The resolution was read at last week’s CSSA meeting and was approved, but still needs to go through a second reading and vote. If approved, it will be sent to CSU Chancellor Timothy White.
Hannah Croft
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The California State Student Association (CSSA) has reached a resolution involving semester conversion that would urge California State University Chancellor Timothy White to allow for student input on the switch from quarters to semesters.
ASI President Jason Colombini represents Cal Poly in the CSSA, and has been spearheading the resolution from day one.
Colombini approached leaders from the five other schools last year, and asked if there was a way to unify the CSSA on the quarters versus semesters issue.
“We don’t want to switch to semesters,” he said. “And the CSSA carries more weight that individual schools.”
Six CSU campuses are still on the quarter system — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, East Bay, San Bernardino, Bakersfield and Los Angeles.
The resolution now on the table asks White to consider student input for the universities who still remain on quarters — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Pomona and CSU East Bay. It also asks White to include students from CSU Bakersfield, CSU San Bernardino and CSU Los Angeles, who are already in the semester conversion process, in the decision-making for the rest of their conversion.
“The deciding factor should be the input of students and faculty,” Colombini said.
The resolution was read at last week’s CSSA meeting and was approved, but still needs to go through a second reading and vote. That will take place at the end of February. If approved, it will be sent to Chancellor White.
“The first reading passed pretty easily,” Colombini said. “I was pleasantly surprised, since it doesn’t really impact all the campuses.”
The result of the resolution would be similar to a student advisory vote on campus, Colombini said, and there’s no guarantee it will be honored. But it does present a united front from all 23 campuses, rather than just one school.
“This is kind of the last page of the playbook,” Colombini said. “It’s basically the last thing we would do as students to make a system wide resolution.”
The second reading of the resolution will take place during the next CSSA meeting in late February. If approved, the resolution will be sent to White soon after, and he will discuss it with his executives.
The CSSA is an organization of CSU students whose goal is “to maintain and enhance access to an affordable, quality public higher education for the people of California to the California State University,” according to its website. It is comprised of representatives from all 23 CSUs.