Registration for the 2021 fall semester is in full swing, and students are hurrying to secure a spot in their desired classes. 

The upcoming semester will be the first in over a year that students and faculty alike will be able to step foot on campus. With the pandemic still going on and the safety of the CSUSM community in mind, not every course will be held on campus. 

CSUSM is offering three different class formats for the upcoming semester, in-person, online and hybrid. To determine which classes are offered in each format, students were encouraged to log onto the schedule assistant that can be accessed through their MyCSUSM account. 

This approach to returning to campus in the fall is a logical decision made by the university administration.

Having all three formats would control the amount of student traffic. If all classes were offered in the face-to-face format, it could have led to a possible COVID outbreak. The three types of class formats will ensure the safety of students and faculty alike as the pandemic is still going on. 

Students benefit significantly from having the option to choose classes in any format, especially if students have begun to prefer online instruction over in-person classes due to the flexibility of the course and ability to learn at their own pace.

Also, students who don’t feel comfortable with the idea of returning to campus might enjoy this option more because they won’t have to worry about possibly being exposed to COVID. Those who are itching to get back on campus, but still feel uncertain about the pandemic can also benefit from the hybrid formats.

The only problem is that some students who are excited to return to campus might not be as lucky in finding classes they need for their degree that are offered in-person.

The randomization of courses available can frustrate students who want to experience some sense of normalcy by being on campus after a year of being confined to Zoom lectures. 

Personally, when registering for classes for the fall, I was slightly disappointed when the courses I needed to enroll in were only offered through an online format, especially since this upcoming semester will be my last at CSUSM. I had been excited at the thought of finally returning to campus.  

But we can’t always get what we want, unfortunately. And I’m sure I am not the only student in this situation, so there would be no use in complaining about the format my classes will be held in. 

Everyone is making small steps to return to a somewhat “normal” life that we had before the pandemic, and this is CSUSM’s way of taking those steps. Even though not every student will get the chance to step on campus next fall, having the classes set up in each of the three formats will help keep the CSUSM community safe. 

Tania Ortiz is the Opinion Editor for The Cougar Chronicle. She is a senior at CSUSM as a communication major. Tania plans to pursue a job in the media industry after graduation. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going on runs and spending time with friends.