COVID-19 Update from the President

Happy Fried Chicken Wednesday! As we dive into another week of on-campus activities, I remain grateful to everyone in our campus community who continues to adhere to the policies and procedures that are helping to keep our campus safe and healthy. Thank you for doing what you have to do—on and off campus—so we can finish this semester strong.    

Unfortunately, after a string of four consecutive days last week with zero (0) students in isolation or quarantine on campus, our COVID-19 numbers increased this week. This increase is due to an off-campus event sponsored by one of our student organizations over the weekend. This event was not vetted or approved by the University Pandemic Task Force. Because of our great concern for the welfare of every one of you and our deep desire for students to make progress toward their degrees despite the pandemic, we will take appropriate disciplinary action as warranted by the facts. All we ask is that you love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31), which in this season means doing your best at all times to stay clear of infection so that your choices don’t unnecessarily harm your neighbor or yourself. I realize that it may not be possible to avoid all risk of infection, even on your best days, but if your carelessness puts others in isolation or quarantine through no fault of their own, that’s a foul. So, please love your neighbor as yourself, even when the University Pandemic Task Force is not looking.

Our Numbers

Here are our numbers as of October 21, 2020: 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN ISOLATION: 15 
  Of these 15 students, 5 are confirmed positive. 
  Of these 15 students, 0 reside on campus, 15 reside off campus. 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN QUARANTINE: 66
  Of these 66 students, 13 reside on campus, 53 reside off campus. 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN ISOLATION: 3 (both confirmed positive)
  
• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN QUARANTINE: 7

As a reminder, 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.  

As we press forward, it is VITAL to our ability to remain open for classes this semester that all of our students report if they become symptomatic at any time. We will work with every symptomatic student to ensure you have access to a COVID-19 testing resource as well as other resources including health services, campus ministries, and counseling services as needed.

Events on Campus

Like you, we look forward to increasing the number of in-person activities on campus for our students because we know that most students are doing what it takes to stay safe and healthy. Densonville is up first THIS Friday! Remember to register for this event to save your spot. In addition, check out the BucNation App for additional events coming at a fast clip as we approach the end of this semester, including BucTober, Christmas at CSU, and the OCC Packing Party!  

Would you like to sponsor an event on campus this semester?  As a reminder, all event managers and leaders should continue to submit all events here, no matter the size of the event: https://www.charlestonsouthern.edu/bucsafe/campus-guidelines/. Events with less than 30 attendees no longer need approval from the task force at this time, though events should continue to be submitted for record-keeping purposes. Small events should continue to follow these precautions:

• No food or beverages will be served.
• No outside visitors are involved.
• Established room occupancies are adhered to. 
• Leadership responsible for the event will keep a roster of attendees.

Student Feedback

We are still in the process of analyzing the data received on the student survey last week and will present the findings from this survey in the coming weeks, along with modifications we plan to make for the spring semester. We want spring 2021 to be your best pandemic semester ever! (Lame, I know, but true.) While we do not know what the landscape of COVID-19 will look like in the spring, we are confident CSU will be a safe place for our students to continue to learn. We are also confident it will be the best place for you to live and learn in this challenging season.  

Stay #BUCSAFE

Remember, you can always reach out to the University Pandemic Task Force with questions or concerns. You can contact them directly by emailing covid19@csuniv.edu. This email address is monitored Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Any emails received after 5 p.m. on Friday will be addressed on Monday.    

Stay safe, stay focused, stay healthy, and stay faithful to the Lord and His provision as we work together to continue enjoying a healthy CSU! And remember: Spread the Word, not the virus.

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