Parent and Family News-August 11, 2020

Volume 3 - Issue 2, August 11, 2020

In This Issue:

Welcome, Pacers!

The first day of class is August 20! We look forward to seeing new and returning Pacers, and we know they will be smiling behind those masks.

Whether your students have in-person, online, or hybrid classes, we wish them the very best as they start a new academic year.

A special welcome to new Pacer families!

Please let us know if you need assistance or have any questions. You can write to parents@usca.edu or call 803-641-2825.

Pacer Ready, Set, Return

UofSC Aiken COVID-19 Mitigation Plan

Much planning took place over the summer to prepare for fall term.

The University of South Carolina Aiken is managing unprecedented circumstances, and will continue helping students graduate with a college degree. We want students to learn, grow, and keep moving forward in a secure environment.

Please partner with us. We encourage you to have conversations with your students now so they realize COVID-19 mitigation is a shared responsibility. Impress upon them what this will mean each day:

Wear a mask
Abide by campus signage
Physical distance
Be accountable even when off campus
Be kind to others, especially those who are new Pacers.

Please read the UofSC Aiken Mitigation Plan and review this with your student. In addition, please bookmark and view our

Pacer Ready website.

This site has up-to-date information and includes a series of videos on Preparing for Fall 2020.

Virtual Career Fair

and

Part-time Job & Internship Information Table

The above virtual career fair is geared toward seniors. Some organizations have internship opportunities, but most of the positions are full-time and may not be located in the immediate area. Students can register here.

The below opportunity is in-person and open to all students. What a great way for them to begin career networking!

Career Services has been promoting both these events to students and hopes to see many attend.

Final Summer Orientation

for New Students and Families

UofSC Aiken will host its last orientation on August 18. This session will be held on campus.

Please be aware that students will be limited to bringing one guest so we can abide by Governor McMaster's Executive Order to minimize large groups in confined areas.

Students can register themselves and one guest here. You can watch several videos now to become more familiar with everything UofSC Aiken!

We encourage you to take advantage of resources at UofSC Aiken's parent and family website.

Housing and Residence Life

Residential students should have received a packet of information in the mail and the final of three emails which explained this year's move-in process.

Please make sure you see the material in the packet as some of this information will be helpful, such as:

Students must bring medical documentation of negative COVID-19 test results to move-in.

Each packet contains a colored sheet with your student's unique move-in day and time. Please place it on the dash of your car where welcome attendants can see it.

To prevent overcrowding in dormitories, each student is permitted two helpers.

Students and their helpers must wear masks.

Adhere to your student's move-in day and time.

If your student has not received a packet in the mail or the three emails, or if you have questions, please write to housing@usca.edu or call 803-641-3790.

Town Hall

with

Dr. Sandra Jordan, Chancellor

Not able to watch Dr. Jordan's Parent and Family Town Hall meeting on July 27? No Worries!

Click here to listen as Dr. Sandra Jordan, UofSC Aiken chancellor, discusses exciting initiatives like the DreamPort Cybersecurity and Advanced Manufacturing collaboratives and how students will benefit from having those sites on campus. She also discusses being Pacer Ready this fall, campus building improvements, and how UofSC Aiken is fulfilling its strategic plan, Leading Forward.

Student Photo IDs and Parking Decals

Students who need a photo ID must bring a valid driver's license, state-issued ID card, military ID, or passport to the campus police office near Pacer Downs. Students who already have a UofSC Aiken photo ID do not need a new one issued every year as it automatically activates upon class registration.

Photo IDs are used for:

Dorm access
Meal plan and declining balance
Pacer Print,
Library and bookstore services
Building access.

Student vehicle parking decals, valid until August 31, 2021, are available now. Current decals will expire at the end of this month.

Parking decals and photo IDs can be obtained Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m - 5 p.m.

Financial Aid Important Dates

Message from the Bookstore

Thank you to students who ordered books online earlier this summer and had them shipped home. It's not too late to purchase books online, but now students would pick them up at the bookstore.

For online purchases, before the first day of class (August 20), please:

Purchase books through the Pacer Shoppe website
Choose the Pick Up option so books are ready when the student arrives.

For in-store purchases, please:

Wear a mask.
Bring a print out of the student's schedule including department, course and section number.
For safety reasons, staff cannot handle student phones so a paper copy is required.
Realize we cannot permit more than 40 people in the bookstore at one time.

Beginning Monday, Aug.17, the UofSC Aiken Pacer Shoppe hours are 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday - Friday. For general bookstore questions, click here. For questions related specifically to textbooks, click here.

Alumna Lands Job Before Graduation

While the coronavirus may have thwarted plans for a traditional graduation, it had no impact on job prospects for one Pacer. Read more.

Counseling Center Available

The staff of the Counseling Center is available all summer long! Call the center at 803-641-3609 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. til 5 p.m. If your student is already seeing a counselor, they may email them directly to arrange a phone consultation. Contact Cindy Gelinas at CindyG@usca.edu or Dana Cullum at DanaC@usca.edu .

For after-hours resources, call the Aiken Helpline at 2-1-1 or 1-877-648-9900 (https://aikenhelpline211.org/site/ ) or the National Disaster Distress Hotline 24/7/365. Calls (1-800-985-5990; press "2" for Spanish) and texts (text TalkWithUs to 66746) are answered by trained counselors from a network of independently-operated crisis centers located across the U.S.

We encourage students to use these resources and to check out our website.