In an attempt to better monitor COVID-19 cases on campus, the College of Charleston will require mandatory tests for students during the spring semester, university officials announced on Wednesday.
All students who live in historic residences or university residences are also required to undergo a coronavirus test before moving out, the university’s president, Andrew Hsu, told board members during a special meeting called.
Students on campus start moving by appointment on Thursday, and the first day of school is Monday.
Last semester, the college organized a total of 17 voluntary on-campus coronavirus testing events for staff and students, Hsu said, for an average of one event every two weeks.
Some C and C students and teachers expressed concern that the decision to encourage, but not require students to take the test, resulted in an underreported image of virus activity on campus.
To address this, the university will host weekly testing opportunities throughout the spring semester. Each week, students will be randomly selected to take the test, said Hsu.
The tests will be conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina and the Department of Health and Environmental Control of SC. The first week of mandatory testing will take place in the week of January 25th.
The plan is to test 300 randomly selected students each week, said college spokesman Ron Menchaca, with 50 additional consultations available to others who want to take the test. These specifications remain provisional until they are finalized with MUSC and DHEC, said Menchaca.
Whoever does not attend the mandatory test the first time will not be penalized. Students who do not take the required tests a second time will have their College of Charleston ID / access card, also known as the Cougar Card, suspended until they meet.
According to the college’s website, students use the Cougar card to access university events, facilities and services.
“The higher frequency and random sampling will provide us with a much better picture to understand the transmission of the virus on our campus,” said Hsu.
Clemson University required mandatory coronavirus testing for its students in the fall. As of Monday, all teachers, staff and students will be required to test weekly.
University of South Carolina officials announced in December that they will require students to take the monthly COVID-19 tests during the spring semester. Those who do not participate can be fined or suspended.
The high level of COVID-19 activity during the summer caused C of C employees to delay the start of face-to-face classes by two weeks in the fall.
Despite the recent post-holiday increase in virus activity, the spring semester at College of Charleston will start on Monday with a mix of classroom, online and hybrid courses.
Approximately 40 percent of classes will be online only, said Menchaca. The rest will be a mix of classroom or hybrid, with the majority falling into the online / classroom hybrid model.
“It is clear that the current positive numbers for COVID-19 are alarming across the country and the state, and we do and will do whatever is necessary to maintain the health and safety of our students and teachers,” said Hsu.
The university will continue to follow the COVID-19 health and safety protocol established in the spring, said Hsu, which means that students, teachers and staff will be forced to distance themselves socially and wear masks while on campus.
“I am confident that we have a great plan to face these challenges and make this semester a success,” said Hsu.
So far, 603 C of C students and 39 employees have tested positive for the virus, according to the college panel.
Contact Jenna Schiferl at 843-937-5764. Follow her on Twitter at @jennaschif.