No Summer Camps in Tiger Town, for now

As Clemson University continues to monitor the COVID-19 Pandemic, it was announced the cancelation, at this time of, “all in-person, main-campus athletic and academic camps and educational programs scheduled to be held this summer.”

This would mean that Dabo Swinney’s summer camps will not take place. The release leaves open the opportunity to reevaluate at a later date, but for now, things continue to be shut down.

The University could certainly change course if there is a significant development on the coronavirus front between now and June, but outside of that, it seems like camps are off for the time being. One would assume it’s also possible that camp dates could be changed if the ban is lifted as well. Swinney’s camps have typically been held in early June and this year was no different with the scheduled dates of June 2-4 and June 9-11 on the calendar.

The full release is below.

Clemson University officials continue to closely monitor COVID-19 and are actively engaged in daily planning in an effort to inform and reduce the risk to faculty, staff, students and visitors from the virus.

At this time, University officials are announcing the cancellation of all in-person, main-campus athletic and academic camps and educational programs scheduled to be held this summer.

We recognize summer experiences have positive impacts both on those participating and the entire Clemson community, but by taking these proactive steps now, we believe we’re putting our University in the strongest position possible to support our students and our University’s long-term success.

Other summer events, including off-campus programming and athletics practices and conditioning sessions, will continue to be evaluated. All statewide Clemson events are currently suspended through May 8.

RECOVERY AND REOPENING PROCESS

The University has begun planning processes for the reopening of facilities and executing a phased approach toward the resumption of on-campus operations.

The overarching priority of University leadership remains the health and safety of students, faculty and staff, and the University is committed to minimizing the potential for an outbreak at any campus with the goal to resume in-person classes and on-campus operations and activities in the fall semester.

Leaders across University divisions have been engaged in discussions for the past two weeks to coordinate efforts on a recovery framework, which will inform overall decisions relating to reopening the institution.

Any reopening decisions will occur in phases and involve daily monitoring of indicators to determine if the University can move forward, hold steady, or revert to a previous phase.

The effort involves detailed deliberations with all critical stakeholders and carefully developed criteria and protocols to implement guidance provided by local, state, federal and private public health experts.

CAMP AND PROGRAM INFORMATION

On-Campus camps and programs include:

Activities requiring any participant, staff member, or volunteer to frequent or utilize main-campus facilities for any reason

Activities using University transportation either originating or terminating on main campus during the activity

A decision about non-main campus pre-collegiate camps and programs will be made once community mitigation strategies have demonstrated a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases and other containment methods have been implemented to prevent a potential outbreak or resurgence of COVID-19.  Based on current conditions and data provided by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and numerous public and private health resources, the earliest date for this decision is anticipated to be June 15, 2020.

Organizers of camps or other programs involving minors who wish to explore options to hold their camps or programs virtually should consult with the Pre-Collegiate Programs Office prior to making any decisions or announcements.