I’m writing this on the topic without having read the article because it’s behind a pay wall. I appreciate the posting and will look for other timely sources of info on this topic.
“Fall break” is really just a longweekend, and some schools haven’t even been doing it in the past anyway. The real difference comes from starting 2 weeks early as Norte Dame is doing. Finishing before Thanksgiving as a result then eliminates the Thanksgiving break as well. Apparently some schools will also be doing open book exams at home as a way to avoid bringing students back after Thanksgiving.