WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services renewed their declaration that the COVID-19 pandemic is a “public health emergency” (July 19, 2021); and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina is empowered to “adopt such measures and make such regulations as may be […] necessary for the proper operation of the University” (S.C. Code Ann. §59-117-40(A)); and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees states that the heart of UofSC’s mission is a “responsibility to state and society to promote the dissemination of knowledge, cultural enrichment, and an enhanced quality of life” (October 11, 2019); and

WHEREAS, one of the “common values” of the University of South Carolina, as expressed in its Carolinian Creed, is that we Gamecocks will “will demonstrate concern for others, their feelings, and their need for the conditions which support their work and development”;

THEREFORE, we, the undersigned, demand that the University of South Carolina uphold its statutory, ethical, and moral obligation to:

1. limit the spread of an illness that has already killed at least 8,800 South Carolinians;
2. follow the CDC’s current recommendations regarding the prevention of additional spread of COVID-19 such as vaccinations, the use of masks, and social distancing;
3. allow instructors, without retaliation, to set their own guidelines for classroom management, as allowed by Federal and State regulations; and resist politicization and instead use evidence-based practice and the advice of experts when making determinations for the well-being of ALL Carolinians.