| College of Charleston issues warning amid surge in cases, reports of student partying By Jenna Schiferl Jan 25, 2021 Updated 17 hrs ago Following a spike in COVID-19 cases and reports of several large parties near the College of Charleston campus, university officials have issued a warning to students who do not adhere to the school’s mandatory safety protocol.
“Over the past 72 hours, rates of COVID-19 transmission have been very high among our campus community,” the college said in a Facebook post Saturday night. “There have been several reports of large, non-socially distanced, unmasked gatherings throughout the day.”
The message also included a reminder that there is “zero tolerance” for violating the college’s coronavirus policies, such as wearing a mask while on campus.
This summer, the college updated its code of conduct to include a provision that prohibits social gatherings of 10 or more students on or off campus. Not wearing a mask or face covering while on campus could also result in disciplinary action.
Officials warned that students’ failure to comply with the college’s COVID-19 safety protocol could lead to spring semester disruptions, such as a pivot to exclusively virtual instruction. Currently students participate in a mix of in-person, online-only and hybrid course offerings.
“The College will take every action necessary to keep our campus community safe, including closing the residence halls and campus, if necessary,” the college’s Facebook message read.
School President Andrew Hsu said in a statement he is proud of how students and staff have responded to the pandemic. For the most part, he said, individuals have been following the university’s requirements for face coverings, social distancing and limits to in-person gatherings.
“But I am very concerned about the recent increase in positive cases among our campus community and that this spike coincides with reports of students gathering in large numbers off campus while not adhering to our health and safety protocols,” Hsu said.
Students who violate these regulations could be suspended, he said, and “put our entire campus and surrounding community at risk.”
“Our students are better than this, and I know they will rally themselves and their classmates to meet this challenge,” Hsu said.
Students returned to campus from winter break in early January.
As of Monday morning there were a total of 87 active student cases, a figure that represents less than 1 percent of the total student body, according to the university’s online dashboard.
An additional 133 students are in quarantine after coming into close contact with a coronavirus-positive individual.
On Jan. 8, just three days before the start of in-person classes, the dashboard recorded a record 92 active COVID-19 cases in one day.
The second-highest number of reported coronavirus cases in one day was on Aug. 2, with 55 new cases.
To date, there have been 869 total cases among College of Charleston students since Aug. 1. In that same time period, there have been 51 employees that have tested positive for the respiratory virus.
The city of Charleston has ramped up enforcement of its mask ordinance in recent weeks in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the community.
City officials issued 141 tickets for violation of the city’s mask ordinance over an 11-day period in January, representing 40 percent of the total sanctions for bare-faced individuals since the ordinance was first enacted. | 
