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(WACH) — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina announced that an assistant professor at Clemson University's Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences has won a settlement after he was fired over a social media post.

In a mediated settlement agreement, Clemson University reversed its September 2025 firing of assistant professor Dr. Joshua Bregy, who shared another person's Facebook post via his personal account that was critical of the conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at a college event in Utah last year.

According to the ACLU, Dr. Bregy will continue to receive pay and benefits throughout the original term of his employment, and Provost Robert H. Jones has agreed to provide positive letters of recommendation to potential employers based on Dr. Bregy’s classroom teaching.

We were honored to represent Dr. Bregy and to reach an agreement that restores his employment, allows him to continue to pursue research funding, and deters the university from violating the First Amendment rights of its faculty in the future,” ACLU of South Carolina Legal Director Allen Chaney said. “

Politicians and university administrators come and go, but years from now we will still be here. So will the U.S. Constitution.

The university's decision to fire Dr. Bregy came after an effort by state and national politicians who threatened to defund the university.

As referenced in the initial lawsuit filed Oct. 3, 2025, faculty at Clemson said that the firing “sent shockwaves through the faculty, triggered an emergency meeting of the faculty senate, and has fractured the faculty’s trust and confidence in the Provost, University President, and Board of Trustees.”

The report that led to the firing was a critique of Kirk’s rhetoric and began with a condemnation of violence on a shared Facebook post Bregy shared:

Let me preface this post by saying that violence is never okay and as much as I dislike someone and their cruel ideas, I would never want their life to be taken in an act of violence. Democracy should be built on ideas, not force. But I AM going to say this: If anyone thinks that a reasonable price for the second amendment is countless innocent lives, and then that person has the cold-heartedness and audacity to say that empathy is likened to a social disease, they will get no protracted sympathy from me. Unfriend me if you don’t like hearing this simple truth. I’ll never advocate for violence in any form, but it sounds to me like karma is sometimes swift and ironic. As Kirk said, “play certain games, win certain prizes.”

Moreover, the disgusting double standard for those on the “other side of the political line” is insane. Where was the outrage from the conservatives when Melissa Hortman, her husband, and even their dog was murdered in an act of political violence? Where were the thoughts and prayers from those who are outraged now? And why is there already a call from certain conservatives for retribution and violence? Doesn’t that say too much about what cruelty awaits in their vengeance?

Maybe you think I’m cruel too, but I’ll say this also – I truly grieve for Kirk’s family and friends. No one deserves to go through tragic loss like that. No one should be gunned down – not a school child, not an influencer, not a politician – no one. But am I going to allow people to make a martyr out of a flawed human being whose rhetoric caused notable damage? Not a chance.

With the settlement agreement in place, Dr. Bregy has agreed to drop his lawsuit against the university and resign his employment effective May 15.

This isn't the only example I have but it's only letting me put one video.

Shouldn't be surprised. Free speech is only allowed if it aligns with what the current president deems appropriate.

I wanted to go to Homecoming this year, but traveling from LA to any of the major airports would've been a nightmare.

Howdy y’all,

I’m currently on day 313 of walking across America and I’ll be getting into Clemson tomorrow night. I’ve already walked through WA, OR, ID, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL, KY, TN, GA and just got to SC as the 12th state of the walk.

The reason I’m posting in here is because a woman offered to host me in Clemson, but last minute something came up and it she may not be able to now.

So I’m seeing if anyone in town may be able to host me for a night. I don’t need much other than a place to put my pad and sleeping bag and a safe place to put my stroller, Smiley. I can provide some good stories from my travels and entertainment for the night.

If interested in learning about the walk feel free to check out walk2washington.com or walk2washington on IG/FB. If interested in hosting me, DM on here or on IG.

Thanks, HMR (25m)

Ok, first it’s important for me to point out that I am in no way celebrating anyone getting killed. Second, if I am reading these social media posts correctly, these faculty have, at the very least, incredibly poor judgment.

But… It’s pretty obvious to me that the politicians behind this extortion attempt are running afoul of their own purported principles of free speech. Clemson should be able to dole out their own consequences, not be forced by the government. I’m sure that the university will bow down and do whatever these grand-standers say they want, but I don’t think the hypocrisy should go unnoticed.

44-16

GO TIGERS! :D Time to Celebrate

If you want to enter the Natty Photoshop Contest we're running, Click here You have until 5:00 pm on Jan 8 to enter :)

There is a new Flair to celebrate. Click "edit" next to your name in the sidebar to select it :)

Congrats guys!

So happy to see these guys on the Main Street Bridge over 123! If any of y'all are in here, I'm the girl in the beige altima playing Rage and screaming my lungs out. Y'all are fucking awesome!!!

To the young lady who found me passed out on the floor at Off the Vine spirits, and called 911. Thank you for being such a kind person to call 911 and stayed with me until you were sure I got the help I needed. Your quick response saved me from cardiac arrest due to low potassium. I’m able to be here tonight safe in the hospital due to your quick response. You saved my life and I cannot thank you enough.

Hey all. I'm obviously using a throwaway account for this post because I have no idea what information is or isn't allowed to be public, and I want to be safe just in case. Anyway, there are understandably a lot of questions out there, and so I wanted to at least provide everyone with what I have been told, whether this information be from my department, colleagues, or upper administration. Some of this information may be different for other departments -- I have no idea, which, honestly, is a very common phrase right now, but I'll indicate that which is particular to my department as needed. Finally, this stuff can change at any moment. Just like our "phase" plan was axed, some of this could be very different by the time August, or even the end of the week, rolls around. At any rate, here's what I know:

• All courses must be able to offer an entirely online way to complete them. This has been mentioned here several times, but just to reiterate it in case someone may have missed it, I'm mentioning it again. If a student is immunocompromised, for example, then they can choose to take their courses online right from the start of the semester, and all faculty are expected to offer courses that can be taken by both those students (online/distanced) and those who will be appearing in-person. Obviously, labs make this problematic; I have not heard any information about how that stuff will be handled. Students should contact their advisors about questions regarding this. Edit: It is extremely unlikely that advisors can address this issue right now. I do not know of any procedures or guidelines that have been outlined on how these requests will be handled.

• In addition to the above, faculty may need to switch their course entirely online at any point, which they will be allowed to do. For example, if a faculty member's child's school closes down but Clemson does not, they may need to stay home rather than going to campus. In other words, the university as a whole does not need to go online in order for a course to become an online course.

• All classrooms will be at 1/3 capacity. Students will also be expected to sit 6 feet from each other in classrooms. This has also been publicly stated a few times. So, a classroom that would normally have been able to hold 40 people will be able to hold 13 (12 students + 1 faculty). The university is going to be utilizing a lot of unconventional spaces as classrooms in order to attempt to offset this. For example, athletic facilities, the Madrin Center, and other more administrative spaces could be used as classrooms. No one knows for sure, though.

• As the President said in an email sent out to everyone, faculty and students will be provided with masks, as they are required for all students, faculty, and staff. These masks are available for faculty now (at least they are in my department).

• The university is aiming to have 75% of classes offer some kind of face-to-face education. This will be determined by the section, not by the number of students. For example, a course section that has 10 students in it that offers face-to-face interaction will be weighed the same as another course with 100 students in it. If that 100-student course is online, then that simply counts a single section being online, not 100 students now being online. This is a bit confusing, so I hope this makes some sense. Whether or not they will meet their 75% goal remains to be seen.

• Student enrollment numbers are currently above normal levels. In fact, the university is looking to increase the total number of students if they can, and so far they are by several hundred students. As far as I can see with my classes, this means that class caps will be higher than normal (mine are already 4-5 students above last fall, with more enrollments expected). If I were to make a comment on this, it would be that faculty will therefore have more to worry about student-wise than they may have before, adding another layer of stress to our jobs. Of course, this can and likely will vary by department, and at the end of the day the university desperately needs money.

• The university expects to lose between $50 and $150 million this year. This was discussed at the Faculty Senate meeting on 7/14.

• Clemson employees can expect to be furloughed in some way this semester, though the plan is to not furlough those who make the least amount of money unless absolutely necessary. My understanding of this is that, for staff, this means less hours worked equating to less pay. For faculty, this simply means a pay cut. I have been told that this is how furloughs worked back around 2008, which was when they last happened.

• The administration has been extremely unhelpful overall in guiding how to handle faculty/staff/student flow in our buildings. This may be different for other departments/colleges, of course. What I mean by this is determining how walking patterns and directions will work, how elevator capacity will work (if there are elevators), where and what signage will be in our buildings, bathroom occupancy, etc.

• The flexibility that faculty have in meeting the requirements for a "hybrid" course is fairly substantial. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you want to look at it. On one hand, a faculty member can choose to engage students synchronously, with classroom meetings in-person for a portion of the overall course population on each meeting day (1/2 the class on Tuesday, 1/2 the class on Thursday, for instance), and that's hybrid. On the other hand, a faculty member can post recorded videos/PowerPoints, making the course primarily asynchronous/online, and offer optional in-person meetings for those students who want to meet, and that is equally hybrid.

• Some faculty may opt to offer to have their classes meet outside. This may vary by department.

• COVID-19 testing that is required of faculty and students prior to the semester beginning is to be completed by Clemson University. This means that a student who lives in Atlanta cannot take a COVID-19 test in Atlanta three days before coming to campus and have that test count towards their admittance to campus. No one knows how/where these tests will all be conducted right now, though testing stations in nearby towns (Seneca, Anderson, etc.) is possible. Edit: Several have pointed out that the logistics of this idea don't seem to make sense. I agree. Again, remember that any of this information could change at any time, and that unless a statement from the administration is made, this is not technically official. Edit again: Clemson will accept test results from other sources. This was clarified during the town hall meeting on 7/17. The initial testing site for employees and student employees is New Spring megachurch starting 7/20. No other information was given as to where/how to submit external results.

• All faculty and students will be required to complete a "self-analysis" test before coming to campus every day that they are expected on campus. If any of the test's aspects (?) are failed, then that person cannot come to campus that day. No other information about this is known right now. Edit: It looks like this will likely be the test we are required to take. Seems simple enough to me (thanks /u/Swimming_Elk for the info).

• No faculty member can have an attendance policy that penalizes a student in any way. This means that while a faculty member can take attendance for record-keeping purposes, that's all it can be used for. If I can comment on this, I would say that this is a fairly big deal, as now students do not have any responsibility to attend classes or communicate an absence tied to their grades. At the same time, this policy change is understandable, as a student may fail their "self analysis," which would not include a doctor's note but still must be taken seriously. Personally, I was planning on taking attendance only for students who would be required to be in the room in-person, and I would accept virtually any plausible excuse for an absence, meaning the only students that would be “penalized” in my classes would be those who have zero communication.

• One of the primary reasons why Clemson was resistant to switching to entirely online courses was due to the situation regarding ICE and international students (in a nutshell, if a college moved online, international students would have been forced to leave the country). This is no longer an issue as of 7/14 (thankfully), so, things may change now.

• Faculty in my department can now access their offices (key card access works). I assume this means other departments can, too. I only mention this because no one really knows what the new “holistic” approach to reopening means, so, this is where faculty are at.

• Facilities is looking into the possibility of allowing windows in classrooms to be opened (if they can be opened at all). Many of the older buildings/offices used to have openable windows, but they were sealed long ago. These windows may be allowed to be opened for better airflow, though the discussions are still ongoing.

• Faculty classroom assignments are being handled primarily by the university at large rather than individual departments, which means that most, if not all, faculty that teach courses back-to-back all day (like me; I teach four classes) will not be in a single classroom (or two) all day. This new piece of information seriously concerns me regarding my health and exposure to COVID-19, as I and most other faculty will be constantly moving around/across campus, putting ourselves out into the masses (who are all expected to practice social distancing, of course) when we normally would stay in the same room all day. Getting re-acclimated to another classroom is somewhat annoying normally, but with the hybrid nature of classes requiring more technological know-how and setup, the new and likely longer-taking walking patterns in buildings and on campus, the need to sanitize classrooms between each class meeting, and the possibility of our classrooms being in very different locations throughout the day, it seems, in my opinion, very irresponsible/negligent to make the oldest members of Clemson (the faculty) constantly expose themselves to the larger campus several times every day that they are on campus. I can see this pushing faculty that would otherwise have been hesitantly okay with the hybrid structure to move their courses online, but that is simply my opinion. I know that if I am scrambling across campus four times a day, I will be moving online.

• Building off of the above, there might be adjustments to the amount of time between classes, but such adjustments would have a large impact on class meeting time length or the number of classes that can physically be offered on any given day. As of right now the same 15-minute window we’ve always had is in place and there is no discussion between administration and faculty/students regarding this issue.

• There is a hiring freeze for all departments; no one new can be hired unless there is a very specific reason or circumstance to do so.

• Most, if not all, 1000-level courses in my department that are taught by graduate students have been moved online. My understanding is that most other departments are doing this, too, but I do not know for sure.

• We have no idea how the public transportation (CAT Bus) system will work. There is a good chunk of faculty that rely on that system to get to and from campus just as much as students do, and we have not been given any information about stop schedules, limited capacity, etc.

• Faculty are being strongly encouraged (but not required) to offer their office hours online in order to limit their amount of time on campus, so students should expect to be meeting with professors virtually even if the course is hybrid.

• No one knows anything about sports.

That's all I can think of right now. I hope this long list of information helps. This Friday, 7/17, the Provost and Executive VP of Finance and Operations will be hosting a “virtual town hall” meeting for one hour, so more information will likely come out of that, as they are asking faculty and staff to submit questions now in preparation for that meeting. For all of you students, know that faculty are just as worried, frustrated, scared, etc., etc. as you are. I am going to do my absolute best to be understanding and accommodating this semester, believe me, but everyone needs to be more human and understanding now than ever before.

Stay safe out there.

Edit: I've been answering as many follow-up questions in the comments as I can, so check down there, too.

Edit 2: I know it may seem redundant (thanks for the thanks), but thank you all for your kindness and appreciation (and the gold!). I care so very much about all of you and simply want to help.

Edit 3: Added some updated info to a few of the above and clarified some points.

Edit 4: And thanks for the silver, too! While I'm here: Just remember, much of this information has not come from an official administrative announcement, which means that much of this is not quite set in stone. And, once again, as we have seen, even things set in stone are not as set as we may think they are.

Edit 5: Updated information regarding testing sites and external test results.

UPDATE: I went back this morning and filled up a trash bag, here and on other side of peninsula.

Found on Lake Hartwell. Water is low so where is this trash gonna be when water comes back up? Yep you guessed correctly, in the lake. I’ll never understand people like this.

Edited: Just to add...that is a diaper on the left. Which, 1) Ok gross and 2) That's the next generation being taught this behavior.

Getting their ass beat by an ACC costal team