost for University Enrollment Rebecca Dixon said because Easter is Sunday, March 31, classes will be canceled on Monday, April 1.

When Spring Quarter begins Tuesday, students will attend their Monday classes instead of their Tuesday classes. This is because students will miss Monday classes Memorial Day, and administrators do not want students to miss two Mondays, University Registrar Suzanne Anderson said. The rest of the first week schedule will remain unchanged.

Dixon said she believes more classes meet only on Monday than on Tuesday, so this scheduling change gives students an opportunity to attend more classes before the deadline for adding classes on April 8.

NU has canceled the first Monday of Spring Quarter before because of Easter or Passover, Dixon said.

Weinberg sophomore Amalia Aleck said the university’s decision makes sense because NU’s quarter system packs more material into a shorter period of time than a semester system.

“It’s an intelligent move on their part,” Aleck said, adding that the timing of the scheduling change was not significant. “I don’t think that the administration here has much of a sense of humor, so I don’t think it’s an April Fool’s joke.”

Weinberg junior Rhea Ford said the scheduling change is confusing, but she is happy her Spring Break will be extended.

“Oh, that’s whacked-out,” Ford said. “(But) I’m just glad we don’t have a day of school.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Andrew Luckham said he is eager to protest the decision.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Luckham, a fifth-year Weinberg senior. “If they had an online petition, I’d be the first one on the list.”