In the midst of the country’s largest surge in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, some Cal Poly students have found themselves on the front lines of the university’s pandemic response. At the beginning of winter quarter, Cal Poly created the position of Isolation Assistant (IA) to better address the growing number of […]
Author Archives: Sierra Parr
Posted inNews
Cal Poly says layoffs are a “last resort”
In a Jan. 26 Board of Trustees meeting, California State University (CSU) Chancellor Joseph Castro announced he will not support a proposed system wide furlough program for university employees in 2021. This diversion from previous tactics to cut spending comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed 3% increase in base funding for CSU schools. The increase […]
Posted inNews
Tianna Arata court case further delayed due to appeals
A San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday, Jan. 19 to delay the proceedings of several ongoing criminal cases related to local Black Lives Matter protestors while the California appellate court decides whether the local district attorney can prosecute the cases.
Posted incovid-19, Top Stories
Lockdown Literature: How Students are Rediscovering Reading During COVID-19
Sitting in her backyard, mid COVID-19 lockdown, English junior Abby Edgecumbe recognized that her current read, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was a little on the nose. She swears the theming was unintentional but she might never have been able to dedicate the time to the novel under different circumstances. For […]
Posted inFeatures, Top Stories
Students struggle to adjust as indoor study spaces remain closed
Before the shelter-in-place order that radically changed the course of the college experience, Allison Polmar was at a popular haunt for any student during finals week: the library. Caught between two friends in an argument over a midterm answer, she remembers this as her last concrete social interaction unique to shared study space. “In the […]
Posted inTop Stories
Cuesta College trustee refuses to resign despite community criticism
At a Cuesta College Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 12, dozens of San Luis Obispo community members called for the resignation of Board President Peter Sysak over his political views shared on Facebook. Though the original posts have since been deleted, critics of Sysak claim that his comments were racist, anti-immigrant, homophobic and have […]
Posted in2020 Election
Obstacles to voting for college students
Changes of address, absentee ballots and long lines at the polls are just some of the difficulties college students face when placing their vote. With COVID-19 still a part of our everyday lives, the voting landscape has changed dramatically in 2020. “Young people have always been leading the way in our democracy and they’ve been […]
Posted inNews
San Luis Obispo County schools consider returning to in-person teaching
San Luis Obispo County K-12 schools can choose to reopen in-person with modifications, County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said on Oct. 6. Schools must maintain criteria outlined in the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. In accordance with county and state guidelines, all San Luis Obispo County schools that reopen will do so with […]
Posted inNews
Health officials say to get a flu shot to avoid a “twindemic”
Health officials are anticipating a difficult winter due to the overlap of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. Your best defense: a flu shot. “Flu will hit our community soon, and in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, getting the flu vaccine will be more important than ever,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County Health […]
Posted inNews, Top Stories
Cal Poly releases COVID-19 testing data
Since March 2020, the Cal Poly Health Center has tested 978 students with COVID-19 symptoms, and 86 of these students tested positive. This accounts for an 8.8 percent positive test rate, according to a campus-wide email from the Office of the President.
Posted inNews
Police recommend charges for motorcyclist who allegedly hit protestor
The San Luis Obispo Police Department recommends a misdemeanor charge for a motorcyclist who allegedly struck a local Black Lives Matter activist during a Sept. 2 protest in downtown San Luis Obispo, according to a news release. The Police Department announced that it was recommending to county prosecutors that the motorcyclist, 59-year-old David Medzyk of […]