Virtual Commencement, NC Executive Order and January Return Schedule

Virtual Commencement

The University will celebrate Winter Commencement for our Gardner-Webb University December graduates tomorrow, Saturday, December 12. The virtual ceremony will premiere at 10:00am. It will be available on the Gardner-Webb website, on Facebook, and on YouTube. A Winter Commencement program is also available online. As a new graduate, you’re now among our alumni, and you can stay connected on the GWU Alumni Facebook page.

Congratulations Runnin’ Bulldog graduates! We are very proud of what you’ve accomplished!

Campus Activities and North Carolina Executive Orders

As in most years, we will have some students with us on campus during the Christmas break. This past week North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ordered a statewide curfew beginning tonight, December 11 and continuing through January 8, 2021. This curfew is in effect from 10:00PM until 5:00AM. It will impact our residential students who remain on campus or return to campus during this time period. Those students will need to be in their own residence halls by 10:00PM and remain until 5:00 AM or they will be in violation of the Governor’s curfew. The campus is not closed, and regular work taking place on campus during those hours is an exception and may continue as always. More information on the Executive Order is available here.

January Return Schedule

As a reminder, the first day of classes on campus has been moved out by a single week. Instead of campus classes starting Wednesday, January 6, they will now start Wednesday, January 13. All students returning to campus for class, including commuters, must be tested for COVID-19 before they return to their residence halls or before attending class.

Individual student ID cards, which include residence hall access, will not be activated until a negative test is received. Free on-campus COVID-19 testing will be conducted January 10, 11 and 12, from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. Student-athletes will be tested at the football center, and all other students will be tested in the LYCC parking lot. You may remain in your vehicle for the test, and there will be multiple lines to accommodate traffic. These are Rapid-Tests and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. These tests will be performed on a first-come, first-served basis.

These Rapid-Tests are required for all students returning to campus for class unless:

• You provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test in the 72 hours prior to returning to campus or,
• You provide documentation of a positive COVID-19 test in the 90 days prior to returning to campus.
• A positive Rapid-Test returned on January 10, 11 and 12 will require immediate isolation either on campus or by returning home.

Stay safe and healthy, Bulldogs!