Monday, June 7: 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 Monday, June 7. 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 21,369 confirmed cases in San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit the San Luis Obispo County Emergency Information website.
To date, Cal Poly is aware of 1,879 Cal Poly community members with confirmed COVID-19 tests. View all campus updates here.
For a list of all campus updates and communications please visit https://coronavirus.calpoly.edu/campus-updates
Students
Classes were scheduled to start March 29. The final day of in-person classes was June 4 and final examination period is from today until June 11. For more information visit coronavirus.calpoly.edu/campus-updates
University Housing currently remains open at a lower capacity this spring. Students choosing to live on campus still have the opportunity to make new friends, engage with the San Luis Obispo community, and participate in different academic and social events while continuing to follow specific guidelines in order to preserve the health and wellbeing of themselves and others. Certain accommodations have been implemented such as reconfigured common rooms and study spaces, virtual events hosted by residential advisors, frequent custodial cleaning of shared surfaces, open mail and package services, and more. Visit Cal Poly’s University Housing website for additional information.
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. For more information visitbasicneeds.calpoly.edu/calpolycares
Students struggling with food insecurity can access the Cal Poly Food Pantry, Campus Dining meal vouchers, 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
All spring events and gatherings should plan to be virtual for the remainder of the quarter. For more information or event-related FAQs or guidelines, visit Cal Poly’s Campus Events website.
Travel and Study Abroad
The Cal Poly International Center has suspended all spring 2021 study abroad programs that operate entirely abroad, effective immediately. All spring 2021 study abroad and internship programs that are offered entirely virtually will be allowed to proceed.
Study abroad programs operating in June and July in countries with Department of State and/or CDC travel advisory levels of three or higher are suspended; decisions about study abroad programs operating in countries at levels two or lower are made on case-by-case bases; decisions about study abroad programs operating in August and September can be expected in mid-May.
All non-credit programs are suspended until winter quarter. Exceptions will be reviewed 90 days prior to departure for programs in countries where CDC and Departments of State levels are at a 2 or lower and travel takes place after July 1, 2021.
The International Center is hosting a variety of information sessions this quarter, including Study Abroad 101 Workshops to help facilitate students in planning their potential future study abroad plans. Students can also attend virtual drop-in peer advising Tuesday through Friday.
For the latest updates, please visit the International Center website.
Campus Dinning 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. View the complete list of venue hours here. Campus Dining venues open this spring quarter with limited in-door seating following state and local guidelines. Face covering must be worn inside when not eating or drinking. Campus Dining is still asking that purchases be made through the Grubhub app when possible. This will lessen wait times and remove cash purchases.
For students who canceled their Dining Plans during the spring 2020 quarter, 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.
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.
New for the 2021-22 academic year, Campus Dining is introducing Community Dining Memberships which are simple, low-cost plans that make it easy for students, faculty and staff to access delicious and healthful food and snacks during busy days on campus. These new memberships come in six different sizes and are convenient for a quick meal on-campus meal. For more information on these new memberships please visit the Community Dining Membership webpage
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 continue 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.
Career Services continually hosts virtual career counseling office hours and drop-in advising throughout the quarter. Click here to browse all of the virtual events coming up.
The Disability Resource Center will offer Zoom or phone meetings with access specialists, online test-taking support, note taking service coordination and other virtual resources.
Counseling and SAFER advocates are available through confidential telephone and Zoom consultations this quarter.
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 saliva-based ongoing testing program will continue in spring quarter for students, staff and faculty. Currently enrolled students who meet certain criteria will be required to participate in the testing program. For more information, visit the coronavirus student testing webpage. Required students will have to get tested on campus once a week. Fully vaccinated students can apply for an exemption in their Cal Poly portal. Students who are out of compliance with the testing program may be locked out of single sign on (SSO) and will lose access to university applications (Canvas, Portal, Zoom, etc.), in-person classes, and campus services. For more information on these new guidelines, refer to the Presidential Order.
Testing is also offered and strongly encouraged for Cal Poly faculty with face-to-face classes, as well as faculty and staff physically working on campus, including full-time ASI and Cal Poly Corporation staff. This testing program is free and only offered to those we are asymptomatic. Participants must schedule an appointment and get a six-digit Registration ID for each test. For more information about student testing please click here and for information about employee testing click here.
A campus wide COVID-19 Help Center has been set up and designed to support students who have questions or concerns about the ongoing asymptomatic testing program and how to comply with university requirements. Created and managed by the Cal Poly Corporation, this help center will support students as well as free up Campus Health and Wellbeing staff, who have been fielding these questions. If you would like to contact the COVID-19 Help Center, please call 805-756-7748 or email covid-help@calpoly.edu Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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.