Dear Clemson Family:
Now that we are about halfway through the semester, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of our students, faculty and staff for your hard work so far this fall and to update you on a few of our latest decisions regarding COVID protocols.
We had a wonderful Homecoming celebration last week, and I appreciate all the students who worked all week on the floats, the Habitat for Humanity house and on Tigerama, all of which made for a fun weekend for our alumni and fans. The weekend was extra special for Beth and me as we were named Honorary Alumni by the Clemson Alumni Association on Friday. We were surprised and humbled by the honor, and words cannot express how grateful we are to the entire Clemson Family for embracing us the way you have for the past eight years. Presenting students with their Clemson rings during the Ring Ceremony every semester is one of my favorite traditions, and now I am proud that I will be able to wear my own ring when I hand them theirs.
Last week, our Board of Trustees had a productive quarterly meeting where they voted to approve a number of items, including:
- The concept phase for several upcoming facilities projects, such as the renovation of the high rise residence halls and the new Advanced Materials Innovation Complex
- The demolition of Johnstone Hall and the University Union
- The combining of the departments of automotive engineering and mechanical engineering to create the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering.
You can read a recap of the entire meeting here.
Updates on mask requirements, testing hours
Earlier this week, we announced some updates to our mask and testing requirements. Our current mask requirements have been extended through October 30, but we are looking for opportunities to remove some of those requirements in the near future.
We also announced changes to testing hours over Fall Break, as well as testing requirements for faculty, staff and students in our Greenville and Charleston locations. I am also happy to share that we will be offering the Pfizer booster shot to people who are eligible at the Friday vaccine clinics at Littlejohn for the next five weeks. For more information about all of these updates, read the full announcement here.
Finally, as our students depart for Fall Break, I want to urge them to please remember to be safe and make responsible choices during their travels. Students, whether you are going home to family, taking a vacation, going on a service trip or staying here in Clemson, please take measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Our case numbers on campus are decreasing, and we want to keep those numbers going in the right direction.
I hope our students and faculty enjoy a restful and well-deserved break next week and return to campus refreshed and ready for a strong finish to the semester.
Go Tigers!