CSUMB responds to shelter in place order

CSU Monterey Bay has transitioned into exclusively virtual teaching for the rest of the spring semester.

SEASIDE >> CSU Monterey Bay has transitioned into exclusively virtual teaching for the rest of the spring semester in the wake of the shelter in place order in Monterey County. Students are being strongly encouraged to return to their permanent homes as soon as possible to continue with the semester.

An email sent to students by President Eduardo Ochoa reported the university will now host all classes including “labs, studio classes, and any heretofore face-to-face form of instruction.”

Prior to the shelter in place order, labs and studio classes would still occur on campus. Due to these changes, CSUMB changed the start day for virtual classes from Friday to Monday.

All students who decide to complete an emergency move out of campus will receive aid from the university. In a news release, Director of Communications and Marketing Aaron Bryant sai “As per current refund policies, students who leave will obtain prorated refunds for housing and meal plans.”

The school also said there will be students who will stay on campus for safety reasons. These students are required to put “operational and mandated social distancing” in practice at all times.

However, CSUMB’s food services will be limited as the university is cutting staff and hours of operation to follow the shelter in place order. Bryant stated, “Effective… March 18, the CSUMB Student Center will be closed, and Starbucks will be closed.” As for the Otter Express and Dining Commons on campus, the times are to be determined with this change.

President Ochoa summed it up by saying, “Campus will continue to operate on a limited basis, and most university buildings will be closed.”

As of Wednesday, only essential workers were be required to be on campus to “maintain a safe campus community.”

At MPC

The Monterey and Marina campuses of Monterey Peninsula College have been closed to the public and students in the wake of the shelter in place order.

The school has announced that all classes, learning support services and student services will be offered fully online. Lecture classes shall continue to be offered fullyonline through the remainder of the spring semester. Lab, studio, and other activity classes are being transitioned online “and for as long as it remains appropriate for the discipline and course content,” according to the school’s website.