Student Academic Guidance - Coastal Carolina University
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STUDENT ACADEMIC GUIDANCE

Please follow the links below to review academic guidance for students. Revisit this page for new updates throughout the 2021-2022 academic year.

COVID-19 Student Academic Guidance

Are face coverings/masks required in classrooms?

Masking guidelines are fully described in the University Health Guidelines.  Briefly, face coverings/masks are required in selected areas on campus and on public transportation, but they are optional in most classrooms and classroom buildings.  We encourage individuals to be respectful of others in recognizing their personal decisions to either wear or not wear a mask. COVID-19 prevention guidance from the CDC and DHEC continues to recommend that everyone, including those who are fully vaccinated, wear their masks in indoor public places in areas with substantial and high transmission. 

What procedure should I follow if I test positive for COVID-19 or if I suspect I may have COVID-19 or have been closely exposed to a positive case?

Contact tracing will continue in order to identify students who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have been exposed through close contact to a positive COVID-19 individual. Students should self-isolate if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have any symptoms related to COVID-19, without a known underlying cause (see the CDC website for a list of COVID-19 related symptoms), or they should self-quarantine if they have been closely exposed to a positive case.  Students should carefully follow the recommended procedures for Reporting a COVID-19 Incident, but these are the major points for YOU, the student, to keep in mind:

  • You should immediately notify the COVID-19 Call Center by e-mail at covid@coastal.edu to provide your information.  A CCU contact tracer will follow-up for contact tracing and provide a quarantine/isolation letter via your Coastal email.
  • You should self-quarantine (close contact) or self-isolate (COVID-19 diagnosis) while waiting for a University contact tracer to contact you.
  • YOU are responsible for notifying your professors of your quarantine/isolation period and that you have already notified Student Health Services. It is YOUR responsibility to communicate with each of your professors and discuss arrangements for alternative learning activities, makeup work, or remote instruction. Such arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis and will depend on the nature of the course material. Absences due to isolation will be considered excused with appropriate documentation (which will be provided by your Call Center contact tracer), but again it is your responsibility to initiate and continue your contact with the Call Center.

Are absences due to COVID excused?

Yes. The instructional guidance under which Coastal Carolina University faculty operate states,

“If a student is placed in quarantine or isolation in response to a positive Covid-19 test or contract tracing, those absences (assuming documentation) would be excused, and faculty should work with absent students as they would in any other excused absence situation."

Students bear responsibility for notifying their instructors of their COVID-related absences, including providing documentation of their start and end dates.  If a student is placed in quarantine or isolation by a health care professional or contact tracer, they (Student Health Services) should provide documentation for students to share with their instructors.  If a student initiates self-quarantining or self-isolation, they should follow the instructions below.  Questions can be directed to the COVID-19 Call Center (843-349-4100). 

How can I make up my work during or after my COVID-related absences from class? 

Faculty will accommodate students with excused absences, and those accommodations will take various forms. Accommodations are determined by the content of the class and the instructional expertise of the faculty member. For some classes, streaming to students who are absent might be the best option. In other classes, the instructor may set up separate office hours, review sessions, or alternative assignments.

For students who are unable to attend class but are asymptomatic, it would be best to continue working on class material and participate to the extent possible. For students who are experiencing symptoms and are unable to complete remote classwork, the instructor will work with the students to catch up upon recovery. In unusual cases, course incompletes may be necessary.

There is not a one-size-fits all solution; patience and flexibility on the part of both students and faculty are necessary to allow this university to continue to operate in the face of a serious public health challenge.