Vaccines and in-person classes: What you need to know about Cuesta College’s fall plans
Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo County begins classes on Monday, welcoming back thousands of students to a mix of in-person and virtual classes.
“I am looking forward to a successful and healthy fall semester,” Jill Stearns, Cuesta College superintendent and president, said in a news release about the school’s fall plans. “As it has been since the start of the pandemic, Cuesta College’s highest priority remains the safety and well-being of our campus community.”
The community college — which has campuses in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande — will not require students or employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, despite other community colleges in the region and most California universities doing so.
However, Cuesta College does offer $250 gift cards as an incentive for students to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the news release said.
The community college said students and employees are “strongly encouraged” to get coronavirus vaccines.
Vaccine appointments remain available to all residents on the college’s San Luis Obispo campus.
All students and employees will be required to wear face masks while indoors, per guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the college said in the release.
Only 40% of Cuesta’s classes will be held in person.
“When we were working on the schedule back in March and April, widespread vaccination had begun but it wasn’t clear where the county would be in August,” Jason Curtis, assistant superintendent and vice president of instruction at Cuesta College, wrote in an email to The Tribune. “Our initial goal was 50% in-person, but by the time the schedule went live in May, many faculty were still unsure of returning to campus, so we ended up closer to 40%.”
The college’s San Luis Obispo campus is expected to see up to 1,000 students on campus each day, with some days heavier than others, Curtis wrote.
The Paso Robles campus will likely only have no more than 200 students on campus each day, he added.
It’s a major change from how many students were on campus in the fall of 2020, when an estimated 250 students and faculty came to the San Luis Obispo campus each day, and none went to the Paso Robles campus.
“Cuesta College has not had any transmission of disease on campus,” Stearns said of COVID-19 transmission to date.
“Our protocols have been effective in maintaining the well-being of our campus community and the strong early interest in the incentive indicates this will be effective in promoting vaccine among those who have not yet taken that step to protect their well-being,” she wrote to The Tribune in an email.
That being said, Stearns noted the COVID-19 Delta variant and subsequent increase in case rates is “absolutely” a “huge concern.”
“Our COVID-19 planning team closely monitors CDC, (California Department of Public Health), and other guidance to ensure our planning and protocols are aligned with the most current information,” she added. “We highly value the expert guidance and collaboration continually provided by the SLO County Public Health Department.”
Cuesta College sees enrollment decline, new ethnic studies courses
Cuesta College’s enrollment took a hit this fall — it stands at about 12,000 students now, compared to about 13,000 at the start of fall 2020, according to Curtis.
“While we actually have more first-time students than last year, the numbers of students continuing from the previous spring has dropped off significantly,” Curtis explained.
Student support services have returned to be fully in-person at all three of the college’s campuses.
Additionally, Cuesta College is offering all students one free grab-and-go lunch per day.
Students can pick up the meals Monday through Friday in the cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo campus and 4:00 to 6 p.m. at the Paso Robles campus, according to the college.
The free lunch program is funded through one-time federal CARES Act money and is expected to be in place for the year, according to Elizabeth Coria, interim assistant superintendent and vice president of student success and support programs.
To date, Cuesta College has given out more than $4 million to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New for the community college this fall are courses in ethnic studies, which are available through the Division of Applied Behavioral Sciences and will be taught by Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick and Dr. Rosemary Wrenn, according to the release.
“One of the curriculum’s courses, Ethnic Studies for Educators, is among the first of its kind in the California Community College system and builds on the successful Teacher Pathways Program,” the release said. “According to Wrenn, the course aims to support future teachers by enhancing their skills and knowledge base to understand their students better and invite in the community’s cultural contributions.”
To keep up to date on Cuesta College’s COVID-19 response, you can visit cuesta.edu/covid-19. For questions regarding classes and registration, please call (805) 546-3952 or email register@cuesta.edu.
