Caslen expects jump in cases after classes start, but is confident in USC’s plan

A day before the University of South Carolina resumes in-person classes, top officials expressed confidence that most students will follow safety rules, but warned case numbers are still sure to increase.

“We know the majority of (students) are going to comply and will be happy to comply,” USC President Robert Caslen said during a Wednesday town hall with reporters. “We also know there will be exceptions and we will hold those exceptions accountable.”

Caslen touted the university’s reopening plan, which includes multiple types of coronavirus testing, contact tracing, a mask requirement, quarantine areas, modifying recreation areas, offering an online-only option for all classes, the #IPledgeColumbia drive to get people to wear masks and socially distance and more.

“We are very proud of the plan that is being put in place,” Caslen said.

Caslen also emphasized the need for the City of Columbia, landlords and other groups such as the Five Points Association to work together on solutions.

That said, Caslen made clear there will be cases at USC when tens of thousands of students return to dorms, classes and more. USC will decide whether to remain open based on its capacity to respond to new cases or if cases in Columbia begin to skyrocket, not just the raw number of new cases on campus, Caslen said.

“We’re prepared for the predictable cases that will occur when 35,000 kids return,” Caslen said.

If COVID 19 cases on campus increase to the point USC lacks the capacity to quarantine students, do contact tracking, administer testing, etc., “We stand ready to alter the plan at any moment,’ Caslen said.

As of Wednesday — student move-in was Sunday and Monday — USC is seeing between five and seven new cases per day, said Debbie Beck, an assistant vice president who is overseeing student health initiatives.

“We know those numbers will go up once we repopulate campus,” Beck said at the town hall. “We know we’re going to be able to test our students and immediately put them into quarantine.”

While other colleges throughout the country — namely Clemson University and the University of North Carolina — have backed off previous plans to resume in-person classes, USC is going forth with primarily online and in-person classes.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill initially opened with in-person classes, but reverted to online only classes this week following reports of four COVID-19 clusters over three days in dorms, apartments and a fraternity house, according to The News & Observer of Raleigh.

Asked what lessons USC has learned from watching the UNC situation unfold, Caslen said he didn’t want to be “judgemental” of what happened at UNC, but urged students to follow safety guidelines.

“Now is the time for students to act responsibly,” Caslen said. “They need only to look at other universities that have gone online recently to see the effects of bad behavior.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 1:51 PM.