8/9/2022 — Campus COVID-19 Update: Fall 2022 COVID-19 Plans

Dear Campus Community, 

We hope you are all enjoying your summer. We’re writing to you today to share some important updates related to our campus COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming fall quarter.  

As with past modifications to our protocols, these changes are being made in close consultation with our medical health experts and San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials. We took into consideration our campus community’s extremely high vaccination rate; the protection measures, such as masks and vaccination clinics, that we continue to offer on campus; and the wide availability of COVID-19 testing and treatments. 

Our plans for fall quarter include: 

• We will no longer require regular surveillance testing of unvaccinated and/or unboosted students, faculty and staff through our on-campus saliva lab, nor will we require pre-arrival testing for unvaccinated and/or unboosted students for fall quarter. 
• The saliva testing site in University Union 221 will remain open through the first week of fall quarter — Sept. 18-23 — for all students, faculty and staff who wish to get tested. The testing site will close after Sept. 23. We also strongly encourage students, faculty and staff to get a test within 24 to 72 hours prior to returning to San Luis Obispo/campus.  
• The campus dashboard will continue to update through the summer term but will no longer be updated in fall quarter. 
• Many options exist for a student experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including obtaining an at-home test, scheduling a test in the community or seeking care at Campus Health and Wellbeing. Symptomatic students seeking medical care can contact CHW at 805-756-1211 or visit Building 27. 
• Employees with symptoms have numerous ways to get tested off-campus, such as a free test at a local community testing site or requesting free at-home tests through covidtests.gov. Many urgent care providers offer testing, and at-home tests are also widely available for purchase at local pharmacies and the Cal Poly Pharmacy. 
• All new students and employees are required to upload proof of their COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster, or file an exemption in compliance with the CSU’s vaccination policy. More information and a link to upload records is available on the campus COVID-19 vaccine webpage. We will continue to closely monitor public health conditions and may require unvaccinated and unboosted individuals to resume regular testing if public health conditions change. 
• If you’re in need of a booster, Rite Aid will return to campus in September to offer free COVID-19 vaccines and boosters in the Recreation Center.
• In close consultation with San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials, we have updated our isolation guidelines to direct students who live on campus and who test positive to isolate in place in their on-campus residence. Students may also return to their permanent residence to isolate, if possible.  
• Students who are immunocompromised may be accommodated based on their individual circumstances through the Disability Resource Center. 
• Students living off campus will continue to be asked to isolate in their residences, per public health guidance for all county residents.  
• Students may still be able to qualify for an early release from isolation: A negative result from an at-home antigen test or local testing facility after Day 5 of isolation or later can release a student from their 10-day isolation as early as Day 6. For more information, visit the Student Quarantine and Isolation Guide. 
• We will continue to require all students, regardless of vaccination status, to complete the daily self-screener and obtain a campus pass. Students should be prepared to show their pass upon entering a campus facility such as a classroom. Learn more. 
• Masks will continue to be recommended but not required indoors, in line with San Luis Obispo County Public Health guidance. Any campus community member is welcome to wear a mask if they choose, and will we continue to make them available. 

As we noted above, these changes will not take effect until the start of fall quarter. We will continue to closely monitor public health conditions, and these updated protocols may be subject to change if conditions warrant.  

Also please note, incoming students in the Quarter Plus program, who start classes Aug. 17, will be required to submit a pre-arrival test and participate in ongoing surveillance testing for the duration of the program if they are not vaccinated and boosted. Students participating in Quarter Plus have received a separate message with information about this and other campus requirements. 

Our community has navigated many changes and challenges over the past two years. We are grateful for your patience and diligence. COVID-19 will continue to circulate, and we can continue to practice good public health behaviors that protect us and those most vulnerable. We hope you enjoy these last few weeks of summer and wish you success as you start the new academic year! 

In community, 

Anthony J. Knight, MEP 
Executive Director, Public Safety  

Tina Hadaway-Mellis, RN, MBA 
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Health and Wellbeing 
Campus Health and Wellbeing 

8/8/2022 — Transfer SLO Days Schedule

The Transfer SLO Days Sessions are this week on Wednesday, August 10th and Thursday, August 11th. The schedules is posted on the "Transfer Student Sessions" webpage. Or click here to view the schedule. (https://orientation.calpoly.edu/transfer-student-sessions)

Each student should have received an email containing the webinar Zoom link, the help desk Zoom link and a Zoom link for their college advising session. If you did not receive this information, please email orientation@calpoly.edu.

8/3/2022 — COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on Friday 

Need a COVID-19 vaccine or booster? Get one this Friday, Aug. 5, when Rite Aid returns to campus. The free clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Cal Poly Recreation Center (No. 43), Room 109. The clinic is walk-in only. Learn more: coronavirus.calpoly.edu/covid-19-vaccine

7/27/2022 — Tonight's Transfer Summer Series Canceled

The Transfer Summer Series taking place tonight, July 27, 2022, is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. Tonight's topic, "What to Expect at Transfer SLO Days," will be covered next Wednesday at the same time and on the same zoom link. Please bring your questions about SLO Days and registration then.

7/20/2022 — Taking Mustang Express? Details available here.

Buses depart July 25 and return July 27 Hop aboard the Mustang Express! Departing from the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Jump on a bus and head down to San Luis Obispo a night early for your SLO Days session!

Mustang Express Schedule Overview

For full travel itinerary for both locations and recommended packing list, please visit the Mustang Express webpage. 

July 25

• Buses depart in the evening from the Bay Area and Los Angeles
• Stop for dinner (on your own) en route to Cal Poly's campus

July 26 & 27

• Attend Your SLO Days Session (full schedule here)

July 27

• Buses depart from the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center at 1:30 p.m.
• Buses arrive at pick-up location around in the evening.

7/18/2022 — Transfer Summer Series

Calling all incoming Transfer Mustangs!

Join us for a weekly presentation from a campus partner and learn more about Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo!

Each Wednesday, various campus partners will present on their department's services as to supplement what you will learn at SLO Days. Each session will also feature a Q&A, where you can get your burning questions answered by current students and campus partners!

Here are the upcoming Transfer Summer Series dates (*Each session is 6pm-7:30pm) Wednesday, July 20: Living in San Luis Obispo!  All sessions use the same zoom link. 

https://calpoly.zoom.us/j/82481636769

Meeting ID: 824 8163 6769

• Wednesday, July 20: Living in San Luis Obispo! 

• Wednesday, July 27: What to Expect at Transfer SLO Days  

Check the Transfer Student Sessions page for information about future topics. 

Each session will also be recorded and posted to www.orientation.calpoly.edu and to your Transition Toolkit. We are hoping that you'll join us for the Transfer Summer Series!

6/30/2022 — SLO Days Schedule Available

The first-time first-year student session schedules are available for both in-person and virtual sessions. Find them under the SLO Days tab on the "Freshman Sessions" page, or by following the links below.

First-year Virtual Schedule      First-year In-person Schedule

The virtual supporter session schedule is available on First-year Virtual Schedule or under the SLO Days tab on the "For Parents and Supporter" page. 

Supporter Virtual Schedule     Supporter In-person Schedule

6/30/2022 — WOW Leader Summer Application

NSTP is recruiting more WOW Leaders for Week of Welcome 2022! If you missed your chance to become an Orientation Leader in the spring, the opportunity is here again!

Sign up to be a WOW Leader and experience a completely virtual Orientation Leader training, offering a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous activities.

NEW THIS YEAR! NSTP is providing WOW Leaders with on-campus dining and parking throughout Pre-Week and Week of Welcome; in addition, WOW Leaders will receive a $400 WOW Leadership Scholarship for completing the full Week of Welcome.*

Become a WOW Leader to grow as a leader and make a positive impact on our new Mustangs!

CURRENT WOW LEADERS: The top five Orientation Leaders who recruit the most new WOW Leaders will win a $25 VISA gift card!

Apply here by Monday, July 18 to become a WOW Leader.

Training Dates:

• Tuesday, July 19, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
• Tuesday, July 26, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
• Tuesday, August 2, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
• Tuesday, August 9, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
• Tuesday, August 16, 7:00 – 8:30pm

All synchronous training sessions must be attended or fulfilled asynchronously by fulfilling a recorded session activity.

All WOW Leaders must attend the following:

• WOW Workshop 1: Either August 18 3:00pm-5:00pm OR August 19 10:00am-12:00pm
• WOW Workshop 2: Either August 25 3:00pm-5:00pm OR August 26 10:00am-12:00pm In-Person
• Pre-Week: September 8-11
• In-Person Week of Welcome: September 14-18

*Further details regarding scholarship eligibility can be found on the Summer WOW Leader Application.

6/24/2022 — Campus COVID-19 Update: Planning for Summer and Fall (released 6/9/2022)

Dear Campus Community,

As spring quarter draws to a close, we're writing to share our plans for our ongoing response to the pandemic over the summer and into fall quarter.

First, we want to thank you for all the steps you’ve taken over the past year — including vaccinating, masking and testing — to protect our community. We’ve navigated many twists and turns together, and by continuing these precautions in the coming months, we believe we will continue to slow the spread of the virus within our campus community.

Our protocols for summer classes and programs will look very similar to those currently in use and will apply to all summer sessions, Summer Institute and Quarter Plus:

• We will require all students who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters to upload a negative test taken within 72 hours of arriving to campus. Students to whom this requirement applies will receive an email with further instructions next week.
• If you test positive, follow state guidance and do not return until 10 days has passed or you test negative on Day 5. If you are experiencing symptoms, get tested right away. Students should report their positive test on the daily symptom screener and upload their result to the COVID-19 Info tab.
• We will require weekly testing for students and employees who are not up to date on their vaccinations and boosters. The testing site in University Union 221 will remain open ovr the summer, and updated hours will be posted on the Student Testing and Employee Testing webpages in the coming days. Note the testing site is for asymptomatic individuals (those without symptoms). Students with symptoms should contact Campus Health and Wellbeing at 805-756-1211, and employees should contact their health care provider.
• Students who test positive will be required to isolate from others for 10 days (with an opportunity to qualify for early release). Students on campus will isolate in place in their apartment. More information and resources are available in the Student Quarantine and Isolation guide. Employees who test positive and are working on campus should submit the COVID-19 Reporting Form.
• We will lift our indoor mask mandate beginning June 13 and again align with San Luis Obispo County guidance to strongly recommend, but not require, masks be worn indoors. All campus community members are welcome to wear a mask if they choose, and will we continue to make them available.
• Students will be required to continue to complete the daily self-screener/Campus Pass and to show a green pass to access campus facilities.

For those needing a COVID-19 vaccination or booster, Rite Aid will return to campus over the summer and into fall to offer vaccines in the Cal Poly Recreation Center on the following Fridays: July 15, Aug. 5, Sept. 16 and Sept. 23. Visit the COVID-19 Vaccine webpage for details.

At this time, our plans for fall quarter will also include pre-arrival testing for those students who are not up to date on vaccinations and boosters. We will also continue to require regular testing for those students and employees who are not fully immunized against COVID-19, including a booster shot for those eligible.

As we have throughout the pandemic, we continue to consult regularly with our campus medical experts, campus stakeholders and our county and state public health partners. Please continue to check your email for any updates and changes to our plans.

Thank you for continuing to do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we wish you all a healthy and productive summer.

Take care,

Anthony J. Knight, MEP
Executive Director, Public Safety

Tina Hadaway-Mellis, RN, MBA
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Health and Wellbeing Campus Health and Wellbeing

6/15/2022 — Transition Toolkit is live!

Students, to prepare for your orientation experience and time at Cal Poly, complete your Transition Toolkit. To access the Toolkit log back into Visual Zen (VZ) using the same link you used to register for SLO Days. 

The Transition Toolkit will contain different information based on your student type (first-time first-year or Transfer), college, and session.

6/1/2022 — Early Bird SLO Days Registration: There is still time to register!

Welcome New Mustangs! Sign up for SLO Days and WOW by June 30 for a discount! To sign up, visit the “Orientation Events” tab on my.calpoly.edu.

SLO DAYS 2022
Part one of the two part orientation for all new students & supporters. Learn how to navigate campus. Meet key campus resources. This is the only comprehensive orientation for supporters so do not forget to sign up!

WEEK OF WELCOME September 14–18, 2022
The week before classes attend part two of the two part mandatory orientation for students. Find community and build relationships all before starting classes. 

5/30/2022 — Campus Update: Mask Mandate Returns Effective 5/31/22

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to you today to inform you that, after consulting with our on- and off-campus health and safety experts and San Luis Obispo County Public Health, Cal Poly will reinstate its indoor mask mandate for all campus facilities, effective tomorrow — Monday, May 31.

As you may be aware, our university — like our local community and many places across the state and nation — is continuing to see a slow but steady increase in numbers of COVID-19 cases.

While the latest numbers are not on the order of what we saw during the worst of the winter Omicron surge, they are still concerning from a health and safety standpoint. When we informed the campus community in February that we were lifting the campus’s indoor mask mandate, we indicated that we would monitor health and safety conditions and would reinstate the mandate should those conditions require it. Unfortunately, that time has come.

This change applies to all students, employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, and will be effective beginning tomorrow through Sunday, June 12, at a minimum. (More information on masking and other campus operations relating to summer quarter will be shared with you all in the coming days in a subsequent email message. Please watch your inbox for those additional details.)

Our experts continue to recommend surgical masks, KN95s, and N95s as the standard for our community. Cal Poly continues to make N95s and surgical masks available to all students and employees at the University Union, Kennedy Library, and Recreation Center. In addition, surgical masks will be available to students and employees at the entrances to large campus facilities.

In addition to our extremely high vaccination and booster rates among students and employees, and our continued regular testing of those campus community members who are not vaccinated, we hope that requiring masks indoors will help us decrease the number of cases within our campus community, especially during finals and commencement.

In addition to masking indoors, we will continue to require that all students fill out their daily symptom screener to obtain a pass to access campus, and we strongly encourage all faculty and staff to ask students to present these passes in university facilities.  

Thank you all for your flexibility and continued vigilance as we respond to the ever-evolving circumstances of this pandemic. Stay well, and good luck to everyone as we approach the end of the quarter.

Thanks,

Anthony J Knight, MEP
Executive Director, Public Safety

New Mustang Guide is LIVE!

The New Mustang Guide is available for download on the Guidebook app! After downloading Guidebook from the app store, search "New Mustang Guide" to download the guide.