19 August 2020

Dear Cal Poly students, parents, and supporters,

We are writing to alert you to the significant health and safety risks posed by Cal Poly’s current campus reopening plan. We appeal to you to consider these factors as you make your decision whether to return in person for fall quarter. Scientific evidence and the recent experiences of other schools and college campuses strongly suggest that bringing back thousands of students, the vast majority of whom will be learning entirely online, will significantly and unnecessarily jeopardize the health of both the Cal Poly campus and the wider San Luis Obispo community.  

Cal Poly’s reopening plan includes two major risk factors: inadequately “de-densified” student residence halls and insufficient coronavirus testing capacity. Although only 13% of Cal Poly classes will be held in person this fall, and most of these are upper division specialized labs or student research projects, the university’s current plan calls for reopening dorms at 70% of typical capacity (roughly 6,000 out of  8,500 spaces filled). Because of this relatively high density, Cal Poly cannot guarantee single room occupancy, as recommended by state guidelines. Additionally, even at single room occupancy, transmission can occur in shared bathrooms and due to inadequate ventilation. Cal Poly also will not be able to provide routine universal Covid-19 testing. Instead, the university will offer initial Covid-19 tests only to students who are symptomatic and their close contacts, relying on students themselves to self-monitor and self-diagnose.

Such narrow testing is not sufficient for congregate living facilities like dormitories. When there have been outbreaks at other congregate facilities such as jails or skilled nursing facilities, a key to stopping the spread has been the testing of all residents, regardless of symptoms. Experts recommend universities test every student, staff, and faculty person every few days to control and manage the pandemic. Without regular testing, asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread can lead to outbreaks that go undetected until it is too late. If our university and county do not have the capacity to provide regular and repeated testing (and there is no indication that they can or will), then we cannot safely house students at 70% capacity. Since Cal Poly is also encouraging thousands of students who live off campus to return to SLO as well, testing will be even more limited.

Two weeks ago, the University of North Carolina reopened its campus on terms very similar to those proposed by Cal Poly. Dormitories were partially de-densified and testing was guaranteed only to symptomatic students. Within days, the university saw a major spike in coronavirus cases, with multiple outbreak clusters connected to student housing. The university was forced to revert immediately to fully online teaching and to mandate that students leave campus as quickly as possible. This is not only disruptive, but also increases the probability of spreading the virus back to students’ communities as they return home. Just days later, a similarly dangerous outbreak forced Notre Dame to halt all in-person classes, even with more comprehensive testing protocols in place.

From an ethical perspective, we believe that on-campus housing should be reserved only for those students with a compelling need, whether related to finances, health, safety, or study abroad requirements. It is essential to limit the number of students on campus during this pre-vaccine (and pre-effective treatment) phase of the pandemic, especially in the absence of rapid turn-around surveillance testing to catch outbreaks early.

The time available for housing decisions is short, and we are urging the Cal Poly administration to extend all relevant deadlines. But the hard truth is this: the only safe and effective way to reduce risk right now is for students to choose not to return to campus. As painful as it may be, we are asking you to opt out.

We know that living and studying remotely is not ideal for most of you. Many of you indicated in the early part of the summer that you would come to SLO regardless of the housing or virtual class situation. Many of us shared your optimism, but we now have a clearer indication of the risks involved. We also now know that your experience on campus this fall will bear little resemblance to campus life before the pandemic. Most common spaces will be closed, there will be no dining together (campus meals are grab and go), socializing will be discouraged and likely monitored, and most classes will be virtual. In addition, the constant risk of Covid-19 exposure may repeatedly force students into quarantine and isolation. If and when outbreaks occur, there is a strong chance of spread to custodial or housing staff, to their families, and to the larger community. Additionally, we now know that even some otherwise healthy young people can be susceptible to negative health consequences of the virus. The stress and anxiety from these conditions could affect your ability to focus on your classes.

Students, we miss you! We wish we could safely work with you in a classroom and will be so excited to return when it is safe to do so. You deserve a safe, clear path forward. Until Cal Poly can provide that path to you, however, all we can do is ask you to help us keep our campus safe, to protect our staff and their families, and to collaborate with us to make our virtual classes engaging, challenging, and rewarding. We urge all of you who are able, whether you were planning to live on or off campus this Fall, to stay in your home communities, so we can control the spread of this potentially deadly disease. We have reason to be optimistic and patient. Rapid testing has been approved by the FDA and better treatments will be arriving in the coming months. While we understand that it is hard to wait several months to start or continue your college education in person, we will be here when you return to ensure that the time you do spend here will be some of the best years of your life.

Signed*,
This letter was composed by a team of concerned faculty. We welcome anyone who wishes to support the message of this letter to sign. We acknowledge that different roles on campus provide different levels of protection, so if you wish to sign and remain anonymous, that is an option.

References: To view this letter with hyperlinked references, please visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/y6heqmk7 

*Signatories will be periodically updated to the body of the letter linked to in the line above.