Celina Oseguera and Brendan Abrams
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This is the sixth in a continuing series about the Cal Poly Master Plan. For more information, read the first, second, third, fourth and fifth installments.
The Master Plan is a long-term plan Cal Poly must update and have approved by the California State University Board of Trustees. The most recent update to the plan includes changes the university wants to see in the next 20 years, setting guidelines for the campus’ physical development.
The Master Plan has the following goals:
- Phase growth north
- Modal shift
- Environmental sustainability
- Enhanced Learn By Doing
- More students living on campus
- A compact, cross-disciplinary academic campus core
- More diverse students, faculty and staff/more vibrant evening and weekend activity
One by one, Mustang News will break down these goals and their affects on students, faculty and the community.
Goal six: A compact, cross-disciplinary academic campus core
First things first: Keep the core compact and cross-disciplinary.
Even with all the Master Plan’s proposed expansions — more on-campus housing, creation of other facilities and the renovating and expansion of older facilities — the main goal for Interim University Planning Officer Linda Dalton and the rest of the Master Plan team is to make sure there is enough room for all indoor instruction, counseling services and faculty offices in the core.
According to Dalton, there is definitely enough room for both the Master Plan’s proposed ideas and the existing core.
A cross-disciplinary core
For Dalton, it is important to have the different academic college’s facilities mixed within the core.
“You want to have chances for students and faculty from different fields to be together so that you’re not just exclusively with the majors from your own department,” Dalton said.
A compact core
It’s just as important to have a compact core where all indoor instruction and other services are near the center of campus, Dalton said.
As shown in the Master Plan campus core map below, the core itself is defined by the box created by the railroad tracks near California Boulevard, the creek north of campus, Grand Avenue and Slack Street.
The red star in the middle of the map shows the center of campus. Everything in the campus core is no more than a 10-minute walking distance from this star.
Click on the map for a larger picture.
For aerospace engineering freshman Griff Malloy, the walking distance as it stands now is manageable.
“I feel like they (the walking paths) are about as efficient as they can be,” Malloy said.
And for some students, a short walking distance isn’t a top priority.
“I never really choose classes depending on where they are on campus,” kinesiology freshman Sierra Sheeper said.
Anyone can address their concerns and opinions about the Master Plan to the university through the Master Plan contact page. The university will accept comments until the end of the quarter.