Six weeks is how long students were taught on Clemson’s campus. Now, at Thanksgiving, it is time to go home and back to online classes. Will your Gen Ed credit go back to asynchronous or stay synchronous? That is up to the professor. 

This semester has been a wild roller-coaster of changes and unsteady behaviors; nothing threw me for a loop like my class’s platform changing a month in. I thought I would despise the impersonal online learning, but it has taught me to focus on the material, even if I am primarily teaching myself — with key backup, of course. 

It is alien that all of campus is soon to be re-shutdown. Clemson University took a risk by bringing everyone here, as our COVID-19 numbers can attest to. Now they are taking a risk by sending us home. 

Don’t get me wrong, I would love a warm, big family Thanksgiving this year just as much as the next guy. But here’s the catch: my family isn’t having a thanksgiving get together. My aunts, uncles and cousins will stay in the next state or two over. My grandparents will celebrate in their nursing home; taking them out would both put them at risk and subject them to 2 weeks of quarantine upon return. My large but close family will be far apart on Thanksgiving because it’s been agreed it’s safer. 

This might not be the case for everyone, and if you’re having a thanksgiving dinner, a part of me is envious. Another part suggests emailing your teachers and going home early. Quarantine as best you can for two weeks because we’re young and can spread this virus like wildfire. 

Clemson deciding to bring all of us back together for a few short weeks has put us at this strange point. The administration doesn’t want to bring us back because they believe most of us will go home anyways and come back COVID-19 positive. They might be right! But my question is, if they’re wary of rising COVID-19 cases, why did they have in-person classes in the first place?