When the coronavirus forced colleges and universities to move to online learning after spring break, it was an inconvenience for some. But that would be an understatement for a VMI cadet who moved into a tent to finish the semester.
VMI second-year cadet William Taylor is finishing the semester in a tent, outside his home near Hershey, Pennsylvania.
“Weather’s not ideal but it works... I did have it flood once,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s hometown is remote enough that there is no access to cable and cell service is spotty, unless you know where to go.
“...and I was like, 'Well, I have a tent in the back of my car," and I knew of certain spots that get good cell service out here, so I was like, I guess I’ll put up my tent and see if that works,” Taylor said.
It’s a long way from the military precision of the VMI post. But not from its teachings.
“It was an obstacle that some people, they might be like, ‘Well, I can’t do school’, but for me, with some of the skills I learned at VMI, it taught me to be like, ‘Well, I have a tent’ and then put two and two together and go out and still do what I started,” Taylor said.
That’s not to say it’s been easy. It has snowed. It’s been cold and rainy. Plus there’s the family goats, sheep and chickens.
“Like the noises that they’ll make when they’re laying an egg, and I’ve had to like, shoo them out or something, or go yell at them, so I’ve had some of my classmates and stuff make fun of me,” Taylor said.
In his tent, Taylor is learning Arabic, as a modern languages major. Eventually, he wants to be a chaplain. He was homeschooled in his family of 10, close to his religion and philosophy, and certainly practical.
“I put a little desk in here. I put a chair and everything and I just started doing school in the tent, and it worked pretty well,” Taylor said.
Now that the semester is winding down, Taylor is spending less time in the tent. But for most of the past month or more, it’s been about 8 hours a day.