Recent News

Volunteers Needed for Isolation and Quarantine Care Calling

Feb 8, 2021

University Housing and the Isolation and Quarantine Support Team (IQST) are hard at work responding to and supporting students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

When campus residents test positive, the world they know changes. They are reassigned to isolation apartments on campus, typically with students they do not know. To protect community health, they are not permitted to leave their apartments during their ten-day isolation. While many students take these challenges in stride and continue their academic journey uninterrupted, others struggle.

Campus Health & Wellbeing is asking for your help in reaching out to students in isolation, to ensure that no student goes without contact from the Cal Poly community while they recover.

If you volunteer as an IQ Care Caller, you will be assigned a queue of up to ten students to call each day. This is intended as a general check-in to show students that Cal Poly cares as they recover. You will have the training and resources you need to support students and answer their non-medical questions. If questions arise that you cannot answer, you will have access to an IQ coordinator and medical provider to help those students.

Campus Health & Wellbeing is especially in need of weekend volunteers. Without classes, students can feel more alone during this time and fewer folks are available for support. 

Campus Health & Wellbeing expects calls and outreach would involve about an hour each day, and would be grateful if you are able to support students through Winter quarter. To express your interest in volunteering, contact Hunter Simmons, Isolation and Quarantine Coordinator, Campus Health & Wellbeing.

Winter Quarter Program to Feature Panel Discussing COVID-19

Jan 20, 2021

The Retired Faculty and Staff Association’s winter quarter program will be conducted virtually Thursday, February 18, 2021, from 2-3pm.  The program will focus on the COVID-19 pandemic in San Luis Obispo County, including Cal Poly.  A panel consisting of county Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein; Aydin Nazmi, a faculty member in the Food Science and Nutrition Department and member of the Cal Poly COVID-19 testing task force; and Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey will update attendees on topics related to COVID-19. Click here to register. The Zoom meeting link, password and instructions will be emailed upon your reply. Questions about the event can be directed to RFSA President Bill Kellogg.

Issue with Upcoming macOS Big Sur Release

Nov 8, 2020

The following information is from Information Technology Services's Fall 2020 Newsletter:

Apple is expected to release macOS Big Sur in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, the current versions of Global Protect virtual private network (VPN) and Sophos antivirus software do not function properly on Mac computers running the Big Sur operating system. 

At this time, we recommend that members of the Cal Poly community who use GlobalProtect VPN and/or Sophos on a Mac do not download macOS Big Sur until both GlobalProtect and Sophos come out with an upgrade that resolves the issue. If you have a state-managed computer, no action is required on your part.

We are working with both GlobalProtect and Sophos on this issue, and when they release new versions, we will make them available to campus as quickly as possible. We will provide an update as soon as we have more information. Since the exact release date of macOS Big Sur is unknown, we are not sure exactly when that will be.

CSU Seeks Help from Emeritus Faculty

Oct 9, 2020

The CSU Foundation is seeking volunteers to help review the CSU Foundation's Aspiring Teachers Scholarship for CSU Bakersfield and Fresno State students. A volunteer will typically review 25 applications and rate them based on a scoring rubric. The estimated time for completing a review is 2.5-3.0 hours. Reviewers will receive the applications electronically to review from home. 

The scholarship provides awards of $10,000 to full-time students interested in working with bilingual or English language learners who are in a teacher credentialing program. Former teacher education faculty might be interested in this review.

Applications will be sent out between Monday, October 5, 2020 and Monday, October 19, 2020. They are due a week after received.

If interested, please email Wendy Chavira Garcia, Development Manager, CSU Foundation.

RFSA on Facebook

Jul 16, 2020

We're on Facebook! Check us out! We're actively updating our status on Facebook, with frequent posts, photos, and more. Follow us on Facebook to see what's new and stay in touch!

Retirees Assisting Cal Poly

Jul 15, 2020

This is a challenging and sometimes difficult time for the students, faculty and staff of the university. It is also a time when our retirees may be able to provide much needed talent and assistance. Some examples of possible assistance that may be important are the following:

1. Assisting in the advising of struggling students
2. Helping faculty
   1. As a guest lecturer
   2. In the development of course material
   3. In grading
   4. In observing students while they are taking exams online

If you are interested, please contact the appropriate associate dean:

• CAED: Mark Cabrinha 
• CAFES: Richard Cavaletto
• CENG: Rakesh K. Goel
• CLA: Debra Valencia Laver
• CSM: Derek Gragson
• OCOB: J. F. Coget

They will be able to discuss with you the assistance that you would be able to provide.

—Joe Grimes, Past President, RFSA

Microsoft Licenses for Emeritus

Jul 15, 2020

In March 2020, Information Technology Services (ITS) sent an email to emeritus faculty and staff about an expected change in Microsoft's license structure, resulting in emeritus no longer being able to download and use Microsoft Office desktop applications with their Cal Poly account. The change was expected to occur April 1, 2020, but Microsoft has delayed this change without giving a new date.

ITS has assured emeritus that the Office 365 suite of web-based apps—including Word, Excel, Outlook and more—is still available to emeritus, and has provided some resources to ease the transition to Office 365 if and when the change in Microsoft's license structure occurs.

Click here to learn more about these resources. For questions, email servicedesk@calpoly.edu or call 805-756-7000.

Virtual Parking Permits

Jul 15, 2020

Emeritus On-Campus Parking Permits Became Virtual July 1

Transportation and Parking Services successfully launched License Plate Recognition (LPR) software in fall 2019. Since then, faculty, staff and student parking permits are virtual. The roll out of virtual emeritus permits was the most recent phase of the program. Current emeritus physical permits expired June 30, 2020. All emeritus were asked to reply to a survey addressing parking privileges that was sent to their Cal Poly email address. These survey responses activated a new virtual permit starting July 1, 2020.

For more information about LPR, visit the TAPS website at parking.calpoly.edu/LPR. Each user's parking account should reflect accurate information at all times to stay compliant. Log into your parking account to ensure that the license plate number is correct and linked to an active parking permit.

If you did not receive a survey, contact parking@calpoly.edu.