Clemson announces it will finish fall semester online-only after Thanksgiving break
Clemson University will switch back to online-only classes after its Thanksgiving break, and the school is urging students not to return to campus when it does, it announced Thursday.
The break, which begins Wednesday, Nov. 25, will now be followed by two weeks of virtual learning and exams ending Dec. 11.
The reason for the switch, university officials said in an email sent to students, is the need for COVID-19 quarantine and isolation that would be required following the Thanksgiving break. Officials said they estimated at least 200 students would have needed to quarantine or isolate upon returning to campus, and subsequent testing and contact tracing could have kept students in quarantine space on campus into the winter break.
For the moment, university officials said, they still plan to return to on-campus, in-person instruction for the spring semester. The two weeks of virtual instruction to close the fall, they said, will help them prepare for that.
The university said it is “strongly encouraging” students not to return to campus after Thanksgiving, but students will be able to request an exemption to stay in residence halls.
Those who don’t return will receive credits or refunds for the unused portion of their housing and dining contracts.
Since June 5, Clemson has recorded 4,536 cases of COVID-19, including 4,399 cases among students. With an enrollment of more than 26,000 students, per the Greenville News, one in roughly every six students has contracted the virus.
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 3:50 PM.
