Mustang Daily Staff Report
news@mustangdaily.net
The Semester Review Task Force, which was expected to begin drafting a decision today on whether to recommend semesters come to Cal Poly, has postponed its meeting and decided to open it to the public, Cal Poly spokesperson Ellen Cohune said Thursday.
University officials said there is no official date or time set for the rescheduled meeting, but they expect it to be during the first week of winter break.
Take force chair Rachel Fernflores moved the meeting to allow the committee to have a larger time frame in which to work on their individual parts of the report, Cohune wrote in an email to Mustang Daily.
“She (Fernflores) told me that they postponed Thursday’s meeting because the writers needed more time to write the report,” Cohune wrote. “She said, while they are not obligated to do so, they decided to invite the public so there would be no doubt about their efforts to be fully open and transparent in their actions.”
Fernflores made the decision Tuesday, Cohune said, nearly one week after the task force deliberated about opening the meeting to the public. In Fernflores’ initial denial, she said the task force members might not feel comfortable speaking in the public and therefore wanted students, faculty, staff and media kept out of the room.
In an email to campus Wednesday, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said he wants “full transparency” in the task force’s report and expects the document to be made public immediately after he receives it later this month.
From there, he will review the report with Cal Poly’s academic senate and Associated Students, Inc., as well as with incoming California State University Chancellor Timothy White.
Sean McMinn contributed to this report.
I know that Cal Poly’s natural reaction to transparency and disclosure has always been reluctant to non existence.
This shouldn’t have been an issue.
Now, I have a question: I heard that Cal Poly legal council attended the meeting. Is this true? Why would anyone need Carlos Cordova in a meeting like this… if true, this seems to be a clear act of intimidation.
All this DRAMA, we all know Cal Poly is going to have Semesters forced on unwilling facility and students by our new expletive benevolent President J. Armstrong.
I am a potential grad student interested in Cal Poly mainly for one reason, the quarter system. If Cal Poly switched to semester, I would not even consider applying. The semester system would increase the length of my program and draw out potentially bad courses or teachers. The semester system would be a waste my time and money. I cannot invest 3+years for a graduate degree. I hoped that the entire CSU would switch to quarter, not the other way around. I completed my undergrad at San Jose State University and would not go back to the semester system. Not to mention in the 4 years I went to school, tuition more than doubled. Yes, more than doubled. I learned more, received better training and retained more relevant information from my local community college and there I paid a fraction of the cost. Too bad Cuesta College is on the semester system, I bet more students would achieve success(transfer to university, career development, certificates etc.) Just my two cents (which has already been devalued enough), I hope the Task Force is listening. It’s time we build and develop our next generation of universities based on actual needs, not to conform to others methods.
I still would suggest you do your grad program at Cal Poly-SLO. Long before this semester rubbish is implemented. J. Armstrong is such a politician, such a piece of dirt.
I am so glad that the System Change Committee found that the Quarter System is best for Cal Poly and should not be changed. I always felt that the Quarter System was better. I will pray that God encourage the CSU Board of Trustees and the new Chancellor agree that the Quarter System is best for Cal Poly and President Armstrong concurs. May Cal Poly students continue to “Learn by Doing” and keep up the Mustang Spirit. Go Poly!!