College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu shared the following message with the campus community on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022:
Dear Campus Community,
Almost two years have elapsed since I wrote to many of you in March 2020 to announce that, due to rising COVID-19 cases around the U.S. and the world, all classes would be conducted online for the remainder of that spring semester. At the time, we were hopeful that our pivot to remote instruction would be a temporary inconvenience and that life would quickly return to normal. As we all know, that’s not what happened.
Since then, we have done everything that our public health experts have asked of us: we’ve been vaccinated and boosted, frequently tested, worn face masks, limited our social interactions and become adept at online work, teaching and learning. For all of these reasons and more, I thank you. It is because of each of you, your actions and your sacrifices, that the Omicron surge is abating on our campus and in our community. The same appears to be true across South Carolina and the rest of the country.
As current infection rates on campus, in our community and across the nation continue their steady downward decline, the College is currently exploring options to begin easing and/or lifting many of the restrictions that are currently in place, perhaps as early as March. These possible changes would be in alignment with adjustments being made by many other universities as well as local and state governments.
Our CofC COVID-19 Leadership Team continues to evaluate all options, and the College is taking a gradual approach and not adopting any changes to our campus protocols immediately. The easing and/or lifting of any restrictions and the exact timeline for implementation will depend heavily on where the science and data lead us and will be announced in the days and weeks ahead.
I am announcing our intentions now in hopes that they will serve as an incentive for all of you to continue following current campus protocols until we are able to formally announce updated campus guidelines. Until then, please remain vigilant in your efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 by getting vaccinated, boosted, tested and wearing face masks indoors.
Let us all remain hopeful that conditions continue to improve and that this spring semester marks the beginning of our reemergence from the COVID-19 pandemic and our transition to a new normal. Having endured the unprecedented challenges of the past two years, let us all take pride in the collective optimism, resilience and strength we have displayed and recognize just how far we have come.
Sincerely,
Andrew
Andrew T. Hsu, Ph.D.
President