CSU plans to resume in-person classes for fall semester

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Charleston Southern University plans to resume in-person instruction for the fall semester with safety protocols implemented.

CSU is working with Gov. Henry McMaster’s AccelerateSC task force and the Lowcountry’s One Region Reignite plan to develop plans for its reopening.

The university is also working with state and local health officials, other universities, and several higher education experts through a task force of faculty and staff members.

“As our state and local community prepare to reopen, we are right there with them,” task force leader Jackie Fish, vice president for academic affairs, said in a news release. “We will continue to monitor health conditions and will adjust our plans should conditions change, but we expect to welcome our Bucs to campus this fall.”

Beginning June 1, employees will begin returning to the CSU campus in phases, though some employees will still work remotely if they are considered high-risk, share close quarters with someone who is high-risk, or if they have child care issues caused by the coronavirus.

The university plans to have shared workspaces deep cleaned between work shifts, stagger work times, alternate workdays and implement other strategies to reduce the number of people in one area.

Assuming the curve of COVID-19 cases has been flattened, CSU plans to reopen at full capacity July 6, which may include holding summer courses on campus and bringing back student athletes.

Students are expected to move back to campus for the fall semester Aug. 21, and classes are set to begin Aug. 24. However, CSU is evaluating whether to start the fall semester two weeks earlier or a few weeks later depending on how the coronavirus evolves.

CSU will also have a stockpile of equipment and supplies for reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission on campus, including face masks and hand sanitizer.

“Since the first day of this pandemic, we have closely monitored its trajectory with an eye toward safely returning students to campus,” CSU President Dondi Costin said in the release. “As always, we want them to experience the difference a Charleston Southern education makes in preparing servant leaders to pursue significant lives.”

Charleston Southern University is the second college in the Lowcountry to announce plans for its fall semester. The Citadel said last week that it intends to welcome cadets and students for in-person classes this fall as well.