Required Testing for Students, Faculty and Staff

Consistent with university policy, any individual intentionally violating testing requirements will be referred to student or employee disciplinary processes.

Required Monthly Testing for Students

Students in the following categories will be required to be tested once every 30 days throughout the semester:

• Students living in university-owned or -leased housing (residence halls, 650 Lincoln, Park Place, Greek Village, Greene Crossing and YOUnion)
• Students who are part of a Greek Village dining plan
• Students registered for at least one face-to-face or hybrid course as determined by the Registrar on Dec. 15 
• Incoming first year students, transfer students and change of campus students who will be residing in campus housing (as outlined above) or registered for at least one face-to-face or hybrid course
• Students wishing to access campus resources like Thomas Cooper Library, Russell House and Campus Recreation facilities and programs

Weekly testing will begin Sunday, Jan. 24. Students will receive a notification email on the Sunday of the week that their group is scheduled for testing, and they will have until 11:59 p.m. the following Sunday to participate in on-campus testing or to submit documentation of outside testing to be compliant. Nasal tests, saliva tests and antigen/rapid tests are all acceptable forms of testing.

Students who fall under the testing requirement have been sorted into four groups. On-campus students have been sorted by living environment and off-campus students have been sorted alphabetically:

Expand allGroup One

On campus:

• East Quad
• Green Quad
• McBryde
• Preston
• South Quad
• South Tower

Off campus:

• Last name starts with Aa through Du

Testing weeks:

• Jan. 24-31
• Feb. 21-28
• March 21-28

Group Two

On campus:

• Capstone
• Columbia
• McClintock
• Patterson
• Sims
• Wade Hampton

Off campus:

• Last name starts with Dv through Ks

Testing weeks:

• Jan. 31-Feb. 7
• Feb. 28-March 7
• March 28-April 4

Group Three

On campus:

• Bates House
• Desaussure
• Greek Village
• Harper-Elliott
• Honors
• Maxcy
• Pinckney-Legare
• Rutledge
• Thornwell
• Woodrow

Off campus:

• Last name starts with Kt through Rh

Testing weeks:

• Feb. 7-14
• March 7-14
• April 4-11

Group Four

On campus:

• 650 Lincoln
• Greene Crossing
• Park Place
• YOUnion

Off campus:

• Last name starts with Ri through Zz, and foreign keyboard characters

Testing weeks:

• Feb. 14-21
• March 14-21
• April 11-18

 

Consequences for Non-Compliance

The Monday following a group's scheduled test week, students who are non-compliant will receive a message from Student Health Services through the MyHealthSpace portal notifying them that they are in violation of the testing requirements. The sanctions will escalate according to the following schedule:

• First missed deadline: warning
• Second missed deadline: $100 fine
• Third missed deadline: $250 fine and interim suspension
• Fourth missed deadline: recommendation of suspension

Students contesting the finding of non-compliance can request an administrative hearing with the Office of Student Conduct.

Testing Exemptions

To be exempted from monthly testing, you must provide results from a nasal test, saliva test, an antigen/rapid test or antibody test showing a positive result less than or equal to 90 days before your Sunday selection.*

If you will not be returning to the Columbia campus, despite a face-to-face or hybrid label on one or more of your classes, you can request a testing exemption for the spring 2021 semester. Login to MyHealthSpace using your UofSC username and password and then, on the next screen, your date of birth. Click on "Downloadable Forms" and scroll down to the UofSC COVID Testing Exemption Request. Complete and re-upload this form to request your testing exemption.

If you receive both doses of the coronavirus vaccine and submit proof of vaccination, you will be exempt from the monthly testing requirement. You can upload your vaccine card at MyHealthSpace as proof of your test. Click Messages, click "New Message" and then choose the button “I want to upload COVID Test Results or Proof of COVID Vaccination."

 

Testing Process for Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff in the following categories will be required to be tested once every 30 days throughout the semester:

• Faculty and staff who will be reporting to work regularly on campus or any university-maintained location
• Faculty and staff wishing to access campus resources like Thomas Cooper Library, Russell House and Campus Recreation facilities and programs

Faculty and staff will receive an email one Sunday per month notifying them that they must get tested between the following Monday through Friday. They must participate in on-campus testing or submit documentation of outside testing to be compliant. Nasal tests, saliva tests and antigen/rapid tests are all acceptable forms of testing. Faculty and staff have been divided into four testing groups as follows:

Expand allGroup One

Last names starting with Dv-Ks

Testing weeks:

• Jan. 31-Feb. 7
• Feb. 28-March 7
• March 28-April 4

Group Two

Last names starting with Kt-Rh

Testing weeks:

• Feb. 7-14
• March 7-14
• April 4-11

Group Three

Last names starting with Ri -Zz, and foreign keyboard characters

Testing weeks:

• Feb. 14-21
• March 14-21
• April 11-18

Group Four

Last names starting with Aa-Du

Testing weeks:

• Feb. 21-28
• March 21-28
• April 18-25

Consequences for Non-Compliance

The Provost's Office will be notified of all faculty members who are expected to be working on campus but are not in compliance with the requirement.

Staff failure to comply will lead to an oral warning, a written reprimand and escalation to the University Employee Relations department. Staff who cannot demonstrate compliance may not continue to work on campus and must use annual leave or leave without pay to cover hours scheduled for on-campus work.

Testing Exemptions

To be exempted from monthly testing, you must provide results from a nasal test, saliva test, an antigen/rapid test or antibody test showing a positive result less than or equal to 90 days before your Sunday selection.*

If you receive both doses of the coronavirus vaccine and submit proof of vaccination, you will be exempt from the monthly testing requirement. You can upload your vaccine card at MyHealthSpace as proof of your test. Click Messages, click "New Message" and then choose the button “I want to upload COVID Test Results or Proof of COVID Vaccination."

If any faculty or staff member has questions about the required return testing, who is subject to the requirement, or how compliance will be monitored, please contact HR Operations and Services at saladmin@mailbox.sc.edu.

 

 

COVID-19 Questions

For any questions or concerns about coronavirus that have not been addressed on this page, please contact us using the form below.