Over half of CSULB’s on-campus facilities open this fall despite remote instruction

As instruction is being conducted mainly virtually, Long Beach State has more than half of its facilities open this fall for essential services. 

Of the university’s 70 total buildings, 42 are open for the fall 2020 semester, including administrative buildings, academic department buildings, the University Police Department and residential halls. 

According to Josh Cichuniec, director of facilities management, these buildings are accessible Monday through Friday with hours varying “based on approved class schedules and critical administrative needs.”

“Our campus is a living breathing city that requires constant care and maintenance of buildings and landscape,” Cichuniec said. “We are excited to say the least to have our students return to a clean and fresh campus environment as soon as we are able.”

According to President Jane Close Conoley, the different department deans are in charge of monitoring who has access to the open buildings, mostly being faculty teaching in-person classes and conducting “essential research projects,” as well as custodians and landscapers. Some buildings are open where classes are being recorded, Conoley said. 

This semester, building occupancy is significantly lower than prior semesters with 25% of the usual campus population being the “general rule,” Conoley said. Only about 300 students and between 600 and 700 faculty and staff visit campus daily as CSULB is offering about 2.8% of its classes face-to-face this fall.

The university employs over 60 full-time custodians, according to Cichuniec, who are each assigned specific buildings for sanitization in accordance with Centers for Disease Control guidelines. The buildings and open restrooms, Conoley said, are “flushed with fresh air and disinfected as necessary.” 

To uphold safety standards for those coming to campus, shelter-in-place locks are being updated and are the “utmost priority,” Cichuniec said.

He said the administration is making use of the mostly empty campus to complete renovation projects such as “classroom improvements, landscape upgrades and refinishing floor surfaces in buildings.” 

“We’re accomplishing a lot of projects that would normally have to wait for breaks or summers,” Conoley said. “We’re trying to get as much done to keep the campus in great shape as possible.”