Here’s when Coastal Carolina University’s mask mandate will end after board vote
Coastal Carolina University students and staff will no longer be required to wear masks on campus after the end of the fall semester, the school’s board of trustees voted Monday.
At a special meeting Monday, university President Michael T. Benson recommended extending the mask mandate through Dec. 13, when the semester ends for CCU students. Travel over the Thanksgiving holiday could increase the spread of the virus, and keeping the mask requirement in place through the end of the semester would help mitigate the spread, he said.
“Going home for Thanksgiving, coming back for a week of classes, then finals is challenging,” said Jim Solazzo, who analyzes student success at the university. “Getting sick in the midst of all that makes it even more challenging.
Benson highlighted the desire for students to attend class in person instead of online, and attributed the school’s ability to continue in-person learning partially to the mask requirement. Solazzo said the university’s retention rate has increased to 87.6% from last year’s rate of 79% for freshmen returning to the university after fall semester, and the in-person classes could be a reason for that.
Board members entered an executive session to discuss the mask mandate’s possible legal implications, as masks on campus have been a hot-button issue in South Carolina courts since the beginning of the school year. After emerging from executive session, the board voted to end the mandate at the end of the semester.
The mandate has been in place since August and requires anyone on campus to wear face coverings indoors. The university has reported 471 cases so far this semester, according to CCU’s COVID-19 data.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 5:10 PM.
