The following message from Provost Brian McGee regarding a revised campus calendar was shared on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, as the College of Charleston campus re-opens after Hurricane Florence:

Dear students, faculty, and staff:

After several days of evacuation, I am pleased to welcome students, faculty, and staff back to the College of Charleston. 

As a result of our recent loss of class days, the College of Charleston now has a revised academic calendar for the 2018 Fall Semester. The revised calendar is posted at http://registrar.cofc.edu/calendars/index.php. The development of the revised calendar and the updated schedule included consultations with deans, department chairs, program directors, and elected student leadership. 

Please carefully review the revised schedule. You will see that some dates have not changed. The Thanksgiving holidays and Fall Break will be held as originally scheduled. Reading Day, the final examination period and the date for December commencement have not changed. There are no changes to the schedule for Express II courses. 

However, there are several important changes you should note: 

  • The Attendance Verification deadline for faculty has been extended to September 19. 
  • A makeup day has been scheduled and will be held on Saturday, October 6. October 6 will be treated as a regular Tuesday or Thursday class day for purposes of class meetings. 
  • A makeup day has been scheduled and will be held on Sunday, October 7. October 7 will be treated as a regular Monday, Wednesday, or Friday class day for purposes of class meetings.
  • At this time, no additional makeup days will be held for full-semester courses.  Instead, faculty will make additional out-of-class assignments and/or use OAKS to deliver course content so that all course objectives can be met. 
  • Makeup days have been scheduled for the sole and exclusive use of Express I course sections on Saturday, September 29 (Express I courses with Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday class meetings) and Sunday, September 30 (Express I courses with Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday class meetings).
  • Additional storm days have been designated on the revised academic calendar for November 10-11, given the possibility of additional inclement weather during the current semester. Courses will be held on those dates only if needed in the event of future course cancellations.  (These additional storm days provide more options for making up any additional lost class time. They do not suggest that other makeup options will not be considered.)

 The makeup day schedules on October 6-7 may require students taking multiple one-day-a-week courses or labs to manage some conflicts involving their makeup class meetings. Students should work with their faculty to determine how to manage any conflicts in their makeup class schedules for the October 6-7 makeup days. In some cases, students may need to split time between two makeup class meetings. 

Students in the Charleston Bridge Program should attend classes as scheduled, beginning on Tuesday, September 18. Charleston Bridge students will find a revised Fall 2018 academic calendar on the Charleston Bridge Program channel in MyCharleston. See http://registrar.cofc.edu/pdf/charleston-bridge/fall-2018-charleston-bridge-academic-calendar.pdf

Regrettably, the revised calendar will pose challenges for some students, staff, and faculty in respecting religious obligations and managing work schedules. The College is committed to using both Saturdays and Sundays for makeup days, as we know that religious observances occur on both weekend dates for the members of our community. 

While waiting for this revised calendar to be published, some people have asked if the College is required to make up for lost class time.  The short answer to the question is that federal and other regulations necessitate we have a makeup plan. All members of our community can be assured that every option we could imagine was carefully considered. It may be helpful to know that we are reluctant to make modifications to the end-of-semester schedule at the present time, as we need to preserve those options in the event of another bout of severe weather. 

I thank all members of our community for their flexibility as we adjust to the new realities imposed by the Florence evacuation. We look forward to seeing you back on campus and in our residence halls, offices, and classes. Thankfully, we are returning to a city spared the effects of the storm. I know we all hope for the speedy recovery of those communities that experienced the most severe weather.    

Sincerely,

Brian McGee

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs