Cal Poly will hold all spring classes online, urges students to return home
In response to the widening coronavirus outbreak, Cal Poly is encouraging its students to return home as it prepares to switch entirely to online classes for the spring quarter.
The news comes on the same day San Luis Obispo County announced a third resident has tested positive for COVID-19, and issued an emergency declaration prohibiting the sale of alcohol at bars and restaurants through Wednesday, to try to cut back on crowds of St. Patrick’s day revelers.
In an urgent email to the campus community Monday evening, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said the university will not hold in-person classes during its spring quarter in light of new guidance from the CSU Chancellor’s Office, the Centers for Disease Control and California Governor Gavin Newsom on how to address the spread of coronavirus.
The June commencement ceremonies will also postponed as Cal Poly looks into “alternative forms of recognizing our graduates,” according to the message.
In the email, Armstrong said the university is “strongly encouraging students to plan on attending the spring quarter virtually from their permanent home residences.”
“We understand this latest guidance may be alarming and may inconvenience many, but these are rapidly evolving times and we must respond by making unprecedented decisions to do all we can to protect our entire campus community,” Armstrong said in the email. “Your welfare is our first and primary priority.”
“These are difficult times, but we will get through this,” he added. “Please continue to practice social distancing, prevention and, most importantly, take care of yourselves.”
Those who feel safer at the San Luis Obispo campus, or who have no other housing options or limited access to technology and the internet, will be allowed to remain on campus, according to the email. Residence halls and campus dining will remain operational with social distancing. The recreation center and library will both be closed immediately.
If students are leaving campus housing, they should take their belongings with them when they leave for spring break.
The announcement also means big changes for Cal Poly staff and employees.
All non-essential employees — not just those over the age of 65 — are being asked to telecommute and not come to campus, according to the email. Employees who are unable to telecommute will be placed on administrative leave with pay.
All employees are expected to still receive their standard rate of pay, according to the email.
Students heading home to worried families
With final exams held online and spring quarter already postponed, the Cal Poly campus appeared nearly deserted on Monday, even before the announcement.
One of the only signs of movement was dorm residents packing up to head home for spring break. What they’ll return to in San Luis Obispo, and if they’ll even return this school year, is unknown.
Before Monday, Cal Poly had already escalated social-distancing precautions in response to the spread of COVID-19 across California, taking stronger action when it was confirmed active in San Luis Obispo County.
Large events were canceled, and students were asked to not travel. Then spring break was extended a week, and the delayed spring quarter was expected to begin with two weeks of virtual-only courses. When news of the first local coronavirus case broke, finals were moved online.
Cassie Aarestad, a biomedical engineering major, plans to fly home to Washington state Wednesday.
“I could stay in the dorms,” she said. “My family is very panicked. It’s at this point in time, when we don’t know what’s going to happen next, I kind of want to be home and be with my family.”
She said she hopes to return for spring quarter, even if in-person classes are canceled, because she wants to be in the dorms with her friends.
“Hopefully, campus doesn’t close. Hopefully things get better soon because things are super chaotic right now and I just want things to go to normal,” she said.
She and others anxiously awaited the next campus-wide email.
While she waited to find out what next, Claire Gunness was also headed home.
“We don’t really know what’s going to happen here in SLO,” the parks and recreation major said before the announcement Monday evening. “My teachers have already emailed me saying they’re preparing to go online for the whole spring quarter, which is kind of disappointing.”
She said she might come back if the dorms are open.
“Or, we may just live at home and have to do online classes. But I can say for everyone, we’re all kind of a little bit disappointed.”
Updates on the university’s response to the public health emergency can also be found at chw.calpoly.edu/coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 7:54 PM.
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