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The front of University of South Carolina’s student union, Russell House sits at the heart of campus. Credit: Landon Stamper<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_margin=”10px|||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n
High school seniors\u00a0Megan Eubanks and Addie Stamper lost the end of high school due to COVID-19, but now face the possibility of losing the beginning of college.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an April 24 memo, University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen said, \u201c<\/span>While we do not yet know the full financial impact of COVID-19 on our normal operations, one thing is certain: normal will look different in the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n University of South Carolina officials said key decisions about the fall semester \u2013\u00a0including whether students will return to campus or continue classes online \u2013 are expected to be announced between May 15 and June 15.<\/span><\/p>\n Eubanks hasn\u2019t been in a classroom for over a month. The senior from Greenville\u00a0will be a freshman at the University of South Carolina in the fall.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to lie, it sucks. I\u2019ve been waiting for these two months my whole life,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n In the fall, she wants to major in marine science and one day work in marine biology. She also hopes to play the piccolo for the Carolina Band.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Eubanks said she\u2019d be \u201cdevastated\u201d if she wasn\u2019t able to start college on campus, but would still take classes if school goes online in order to stay busy and on track to graduate in May 2024. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want it to come between what I want to do,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cI\u2019d be heartbroken, but eventually I\u2019d just deal with it,\u201d Eubanks said.<\/span><\/p>\n Addie Stamper, a high school senior from Kernersville, North Carolina, is expecting to start her college career at UofSC in the fall, with plans to major in exercise science.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stamper said UofSC has been her first choice school for years. H<\/span>er brother, Landon, is a\u00a0graduating senior and her mother, Tara, received her\u00a0a master’s degree from the school.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI hope coronavirus doesn\u2019t affect the fall semester too much,\u201d Stamper said. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to football games, tailgates and rushing, so I hope everything will be back to normal by then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tara Stamper, Addie\u2019s mother, never expected\u00a0her children\u2019s senior years \u00a0– one in high school and one in college – would be so disrupted this way.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I was anticipating a senior soccer season with Addie, attending two graduations and all of these senior-type events that have now either been cancelled or suspended,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Since the Stamper\u2019s live out-of-state, Tara has some concerns about the reality of her daughter enrolling\u00a0at UofSC if the fall semester\u2019s classes are online.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI would have a hard time paying an out-of-state tuition for her to be here [at home] doing solely online learning,\u201d Tara Stamper said. \u201c<\/span>I think we would have a serious conversation about perhaps staying here and just doing online school at a local community college, versus being enrolled in the university.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it would be a hard decision, deciding between if I would still want to go there as opposed to just doing online work at a community college. I feel like I would probably still end up going though,\u201d Addie Stamper said.<\/span><\/p>\n In an email addressing students and their families on April 22, President Caslen said the university is working with the Department of Education to distribute funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. This funding gives cash grants to students who have had disruptions in their education due to COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Act says we have up to a year to distribute these funds, but we feel it is best to do so as soon as possible,\u201d he said in the email.<\/span><\/p>\n In early April university administration created a Future Planning Group, or FPG, to the community\u2019s questions about the Fall 2020 semester. The group has seven committees: academics and research; admissions and enrollment; communications; finance; Gamecock athletics; public health; and public safety.<\/span><\/p>\n Caslen said the FPG is planning for best, most likely and worst-case scenarios. \u201cWe will continue to consider every plausible scenario,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want you to know that nothing will make me happier than having our students back on campus. We miss them terribly and can\u2019t wait to have them back,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fall2020.P2.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 1″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” 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header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n Addie Stamper, an incoming UofSC freshman, wants to major in exercise science.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fall2020.P1.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 2″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” 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box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n Megan Eubanks, incoming UofSC freshman, will major in marine science and hopes to join the Carolina Band.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/influenza.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 3″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Members of UofSC’s incoming class lost the end of their high school experience to COVID-19. 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