USC considering suspending more than 50 students for violating coronavirus protocols
Hundreds of University of South Carolina students have been reported to the school’s office for student conduct for violating health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, and more than 50 are facing suspension, university president Bob Caslen said.
But Caslen and other university officials urged students to stay vigilant in combating the spread of the novel coronavirus, even as active cases decline across campus. His comments came Tuesday in a virtual town hall for students and parents.
After reporting Friday a slight uptick in cases on campus to 39, officials announced Tuesday that there are now 33 active cases. As testing ramps up following a brief pause in early September, the percentage of positive tests from Friday to Monday was 0.5%, the lowest it has been since students began returning to campus in August.
That relatively few number of cases defied officials’ expectations, Caslen said during the town hall, noting they thought there would be a natural increase after the Labor Day holiday weekend.
“To the students, I want to say thank you,” Caslen said.
He cited their compliance with protocols, including social distancing and mask wearing, as key in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Still, there are some students who have not followed those protocols, and Caslen pledged disciplinary action would be taken.
The university has already suspended six Greek life organizations and 15 students for breaking COVID-19 safety rules, according to the Associated Press.
“We currently have about 800 students that have been referred to Student Conduct for violations, and over 50 students are being considered for suspension because of those ordinance violations,” Caslen said Tuesday.
Those ordinances have primarily been aimed at limiting parties and social gatherings where the virus has been shown to spread easily. Those ordinances, put in place by Gov. Henry McMaster and Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, were the result of good partnerships with USC, Caslen said.
Increasing testing
Caslen also suggested that the decline in virus activity might be the result of some sort of immunity built up in the student population. With 2,444 confirmed cases among more than 35,000 students, South Carolina is still well short of the typical infection rates thought to be needed for herd immunity, experts say. Experts say 70% of the population in the United States would need to recover from COVID-19 or get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, according to The Mayo Clinic.
Caslen said university health officials will continue to expand testing, especially antibody testing, to see how many students have actually been exposed the virus.
In addition, university officials said they will push for more testing to match new recommendations from the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Specifically, Caslen set a goal of at least 3,750 students being tested every week to monitor the spread of the virus.
The vast majority of cases have been among white, female students — 85% have been white, 63% have been women, according to data detailed by Dr. Lee Pearson, the school’s associate dean for operations. In a pandemic that has been noted for disproportionately affecting minority populations, those numbers were not what the administration expected, Pearson said.
Officials attributed those case counts to different demographic groups getting tested at disparate rates — white, female students have been far more likely to be tested, Pearson said. In order to combat that, officials said they randomly selected 15,000 students who they will personally invite to be tested via email in the coming weeks. There will also be incentives for testing, with T-shirts and other giveaways.
