Despite a rise in COVID-19 cases across the state in the wake of colder months, Georgia Southern students don’t seem to mind the increased foot-traffic on campus as more classes begin to meet face-to-face this semester.

“I feel like they’ve taken as many precautions as they can,” said student Melanie Smith.

Smith transferred from another school in Tennessee which she said did not take masks or COVID-19 protocols seriously. “I have a few hybrid classes and I feel like that’s a really good way to do things,” she said.

Many students said they feel they perform better in a classroom setting like GS student Trinity Dozir.

“I like being able to raise my hand to ask the teacher a question instead of emailing them,” said Dozir.

Whether the push to face-to-face classes has positively or negatively affected students’ performances, Brian Feltman, the associate professor of history at GS, said it is too early to tell.

“Professors want to interact with students as much as students want to be in class,” said Feltman, “It’s just trying to strike that balance of what can we do that is going to keep everyone safe.”

Like most, students are tired of the pandemic as well as the masks and COVID-19 guidelines that come with it.

“We’ve been here for almost a year now and you kind of get used to it,” said GS student Maurice Green who puts his trust in the current COVID-19 protocols, noting that masks will contain an infectious cough or sneeze.

“You don’t typically want people to be uncomfortable and afraid of what’s upon us, but people still have to live their lives,” said Green, “Students have to still get their education.”

Although we may not know the full effects of this increase in face-to-face classes, the change has surely helped morale across classrooms.

“Theres a lot more life here right now than there was last semester and that’s really encouraging,” said Feltman.