Students at the University of South Carolina and community individuals are concerned with the health and safety of our members and workers at UofSC and the public they serve. Our goal is to make sure that students, faculty, and staff are provided the most comprehensive safety and prevention measures in an environment that encourages them to engage in open and free communication without fear of reprisal or negative impacts on pay, paid leave, continued employment, or housing. We are thankful for the current efforts made by UofSC to protect the health and safety of the community by having an additional week off and having classes online. To further protect us, we would also like the following to be met: 

Employment

1. That UofSC guarantee paid time off for all employees who will not be working during the period of time that normal university operations are suspended. This includes:
   1. Undergraduate and graduate student employees
   2. Faculty whose classes or other responsibilities may be cancelled
   3. Staff members
   4. Contract employees and third party workers including but not limited to food service workers, security guards, and cleaning staff;
2. That UofSC guarantee all stipend employees be paid during the Spring Semester;
3. That UofSC guarantee all returning workers the option to resume employment when full operations are restored on campus;
4. That UofSC guarantee student workers not be required to work in person until it is safe to do so and the normal class schedule is reestablished as well as ensure supervisors do not force student workers to “volunteer” their work;
5. That UofSC guarantee the safety of student workers, staff and faculty by cancelling admitted students day, open house, and other such events that would put workers at risk and provide full refunds for students who made travel and lodging arrangements to these events;

Campus Operations

1. That UofSC clarify, in one clear and succinct document, which facilities will be open during the remainder of Spring semester, and which services will be available for students;
2. That UofSC Hours of operation for the libraries, academic buildings, student centers of all campuses;
   1. Hours of operation for the dining halls and Russell House University Union;
   2. Hours of operation for the Gamecock pantry;
   3. Availability of University Counseling Services, Student Legal Services, Health Services, and other services normally available to students;
3. That UofSC guarantees to continue access of health services in order to allow students to access primary care, pharmaceutical needs, and counseling needs;

Campus Housing

1. That UofSC guarantee in writing that no student will go homeless or be returned to an unsafe housing situation as a result of dorm move-out or not meeting the extenuating circumstances allowed to stay;
2. That a partial refund for housing and meals be provided to students who are forced out of their dorms by Tuesday, March 18. Since students are unable to live in the dorms and use the meal plans purchased at the beginning of the year, we request a refund for the weeks they are unable to live on campus. A petition for a partial refund by the Young Democratic Socialists currently has over 3,000 signatures. You can find that petition at: https://www.change.org/p/robert-caslen-give-a-partialhousing-and-meal-plan-refund-at-the-university-of-south-carolina.
3. That UofSC clarify the process by which they are approving students’ requests to remain in housing for the remainder of Spring semester, and the criteria they are using to make the decision;
4. That UofSC provide students to waive claim clean-up or additional dorm fees during emergency move-out;

Courses

While we encourage that classes are held virtually for the remainder of the semester to protect students, staff and faculty and that further notice is provided if the online curriculum is extended, we also ask:

1. That UofSC ensure all professors are trained in facilitating online classes and making them accessible to disabled students;
2. That UofSC provide services and equipment to ensure online classes are accessible to all disabled students;
3. That UofSC provide facilities or equipment on campus for students without internet access to access online classes;
4. That professors consider the crisis students are currently facing as their lives are being uprooted and their health and that of their friends and family is potentially being impacted when considering grades for the semester. Classes in other schools are considering semesters without grades to be conscious of the pressure students are currently under. We ask that UofSC consider taking this approach;

Future Communications

Although we understand that decisions impacting UofSC students, faculty, and staff are not taken lightly, we:

1. Encourage UofSC to be more transparent with updates going forward and provide a summary of updates within 2 hours of the decision being made;
2. Allow and guarantee for scheduled thesis and dissertation defenses to take place and encourage defenses to be done using a virtual approach and/or committee members only;
3. Ask that UofSC be transparent with how this will impact commencement in a timely manner, as students and families are making arrangements several months in advance to prepare;
4. Ask that future decisions include the input of student workers, faculty, staff, and the general student body, since decisions being made can potentially adversely impact their health, well being, and livelihood

We demand that UofSC release a statement in which they commit to meeting these demands by no later than Wednesday, March 18, and that they provide clarification on all of these questions as soon as possible out of courtesy to the students and community members of the UofSC. 

We appreciate UofSC’s response to this crisis and their cooperation with students and community members. We look forward to a productive dialogue that will ensure the safety and well being of all those impacted by these difficult decisions.

 

Signed,

University of South Carolina Students for Justice in Palestine

University of South Carolina Young Democratic Socialists of America

Columbia branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation