COVID FAQ FOR STUDENTS
(last updated, September 27, 2021)
If you don’t find an answer here, please consult the Fall 2021 Operations Plan or contact the CCU COVID-19 Call Center at 843-349-4100.
What can I do to avoid getting COVID?
The two best things you can do to help our campus are to wear a mask and get vaccinated. Not only should you do both, but hopefully you will encourage your peers to do both. If you can, please participate in and promote Vax to the Max.
Can I win scholarship funding if I am vaccinated?
Yes! If you submit your vaccination record, you are eligible to win through the Vax to the Max program. Four $2,500 scholarships are awarded every week for 10 weeks in Fall 2021 and 10 weeks in Spring 2022. There are also two Grand Prize Scholarship Awards of a full-ride scholarship for a semester at CCU, including tuition, room, and board. Check the link above for full details.
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).
Can I make a decision to self-quarantine or self-isolate myself due to COVID?
Initiating your own quarantine or isolation is entirely appropriate under the right circumstances, as students are advised to recognize potential risk factors and act responsibility to protect their fellow students. However, this action is quite different from being advised to quarantine/isolate by a health professional or a contact tracer, and it can be unsettling for students to initiate such actions on their own without clear direction or permission. The following instructions will help to clarify the process.
The difference between self-quarantine and self-isolation is subtle. Students who self-quarantine are those who are asymptomatic but know they have had close contact exposure to a positive COVID case (such as from a family member) and therefore choose to quarantine themselves until they get further information and a COVID test result. Students who self-isolate are those who recognize they are exhibiting one or more potential COVID symptoms and similarly choose to isolate themselves until receiving further information and test results. Absences that result from a student decision to self-quarantine or self-isolate based on reasonable suspicion of exposure or illness are excused, even if the individual does not eventually test positive. In both cases, the situation should be treated like a traditional (pre-COVID) illness, such that students bear responsibility for notifying their instructors and for following up with the COVID-19 Call Center regarding their own self-care and documentation. Specifically, students should follow these steps:
- Students should contact the CCU COVID-19 Call Center at 843-349-4100 as soon as they decide to self-quarantine or self-isolate. This takes the “self” out of self-quarantine/self-isolate, which may be a great comfort to students who are wondering if they are doing the right thing. Call Center personnel will provide clear instruction regarding the best course of action, or they might even recommend that quarantine/isolation is not required. This also ensures that the University’s contact tracers have up-to-date information to identify other potential contacts.
- Students can move forward with the following procedures until they receive further instructions from the Call Center. Students should email their instructors to say that they will miss class because they have either been exposed to COVID and are self-quarantining, or they are not feeling well and are self-isolating. This starts the clock for excused absences – self-declaration is enough.
- Like in any other illness, students bear responsibility to provide evidence for their absence from class. The Call Center staff will advise students who are symptomatic to get tested for COVID-19 and provide quarantine options for asymptomatic students who are required to quarantine. Students who choose the 14-day or 10-day quarantine are not required to get tested for COVID-19. However, students who choose the 7-day quarantine option are required to get tested for COVID-19 on day 5 and submit their negative test result to covid@coastal.edu. Tests are available on campus at the Student Health Center and the Lib Jackson Student Union. The Lib Jackson location is only for asymptomatic students (NOT experiencing COVID-19 symptoms).
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.