March 20, 2020

Graduate Students:

I hope that you are finding ways to stay safe and to be productive as we navigate the many changes and unknowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.  I especially thank our graduate teaching assistants who have made the rapid transition from classroom to onlineinstruction.

Continue to monitor go.sc.edu/coronavirus  for the most current information for the university community, including travel restrictions and alerts, and other information from the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization.

In compliance with the governor’s executive order, the University of South Carolina made the difficult but necessary decision to continue online instruction and the campus closure through the end of the semester, including postponement of the May commencement ceremonies.  Note that the commencement ceremonies are postponed, but if you complete requirements for your respective degree this semester, you will receive a diploma with a May date.

As disappointing as this decision is for many of us, it does afford the Graduate School the opportunity to help those of you who are completing a thesis or dissertation thissemester.  I had already extended the various deadlines by a week, which was the most I could do in the context of the commencement schedule.  Now, however, I am authorizing additional extensions for this semester:

• April 17: Format Check Deadline for Thesis/Dissertation
• April 24: Defense Deadline
• May 8: Final Submission Deadline for Thesis/Dissertation

As you probably know from either the governor’s or the university’s announcement, only essential personnel are supposed to be on campus.  Because of safety concerns for personnel, all buildings will be locked, in the same manner as happens during the winter break, at the close of business on Friday, March 20, 2020.  If you need to have access to a particular building because of teaching, graduate assistantship or research responsibilities, please confirm with your supervisor/mentor/program director that you have appropriate access; in some cases, time of access through CarolinaCard may be restricted.

I and other members of the Graduate School staff continue to support your graduate education and to minimize any negative impact of this pandemic on your academic progression.  For the remainder of the semester, we will primarily work remotely, so email is the best way to communicate with any of us.  Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can do anything for you.

 

Forever to thee,

Cheryl Addy