As USC preps for move-in weekend, Caslen optimistic on student behavior amid COVID
With a flood of students set to return to the University of South Carolina this weekend, president Bob Caslen said Thursday he remains “optimistic” that those students’ behavior amid the coronavirus pandemic won’t be as bad as some fear.
Caslen, speaking during a virtual town with faculty and staff, cited an example he said he saw recently while leaving his office late in the evening.
“There is the sorority rush sitting on the Horseshoe, five or six groups of 20 or so women, all separated, all with masks, and I’ll tell you what, it really was just a sight to behold,” Caslen said. “Because you just wonder whether or not the students will come through, and I have full confidence they will, and it just proved itself again.”
People participating in sorority recruitment are just some of the groups who already moved in last week — Caslen also cited student-athletes and other organizations. Already, USC has conducted 7,255 tests for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to Dr. Deborah Beck, executive director of student health services.
Of that number, 3.9% of students have tested positive, Beck said during the town hall, while just 0.67% of staff members have been positive. Beck did not provide a breakdown of how many tests were for students and how many were for staff.
That percentage of positive tests remains well below the statewide average — the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control hasn’t reported a positivity rate lower than 12.9% over the past four weeks.
In order to move in to on-campus residences, students have to upload proof of a recent COVID-19 test to the university’s online health portal, Beck said. Thus far through early move-ins, there has been 100% compliance with that requirement, Beck added.
In response to questions from staff members about what the university would do to encourage students to follow health and safety protocols while off-campus, Caslen said the school’s relationships with Columbia officials, including neighborhood associations, will be key.
At the same time, Caslen said he hoped fears of unsafe behavior will prove overblown — many observers and administrators across the country have cited crowded parties at colleges without masks and social distancing as potential outbreak points for COVID.
“I want to have a realistic approach to what student behavior is going to be like, and I think that’s important,” Caslen said. “Having said that, I do still remain optimistic that student behavior will not be as big an issue as sometimes we think, although realistically I know students are students and they’re going to do what they’re going to do.”
Specifically, the nightlife district of Five Points has commonly been a gathering place for students. And in May, when South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster began easing restrictions on restaurants, the district saw a noticeable surge in young people, with many not practicing social distancing or wearing masks. That was after USC had already moved to online-only classes in March.
Caslen said the university would provide support for the city of Columbia in enforcing any social distancing or masks ordinances in Five Points. At the same time, Caslen said he hoped the faculty and staff could help instill a culture of accountability that will take pressure off law enforcement.
“I’m also counting on students to hold themselves accountable, so that it’s not just law enforcement or an official that’s making an on the spot correction, but that it’s a student to a student that’s making the on the spot correction,” Caslen said.
