Castro addresses concerns in first campus visit
Last Friday was dedicated to welcoming Chancellor Castro who did not physically come to campus, but virtually toured CSUDH.
This article, for republication or reference, was originally written by Robert Rios & Brenda Fernanda Verano of The Bulletin. Use Robert Rios & Brenda Fernanda Verano | CSU Wire for the byline.
In his first virtual campus visit, California State University Joseph I. Castro addressed the return to in-person classes, COVID-19 protocols, tuition and student basic needs at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Castro, who began his tenure as chancellor in January, picked CSUDH as the first of the 23 CSU campuses he intends on visiting this year.
“The reason why I did that is because it’s one of the few CSU campuses that I have not had a chance to visit and I’m looking forward to doing that physically,” Castro said.
Castro spent the majority of the day speaking with a variety of campus groups and organizations, prior to attending a press conference and an open forum near the end of his visit.
In the press conference and open forum, Castro took part in sharing his visions and goals for the CSU system as well as hearing the concerns and questions of students, faculty and staff.
Here is a recap of some of the topics that were discussed:
IN-PERSON CLASSES / FALL 2021
Castro said that he plans for the “majority” of classes across the CSU system to be in-person courses by the start of the fall 2021 semester.
According to Castro, each of the 23 CSU campus presidents will determine the exact number of in-person classes, determined on consultations with each campus’ local public health departments and current state and federal guidelines. Castro is hoping to bring back as many people to campus as possible but is willing to change the course of action.
“If [the pandemic changes] over time and medical and public health experts we consult indicate that our planning approach is no longer feasible, then I promise you we will make that adjustment,” Castro said.
CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham accompanied Castro during his open forum with students where he explained to the campus community that the chancellor and the CSU system has provided presidents with a fair degree of freedom to be able to look at local standards and decide their next steps, saying what might exist in other parts of the state can be very different to what is happening in Los Angeles County.
“Health and safety have to be our north star, in particular when we are in a campus that has 64% Latinx population and about 11 or 12% African American population...one of the [groups] most vulnerable to this disease,” Parham said.
COVID-19 VACCINES/ POSSIBLE VACCINATION SITE
Even with his concern for safety, Castro said the CSU system, “is not able to require employees and students to receive a vaccine as a condition of maintaining employment enrollment.” This is because COVID-19 vaccines are not fully licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, and therefore are only available through the Emergency Use Authorization.
Despite that, Castro hopes to “inspire” and “aggressively” market the idea of getting the vaccine for everyone's safety.
In the open forum, he expressed that from his perspective, all 23 CSUs should serve as a vaccination site in order to accelerate the vaccination process. As of Feb. 16, there are 16 of the 23 CSU’s, 10 of which are in operation, who are approved or in the approval process of providing vaccination.
Parham is hopeful CSUDH will be approved as a site, and mentioned a recent visit from state and federal officials to campus.
“We are excited about the possibilities of perhaps us being designated as a vaccination site and that will be a sight that will not only serve this campus but it will also serve the region,” he said. “We want to be a resource that is not simply in this community but of this community.”
If approved, the campus will join Dignity Health Sports Park, which is located across from CSUDH. The sports park is currently serving as a vaccination site for people over 65 or in a qualifying industry.
CSUDH FUNDING / BUDGET
During the week of his visit, Castro said he had learned that Gov. Newsom announced the state would restore the CSU system budget by reallocating $299 million under a COVID-19 economic recovery package. The money had been previously reduced from the CSU's 2020-21 budget.
Castro said he wants to “sustain” and “advance” funding for campuses like CSUDH, which serve a majority of part-time students. He said he expects to use the $299 million for all the different needs across the campuses, including those at CSUDH.
“In these upcoming years I promise you that with the new funding we receive will have an equity lens connected to it, and I think that will be supportive to what CSUDH is doing,” Castro said.
According to Castro, mental health services will be receiving additional funding . He said one of his biggest priorities is advocating for a bill that would provide additional mental health funds both at the CSU and community college level.
TUITION
The anticipated $299 million cut to the CSU budget, along with greatly reduced revenue from items such as student housing and parking, will not result in higher tuition according to Castro.
“We continue to be one of the best values in the whole country, having said that I know that students are suffering, there's no question about that,” Castro said.
However, students will not be returned any fees they have paid for and not used due to the campus closures. Castro clarified those fees have been charged and collected because they help to pay for the infrastructure of the programs and services that students will use when they return to campus. He also explained fees are continuing to be charged because tuition is used to cover the cost of programs that are being offered virtually.
“We must continue to support those buildings or those programs so they are there when you come back,” Castro said.
According to Parham it is more expensive to do things virtually, as the university had to gain access to the new technology that either did not exist or was not sophisticated enough to be able to manage online education.
“I think we still remain one of the best bargains around, we are acutely sensitive to the financial challenges of our students particularly...on the other hand, it takes dollars to be able to support excellence,” Parham said.
Parham added that the likelihood CSUDH would authorize any refunds of tuition, “is next to none.”
POLICE ON CAMPUS/ LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNDING
Last year, protests erupted in every part of the U.S. after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Since then discussions surrounding the necessity of law enforcement on campuses and police brutality have been happening across the country, but Castro doesn’t believe CSU should “invest less” in public safety.
“I want to make sure that all of us are safe.. .I want to make sure we protect our people and our possessions that are so vitally important so I don't anticipate any significant changes in allocation to public safety across the system,” Castro said.
And Parham agreed. Although he's aware that certain police departments in the country have “huge” budgets and spaces to facilitate the use of “militarized” and “weaponized,” he feels that this type of approach, “may be inappropriate for the population they police.”
“What I do know about our CSU’s is that we have to not simply be fans of democratic sanity because everyone is saying ‘defund the police’ and really think about the safety and the support they provide for our campuses,” Parham said. “If we were honest... much like we look at mental health, much like we look at advising, much like we look at anything else you will find that our law enforcement personnel does a brave job...[they] are not over-resourced but in fact under-resourced on what they do.”
FACULTY DIVERSITY
One of Castro’s top priorities is to diversify CSU faculty, something he has been advocating for since he has taken on the role of chancellor.
“It’s about developing strong pipelines, networks, and creating an environment where people of color and women are interested in being part of the enterprise,” Castro said.
“[We want] to figure out some new strategies where more of our CSU graduates who are very diverse, can go and get their doctorates, at the University of California with support and the idea we are going to get as many as possible to come back as faculty.”