Long Beach State’s Associated Students, Inc. discussed student concerns with which classes will be selected for in-person instruction come fall 2021.
According to Piya Bose, dean of students, each college is taking into consideration class size and the availability of physical space.
“Each college is putting together their proposals based on the actual discipline of the course,” Bose said. “If there’s a lecture hall that holds 200 students, we’re not filling it with 200 students…they are probably going to fill every third seat.”
College of Business Sen. Daniel Espinoza said that students have been feeling “overwhelmed” with online instruction, despite experiencing it last spring.
“It’s just the commitment and motivation of having to do it once again,” Espinoza said.
Bose maintained that the university has resources available for students, including “You at CSULB,” a “personalized online platform based on interests goals and needs,” and Counseling and Psychological Services.
Each service is available 24/7 and accessible through CSULB’s Single Sign-on.
Sen. Millaray Ramirez, from the College of Liberal Arts, said that students have expressed concerns regarding availability and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine on campus.
“We don’t have control, as a campus, over how frequently and what volume we receive the vaccine in,” Bose said. She recommends that those who want to receive the vaccine immediately, “look into getting vaccinated in their local communities instead.”
Miles Nevin, ASI executive director, announced during the meeting that CSULB is anticipating the reopening of the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center, which has been closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The child care reopening is a heavy lift, there’s a lot we have to do to reopen that center,” Nevin said.
Nevin said that the university’s priority is to service parenting students, and the limited reopening will most likely happen without hiring any student employees.
“Our initial reopening will be somewhere between 10 to 14 per classroom, and in doing so, we won’t need the typical level of student staff that we typically have,” Nevin said.
ASI Senate will reconvene next Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m.