Adapting to virtual campus life

Since going completely online last Monday, Charleston Southern University has worked tirelessly to make sure students retain as much of a college experience as they possibly can while keeping safety a top priority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, students can now access various student services from the comfort of their own homes. The following is a sampling of CSU’s creative coping during a very challenging, historic time in our world.

Stay Fit and Keep Moving
CSU Campus Rec is posting several avenues of exercise that require little or no equipment to keep up with their normal routines virtually. Fitness classes such as kickboxing and PiYo are being offered at the same regular times via Instagram Live for those interested at @csu_campusrec.

CSU’s intramural e-sports leagues will continue on this semester. Campus Rec offers a variety of games on multiple platforms. Games offered this wave are: 

• Mario Kart 
• Smash Bros 1v1 and 2v2
• Rocket League 1v1 and 2v2
• NBA 2K20
• FIFA 20
• Madden 20
• MLB The Show 20
• Spiritual Connection
• Students may join the campus in a moment of prayer at 10 a.m. every day. You can share your prayer requests for our Campus Ministries team and view our prayer topics at charlestonsouthern.edu/coverthecampus. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch our daily BUCkle Up devotional series – one-minute encouraging videos from students, faculty, staff and supporters. You can also catch them every evening on Instagram and Facebook stories. 

Mental Health
Counseling services are available to all currently enrolled students. Counselors are available for consultation and referral through the proper avenues and channels during until further notice or the campus returns to normal operations. Counseling services are available for video conferencing Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. every week. Students may request appointments at charlestonsouthern.edu/counseling-referral. 

The Career Center 
Current students, employers, alumni and community partners may access The Career Center’s services via virtual outlets. Though limited to setting up appointments via email and coordinating the appointments via email, phone call or Zoom video chat, these virtual resources include career counseling, mock interviews, resume guidance and career assessments. The Career Center will operate during their normally scheduled hours Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. They can be reached by emailing thecareercenter@csuniv.edu or by calling 843-863-8019.

Virtual Office Hours and Advising
Need to meet with your professor or advisor? You can meet virtually using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra! Contact your professor or advisor to schedule a meeting and to discuss virtual availability.

Need an online math tutor? 
Schedule a virtual tutoring session today! To set up a math tutoring session, visit the CSU Students Community (under “Community” in Blackboard) and select “Math Tutoring” from the menu bar on the left. Open the scheduling document and click on a tutor’s name to see the tutor’s availability and to schedule a tutoring session. Sessions can be scheduled immediately or in advance. After you schedule your session, you will receive an email with a link to a virtual meeting room where you will meet with the tutor.
 
The Writing Center is open online!
The Writing Center has created helpful tutorials on how to make, modify, and join Writing Center appointments. The tutorials can be found in the CSU Students Community. Select “Writing Center” from the menu bar on the left to be taken to the tutorials and the link to the Writing Center.

Note: The Learning Center uses the same scheduling software, so the tutorials will be helpful to schedule appointments with the Learning Center. 

Looking for a virtual tutor?  
Students may access the Learning Center’s tutoring scheduling and availability at https://csuniv.mywconline.net/.

Access the CSU Student Community on Blackboard!
To login to the Community:

• Log into Blackboard.
• After you log into Blackboard, scroll your mouse to the far right at the top in the dark blue bar and you will see “Community” to the right of “Courses” (below your name at the top).
• Select the appropriate Community to access the Community.
• The dark blue menu bar on the left side of the page shows available resources.

Want to explore the world?
Would you like to try something new this week? A Chinese educational partner, Faithful International Training Center, will begin one-week free online classes in spoken Mandarin Chinese (five lessons) on a regular basis. The first course begins March 30 and then continues repeatedly April-July. (Email: online@faithchina.com,Website: www.faithchina.com) Impress your friends and employers! Learn some basic Chinese phrases and words today!

And, you will love this curated list, compliments of our friends at the World Affairs Council of Charleston, to expand your global and cultural experiences virtually and absolutely free:

• Night at the Met: Each night for the next few weeks, the NYC Metropolitan Opera will be streaming a different opera on their website.  
• World Renowned Virtual Tours: Google Arts and Culture compiles over 500 virtual tours of museums around the world and national landmarks.  
• Cincinnati Zoo is Bringing the Zoo to You! Join them for a Home Safari Facebook Live each weekday at 3 p.m. EDT where they will highlight one of their amazing animals and include live streaming footage. Click ‘not now’ when asked to log-in if you don’t have an account. 
• 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals you can watch on stage from home: click here.
• The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) has a digital edition of the Great Decisions television series available as well as FPA documentaries. FPA has also released this season of Great Decisions on YouTube to provide a single link to post online and share with your community.

Compiled by Andrew Boyles, intern and senior communication studies major, and Jenna Johnson, assistant director of integrated marketing.