BUCSAFE Update from the President

You may be tired of hearing the word “COVID” or “coronavirus” (I sure am), but don’t grow weary. God’s got this—and us! We won’t back down in prayer and will continue to do what we can to glorify the Lord and serve others every way we can. As a Christian university, our campus body has the great opportunity to show our community and other college campuses what it means to be a reflection of Jesus Christ.  

On the COVID front, let me thank you for continuing to follow the protocols on campus. Please wear your mask where asked, consult your physician with questions regarding vaccines, and show love to your neighbor by putting others before yourself.  

A few of our Bucs who chose to vaccinate and participate in our Community Immunity challenge were selected at random last week in our first round of incentive drawings. A huge THANK YOU to these folks for stepping up to the plate! This week, we jumped up more than two percentage points over last week. Our next drawing will include a $2,000 scholarship to one lucky Buc and more gift cards.  

Upload your proof of vaccination here by October 10 to be eligible for the next drawing. 

Our Numbers

Here are our numbers as of September 15, 2021: 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN ISOLATION: 40
  Of these 40 students, 2 are being housed on campus, and 38 are isolating off campus. 
• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN QUARANTINE: 62
  Of these 62 students, 10 are being housed on campus, and 52 are quarantining off campus.  
• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN ISOLATION: 8
• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN QUARANTINE: 15

ISOLATION is reserved for actively symptomatic or known positive cases, and QUARANTINE is reserved for those who have been identified as a close contact of someone who is positive or who has symptoms. People in QUARANTINE are NOT ill – we are simply watching them to ensure they do not become symptomatic. LEARN MORE

Community Immunity Status

As of September 15, 2021:

• Students: 24.4%
• Faculty and Staff: 61%
• TOTAL: 30.2%

Our goal is to reach 70% community immunity on campus, which includes proof of vaccination and/or evidence of natural immunity among those who have recently been infected with COVID-19.

Academic Calendar

At this time, we are planning to stick with the current calendar. This means we fully intend to return to in-person learning after Thanksgiving. Of course, this is dependent on our campus continuing to follow our BUCSAFE protocols to keep COVID transmission low.  

Should our situation change, please pay attention to an official announcement detailing our response. We hope and pray that we can continue in-person learning campus-wide this entire semester, so let’s do our part to help make that happen.

Health Resources

Tomorrow, September 16, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., we are hosting the Shoot Your Shot event at the Brewer Center gym. Bucs and their families aged 12 and older seeking COVID-19 vaccination will have an opportunity to receive the Pfizer vaccine. It is a walk-in event, but should you want to RSVP, email covid19@csuniv.edu.  

Fetter Health Care Network also offers immunizations and rapid COVID testing each Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. with advance notice. For other medical needs, our campus community members may walk up without an appointment. To book an immunization, COVID test, or schedule an appointment off-campus, call 843-466-6129.  

This fall, SCDHEC and MAKO Medical continue to offer convenient and FREE PCR testing under the white tent in the football stadium parking lot. The opportunity is available from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. every weekday.  
 
Please continue to reach out to Dr. Laurel Glover if you’re experiencing symptoms, have been exposed to the virus, or otherwise find it necessary to pursue testing. And please do NOT go to class or to work if you feel sick. Take care of yourself and others by staying home. 

Event and Meeting Guidelines

In planning any event on or off campus, employees and students must submit their proposal via the Event Form.  

• Visitors may not attend events at CSU, with the exception of the Office of Enrollment and outdoor sporting events. Though some visitors may attend indoor sports, the capacity will be extremely limited and at the discretion of the Athletics department.    
• Lightsey Chapel’s maximum capacity for chapel and other events is set to 375 (25% of seating). For other spaces on campus, please pay attention to the posted BUCSAFE capacity signage.  
• All campus meetings are highly recommended to be conducted virtually for now. For any meetings that must be conducted in person, please host outdoors. 

Stay #BUCSAFE

The apostle Paul’s words speak as powerfully today as they did when he first wrote them nearly two millennia ago: “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2 (ESV) 

Then as now, we are nothing without the love of Christ. Whatever else you do today, love others the way Christ loved you. And let the world see the difference Christ makes in a life fully committed to Him.      

As always, Bucs, let’s spread the Word, not the virus.  

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