As of early May, CSUs have decided to cancel the majority of in-person classes and switch to online curriculum instead. Due to continuous Coronavirus outbreaks, universities must take the right precautions to ensure that both their students’ and staffs’ health is protected. 

The only exception to online classes seems to be the research labs. Although they will still mostly be online, there will be some in-person activities. These in-person actives are only allowed if it is necessary for the learning and research purposes of the class. The CSU board has also set extra requirements needed for these activities to ensure the wellbeing of the students and teachers, such as only allowing small groups for each session and implementing rigorous safety measurements. 

Most students will also still have the option to live on campus and have access to dining but are not required to. If the student’s classes are all fully online they have the option to defer housing and meal plans until the next quarter. Many students deciding to defer housing have the same mindset of an incoming freshman at Cal Poly SLO Sofia M., who states that “ The cost of housing is so expensive as it is, I’d rather just stay home and save money.”, seeing that CSUs have not lowered their housing fees in any way.

Students who eagerly found a roommate or joined triples are now facing dilemmas as some choose to defer while others stay. Additionally, most if not all of the CSUs have changed their policy to only allowing double or singles dorms. Triples that have decided to stay must now decide how their group will split. Another incoming student at Cal Poly SLO explains how she was apart of a triple but, “One of the girls in the group thought that me and Grace (her other roommate) were going to stay together so she went and found another person to be roommates with but then Grace ended up deciding to defer housing”. With colleges like Cal Poly that informed students of this change only a few days before the deadline for room assignments, many of the students are left to scramble and quickly figure out their plans for the Fall quarter.  

There has also been a large amount of backlash towards schools that are scheduled to have all online classes but have not lowered their tuition. Despite school boards stating that their online curriculum will be the same level of education, parents have not backed down and are continuing to sign petitions and even file lawsuits. Respectively, an increasing number of students are planning on taking a gap year and hopefully come back to normal classes.  

There is still a level of uncertainty with how the Fall quarter will proceed but it seems as though CSUs are preparing for the worst in order to be cautionary. Students must choose how they will continue on with the changes whether that be from at home, in dorms, or taking a gap year.