At the first Academic Senate meeting of the school year on Tuesday, President Jeffrey Armstrong and members of the Senate discussed COVID-19 numbers and new financial policies that may extend scholarships and student aid. The Academic Senate is the governing body of the faculty at Cal Poly.
Armstrong said the university “will begin the process this fall” to increase college tuition fees. He said most of the income will go to financial aid and scholarships. The rest will help cover the costs of employee salaries, the number of tenured professors and infrastructure.
The increase in income would lower tuition fees for students who need it most and allow the university to offer more scholarships, according to Armstrong.
Senate Speaker Thomas Gutierrez started the meeting with orientation for new senators to the Senate. During his remarks, President Gutierrez covered the meeting agenda, membership, meeting structure and etiquette, and rules for new resolutions.
The provost’s report was given by Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore who informed the Senate of the Baker and Koob endowments now open.
“These grants are available to all Cal Poly students and they support interdisciplinary research and learning-by-doing projects,” Jackson-Elmoore said. “They are a great way of collaboration between professors and students. “
More information on the endowments and how to apply is available on the Marshal’s Office Web Page.
Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey talks about the issues of campus life
Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey recognized the Clery Act notification from the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance which was emailed to students on Tuesday morning.
“It’s a terrible, terrible thing,” Humphrey said. “Please know that we are working very hard to support the student involved this morning and that she is receiving excellent care from our community.
Humphrey then discussed the current immunization updates, which at the time of the meeting amounted to just under 94% of the student body fully immunized and an additional 0.5% being immunized. Students currently living on campus are 96.4% fully immunized.
