At the first Academic Senate meeting of the school year on Tuesday, President Jeffrey Armstrong and senate members discussed COVID-19 figures and new financial policies that can expand scholarship and student aid. The Academic Senate is the faculty governing body at Cal Poly.
Armstrong said the university will “begin the process this fall” to increase college-based fees. He said the largest portion of the revenue will go toward financial aid and scholarships. The rest will help cover costs of employee salaries, amount of professors that may receive tenure and infrastructure.
The increased revenue would decrease the cost of tuition for students who need it most and create room for the university to offer more scholarships according to Armstrong.
Senate Chair Thomas Gutierrez started the meeting with an orientation for the senate’s newest senators. During his address, Chair Gutierrez covered the meeting agenda, members, meeting structure and etiquette and rules for new resolutions.
The provost report was given by Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore who notified the senate of the now open Baker and Koob endowments.
“These grants are available to all Cal Poly students and they support interdisciplinary, learn-by-doing research projects,” Jackson-Elmoore said. “They’re an excellent way for faculty and student collaboration.”
More information on the endowments and how to apply are available on the Office of the Provost webpage.
Student Affairs Vice President Keith Humphrey Speaks to Campus Life Issues
Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey acknowledged the Clery Act notification from the Civil Rights and Compliance Office that was emailed to students Tuesday morning.
“It is a terrible, terrible thing,” Humphrey said. “Know that we are working really hard to support the student that was involved this morning and she is getting excellent care from our community.”
Humphrey went on to discuss current vaccination updates, which at the time of the meeting equated to just under 94% of the student body being fully vaccinated and an additional 0.5% in the process of becoming fully vaccinated. Students currently living on campus are 96.4% fully vaccinated.
