Wednesday, Aug. 5: Cal Poly Roundup of COVID-19 Information
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, here you will find the latest Cal Poly updates and campus wide resources as of Wednesday, Aug. 5. The situation is dynamic, and this page will list weekly updated information. For daily updates, visit Cal Poly’s main coronavirus information page.
As Cal Poly closely monitors the COVID-19 outbreak, it is essential that students, faculty and staff members are well-informed. Cal Poly’s top priority is the safety, health and well-being of all campus community members and visitors during this time.
The university is working with the County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in proactive pandemic planning. In all actions, Cal Poly is following the guidance of local health officials.
Coronavirus Campus Updates
There are now 1,970 confirmed cases in San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit the San Luis Obispo County Emergency Information website.
On July 31, President Armstrong provided the campus community with a brief update on the status of the university’s fall plans. See Campus Updates to read his July 31 message.
On July 29, Cal Poly Athletics announced the delay of Big West Conference fall sports until January 2021. The decision does not cover Cal Poly football (Big Sky Conference), wrestling (Pac-12 Conference), and men’s and women’s swimming and diving (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation). For more information, see the July 29 message in Campus Updates.
On July 29, the university announced that the California State University (CSU) has eliminated all non-essential domestic and international travel for employees through June 30, 2021. See the July 29 message in Campus Updates for more information.
On July 20, California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy White and President Jeffrey Armstrong updated the campus community on the state of the CSU and university budgets. For more information, see the July 20 messages in Campus Updates
On July 15, San Luis Obispo County announced that the California Department of Public Health has ordered the closure of several industries in the county starting July 16, including gyms, hair salons, other personal care services, and places of worship, among others.
On July 13, San Luis Obispo County announced that the state Department of Public Health has ordered the closure of several industries throughout the state, including indoor and outdoor operations for bars, breweries, pubs and brewpubs.
On July 9, Cal Poly’s Emergency Operations Center sent a notification that a member of our student community, living off campus in the local community, has tested positive for COVID-19. View the July 9 message in Campus Updates for more information.
On July 7, Public health officials announced that San Luis Obispo County is expected to end up on the state’s COVID-19 watch list after exceeding its case rate criteria over the weekend.
On July 5, Cal Poly’s Emergency Operations Center issued a notification that an on-campus employee tested positive for COVID-19. For more information, view the July 5 message in Campus Updates.
On June 30, Human Resources shared a reminder message with Cal Poly employees regarding the expiration of the CSU Non-Telecommuting Workers Leave (NTWL) program. For more information, view the June 30 message in Campus Updates.
On June 29, In a message to Cal Poly employees, the Office of the Registrar shared several changes to the summer 2020 and fall 2020 academic calendars. View the complete June 29 message in Campus Updates.
On June 24, President Armstrong announced Cal Poly’s schedule for fall quarter, including an update on in-person courses and information about SLO Days, WOW and winter commencement. Please see the June 24 message in Campus Updates for more information.
On June 24, Cal Poly posted an overview of when face coverings should be used on campus. The California Department of Public Health has mandated that people must wear face coverings when outside their homes in specific circumstances. Visit the Prevention page for more information.
On June 16, the state health department released updated guidance for activities protected by the First Amendment, including protests, religious services, cultural ceremonies and more. Activities taking place outdoors will no longer have an attendance restriction, as long as strict physical distancing measures are observed.
On June 8, President Armstrong announced the launch of the COVID-19 Virtual Transition Survey for faculty and staff. The survey is open through June 23 and seeks to learn more about Cal Poly employees’ transition to virtual work and instruction during the spring quarter. Click here to take the survey.
On June 3, Cal Poly Commencement launched its new Spring Commencement 2020 page, featuring information on regalia, gifts and memorabilia; signs, social media graphics and other downloadable content; and additional alumni and career resources.
On May 29, New Student and Transition Programs announced that SLO Days orientation programming will be offered in an entirely virtual format this summer. See the announcement here
On May 13 President Armstrong shared information about fall quarter. The university is optimistic that the region will be in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Stage 3 by the start of fall quarter, allowing the return of some personnel and students to campus. Cal Poly will continue to evaluate the situation and provide definitive information on fall quarter by Aug. 26. Read the full note, including scenarios the university is considering, on the Campus Updates page.
To date, Cal Poly is aware of 19 Cal Poly community members with confirmed COVID-19 tests. View all campus updates here.
Students
Classes scheduled to start Sept. 14. Final day of in-person classes will be Nov. 20, with classes converting to all-virtual instruction and finals for the remainder of fall term. For more information visit coronavirus.calpoly.edu/campus-updates
Students who feel safer at Cal Poly, who have no other housing options and/or who may have limited access to technology and the internet can remain on campus. Residence halls and Campus Dining will remain operational with social distancing. Students may also choose to leave campus to travel to their permanent home residences, but are asked not to return until further notice to help minimize potential spread of the virus. Visit Cal Poly’s University Housing website for more information.
Those who have returned to their permanent residence are advised to stay there and not return to campus or the San Luis Obispo area during spring quarter, other than to collect their belongings.
Cal Poly is offering students critical care resources during this time. Students struggling with housing and meals, tuition and academic supplies, medical and transportation needs can access one-time emergency financial grants of up to $2,000.
Students struggling with food insecurity can access the Cal Poly food pantry, meal vouchers for Village Market and The Ave, and monthly CalFresh benefits. Students are also encouraged to utilize virtual counseling services. For more information, visit Cal Poly’s Student Care Resources website.
Campus Events
The university has made the decision to make SLO Days virtual. Student leaders have created a robust two-day virtual orientation experience to help students seamlessly transition to your new life as a Mustang.
This year’s Virtual SLO Days programming will include separate tracks specifically created for students and their parents/supporters.
Cal Poly Open House, Poly Cultural Weekend and other associated activities have been canceled. In-person spring commencement has been postponed, and Cal Poly is looking to an alternate form of recognizing graduates. All events with attendance or participation of 11 or more have been canceled or suspended, including sports, dance, and any event requiring close proximity to another individual. For more information or event-related FAQs, visit Cal Poly’s Campus Events website.
Travel and Study Abroad
Please visit the university’s Administration and Finance website for details regarding travel guidelines and reimbursement of expenses related to canceled travel.
The Cal Poly International Center has suspended all fall 2020 study abroad programs that operate entirely abroad, effective immediately. All fall 2020 study abroad and internship programs that are offered entirely virtually will be allowed to proceed.
For the latest updates, please visit the International Center website.
Campus Dining Response
Campus Dining is committed to caring for the campus community’s health and well-being, and to playing a constructive role in supporting Cal Poly. The Avenue, Village Market, Canyon Cafe and Starbucks UU will have special hours during spring quarter. View the complete list of venue hours here. Campus Dining venues are open for take out through the end of spring quarter. All purchases are asked to be made through the Grubhub app when possible. This will lessen wait times and remove cash purchases.
Starting June 15, all Campus Dining venues will be closed for the summer.
Students with a dining plan received their spring quarter allotment of dining dollars loaded on their Poly cards March 16. Campus Dining is no longer accepting cash payments to protect the health and welfare of staff. Payment by credit card and Poly card will still be accepted. If students choose to cancel their dining plans due to spring courses moving fully virtual, they will be refunded for the unused portion of their spring term dining dollars.
For students who cancel their Dining Plans, their rollover dining dollars from fall and winter quarters will stay on their account and be available to spend through the 2020–2021 academic year. Students who use their dining dollars at the new Vista Grande Dining Complex in 2020–2021 will receive a 20% discount on all their purchases.
Campus Dining is taking action to limit the spread of germs on campus, increasing the cleaning and sanitizing of all venues. Campus Dining is temporarily pausing the use of reusable bottles at hydration stations across campus, halting the use of personal containers for bulk bin items and replaced reusable cutlery with single-use recyclable utensils. All Campus Dining events, including Chef’s Table and FYUL Good Mondays, have been canceled.
Customers are also reminded about social distancing, hand washing and other preventative practices on all Campus Dining communication channels. For more information and dining-related FAQs, visit the Campus Dining website.
Working from Home
Cal Poly supports all employees who are working remotely. The Employee and Organization Development (EOD) Department has provided numerous resources to ensure both employers and employees have all the resources they need to succeed in rapidly changing times. Take a free online course to learn benefits of working remotely, or time management best practices. As many employers start using screen-sharing software such as Zoom, visit the Zoom Help Center for daily webinars. For more information and resources, visit Cal Poly’s EOD website.
Learning from Home
Cal Poly is committed to ensuring all students receive a quality education, from wherever they are studying in spring quarter. Faculty will communicate the logistics for spring courses prior to the start of the term on April 6. President Armstrong has announced several initiatives to make a virtual spring quarter as engaging as the in-person version would have been.
Career Services plans to host its first-ever Spring Career Fair with virtual interviews with employers. In addition, it will host virtual career counseling office hours and drop-in advising.
The Recreation Center will make pre-recorded video fitness classes and virtual training available.
The Disability Resource Center will offer Zoom or phone meetings with access specialists, online test-taking support, notetaking service coordination and other virtual resources. The Educational Opportunity Program and Cal Poly Scholars will additionally host virtual advising and workshops in the spring.
Counseling and SAFER advocates are available through confidential telephone and Zoom consultations.
The Center for Leadership will continue offering social change leadership series courses online.
Health and Well-being
The coronavirus is a type of virus that causes diseases ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory disease, according to the CDC. Severe illness is more common in people with underlying health conditions or weakened immune systems, as well as older adults.
If any students, faculty or staff members have a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, they should:
· Stay home
· Wash hands and drink fluids to stay hydrated
· Cover cough and avoid close contact with others
Those who are sick and wish to receive medical help should call their healthcare provider and make an appointment. Students can schedule an appointment through their Cal Poly portal, or by calling Campus Health and Wellbeing at 805–756–1211.
The weight of this unprecedented situation can also take a toll on community members’ mental health. Students are encouraged to contact Cal Poly’s counseling services and 24/7 hotline at 805–756–2511. Faculty and staff members can contact the Employee Assistance Program for confidential counseling services at 800–367–7474.
