No fall oyster roast: TCL announces fall semester plans, cancels campus events

Beaufort’s Technical College of the Lowcountry is setting “a new normal” for the fall: classes will likely be a hybrid of in-person and online instruction, and all events on campus hosted by outside groups or the college, including its annual oyster roast, will be cancelled, spokeswoman Mary Lee Carns said Thursday.

TCL moved all in-person classes online when students came back from spring break April 1.

It also committed to holding a virtual graduation ceremony for the class of 2020, which will air live on the school’s website and Facebook page at 6 p.m. Friday, Carns said.

Some 345 students will graduate with 475 associate degrees, certificates and diplomas. Graduates submitted pictures and statements to display during the ceremony, and received a free cap, program, lapel pin and a letter from college president Richard Gough in the mail, Carns said.

“It’s been really, really fun to organize and put together a virtual commencement — we’re calling it a reimagined commencement,” she said.

In addition, 2020 graduates will be invited to participate in the Class of 2021’s graduation ceremony, which will be held at Beaufort’s Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.

Classes and events for the fall

TCL’s summer classes will remain online-only, according to previous reporting by The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette.

Carns said fall classes will likely have students split into two smaller groups that trade off days learning in the classroom and at home.

In a Tuesday/Thursday class of 20 students, 10 would come in on Tuesday while the other 10 would listen online. The two groups would switch roles for the Thursday class section.

The college will also provide face masks for healthcare students, she said.

“Fall 2019 will never come again,” Carns said. “It’s going to be a new normal, and we’re excited about that, actually.”

And while TCL will “phase in” students and staff to return to buildings, outside events that would be hosted at the college — such as the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention — and events by the college — such as its annual oyster roast — will be canceled for the remainder of 2020.

“I can’t say we’re going to stay closed to the public individually, but for groups and group events, it’s closed,” Carns said of the college.