East Georgia State College is making plans to resume classes in the fall semester of 2021 with full operations and will offer a complete campus experience for students in campus housing. All campus services will be fully functioning, including campus dining, student activities, and athletics. EGSC’s campuses in Augusta and Statesboro, hosted on Augusta University and Georgia Southern University, will resume operations under the same guidelines as the main campus in Swainsboro.
The decision to resume full operations comes after the college temporarily suspended instruction in March of 2020 for two weeks and then continued the remainder of the semester in an online format because of COVID-19. Over the summer EGSC worked to come up with a safe plan as students returned for the fall semester. Protective face coverings are required in all campus buildings. Classrooms and other areas have been moved around so students can be a safe distance apart. Extra hand sanitizing stations were added around campus along with signs notifying students and employees of all the new rules on campus. The EGSC webpage has an online form for students and employees to fill out if they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who may have COVID-19.
Students are now nearing the end of the spring semester and the second semester that these new guidelines have been in place. With the wide availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, students should return to college in the fall with every confidence that the campus has prepared for the safety of the students. As usual, some online classes are available for students who prefer that mode of instruction. EGSC will continue to monitor the spread of COVID in the area. The college has a contingency plan in place to ensure that instruction continues seamlessly in case of an emergency campus closure.
“I am excited that students will be back on campus and engaging in face-to-face classes. I look forward to club meetings resuming and student activities returning to normal,” said Dr. Sandra Sharman, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “The scourge of COVID, thankfully, has not greatly impacted our campus family. It will be wonderful to come together, again, and provide an exceptional educational experience for our students.”
