COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina dropped its new indoor mask mandate after S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson told the state's largest college it was violating the state Legislature's intentions.
The mandate, adopted July 30, was removed after fours days on Aug. 3, except in university health care facilities and on campus buses.
"I deeply respect all persons’ rights to make their own choices, and I respect our federal and state governments’ roles in guiding our university," USC Interim President Harris Pastides wrote in a statement. "I remain committed to encouraging all Gamecocks to wear face coverings and to get vaccinated for the benefit of themselves and others."
In his letter to Pastides, Wilson admitted a recently passed budget amendment overseeing what state colleges could do about mask requirements was "inartfully worded" and "ambiguous."
USC had interpreted the amendment to mean state universities could not impose mask mandates only on unvaccinated students and staff. The school imposed the rule to everyone going inside campus buildings starting July 30.
But Wilson said USC, his alma mater, should not have taken the language of the amendment so literally and faced losing state funding for imposing a mask rule.
"It is our understanding that the (amendment), while inartfully worded, was intended to prohibit the mandatory wearing of masks, as reflected in its use of the language 'without being required to wear a face mask,' " Wilson wrote to Pastides. "It is important that the university, not only abide by the (amendment), but that it protect the constitutional liberty of students, faculty and staff."
Pastides acknowledged that Wilson's opinion that the General Assembly intended to stop public colleges from requiring masks led to USC's reversal.
"We continue to strongly encourage the use of face coverings indoors, except in private offices or residence hall rooms or while eating in campus dining facilities," Pastides wrote Aug. 3.
Before USC's latest decision, S.C. lawmakers had said they could close the college mask loophole when they meet in September to debate legislative redistricting and what to with federal COVID aid. Legislators did ban mask requirements from K-12 schools across South Carolina and halted vaccine requirements at K-12 schools and colleges.
USC was the only major state public college requiring masks as COVID cases have risen sharply statewide in recent weeks. Mask-wearing was voluntary at other schools.
Richland County, where USC's main 35,000-student campus is based, has suffered among the biggest per capita new case rates in South Carolina. The new mask requirement did not apply to USC's other seven campuses outside of Columbia.
In July, Wilson challenged the College of Charleston's plans for regular testing of unvaccinated students.
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USC drops COVID mask requirement after SC attorney general says it violated state rules - Charleston Post Courier
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