COVID-19 Update from the President

We made it. Exams are over, friends are heading home for the summer, and we can’t wait to cheer on several hundred Buccaneers as they stroll the stage and turn their tassels this Friday and Saturday. Thank God! 

From March 2020 through today, our faculty/staff colleagues and students have exhibited the grit of a true blue CSU Buccaneer. A global pandemic infiltrated our communities, affecting us physically, mentally, and spiritually, but we collectively fought to keep our campus #BUCSAFE so we could accomplish our God-given mission.  

Because of your commitment and hard work, exactly zero COVID cases have been traced to our classrooms since we resumed face-to-face classes in August. And any time we experienced a surge of cases on campus, the University Pandemic Task Force steered the ship to calmer waters to keep us afloat. Our remarkable success would have been impossible without your resilience and resolve to do what was necessary to keep us on track. For all you’ve done, I owe you one! 

As I think of your faith and God’s faithfulness along the way, these words come to mind:  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2).  The truth is that God brought us through the challenges we have faced the past 14 months, which means that nothing we face from this point forward is beyond the Lord’s ability to overcome, nor beyond our ability to trust Him to do what only He can do. 

I am grateful for you. Thank you for finishing well. In three days, we can officially say that we made our way to the first of May! PRAISE GOD! 

Our Numbers

Here are our numbers as of April 28, 2021: 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN ISOLATION: 2 
  Of these 2 students, 0 reside on campus, 2 reside off campus, and 2 are confirmed positive.
• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN QUARANTINE: 13
  Of these 13 students, 0 reside on campus, 13 reside off campus. 
• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN ISOLATION: 1 (1 confirmed positive)
• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN QUARANTINE: 2

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.

Summer Plans

CSU does not plan to provide virtual options to accompany face-to-face classes in the summer 2021 or fall 2021 terms. Students who wish to avoid in-person courses should register for online sections only. Interested in fully online programs? Check out CSU Online at charlestonsouthern.edu/online. 

Masks, physical distancing, and LiveSafe screening will continue during the summer. The task force will make further recommendations for the fall, but much is dependent on widespread vaccination and herd immunity in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned. And get excited. 

Stay #BUCSAFE

I’ll take a moment to thank every member of the University Pandemic Task Force for their time, talents, and dedication to keeping our campus safe and healthy. God truly placed you all at CSU for such a time as this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart: 

Prof. Laurel Glover
Mr. Luke Blackmon
Ms. Casey Bolduc
Rev. Clark Carter
Dr. Jackie Fish
Dr. Marshall Forrester
Mrs. Jenna Johnson
Mrs. Jan Mims
Mr. Steele Morris
Dr. Christine Palmer
Dr. Gabby Poole
Dr. Michael Shipe
Mrs. Lindsey Walke
                …and the many subcommittee members who also worked tirelessly. 

Have a safe and healthy summer! As always, let’s spread the Word, not the virus. 

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