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The Daily Aztec
News
Sept. 15 - 21, 2021 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com
Students, parents strongly oppose faculty request for online switch by Jadyn Brandt SENIOR STAFF WRITER
San Diego State’s University Senate proposed giving faculty the choice to change their courses to fully virtual instruction without dean approval for the fall 2021 semester last Thursday. The meeting was held over Zoom and was open to all students, although students who weren’t Associated Students executives were not allowed to speak during the meeting unless time was yielded to them. The proposal, authored by Cezar Ornatowski, a professor in the College of Arts and Letters, was intended to give faculty autonomy over the format of their fall classes, without the need of the dean or assistant dean’s approval. The proposal cited a rise of COVID-19 cases across the country, the Delta variant, the decreasing efficacy of the vaccine and the potential of “long COVID” [long term COVID-19 symptoms] as some of the reasoning for the proposal. A.S. posted a public invite on their Instagram to the meeting detailing the proposal, which was met with hundreds of negative comments calling for a drop in tuition and claiming students would no longer attend SDSU should the proposal pass. One parent of an SDSU student commented on the Instagram post. “Then the expectation is that out-ofstate tuition will be refunded back,” her comment read. “To pay over 20k a year for online instruction is absurd. To also have this after the drop deadline is suspect at best. These kids already have a vaccination rate of 95 percent and they have to wear masks inside. The mental well-being of these kids have to be taken into consideration.”
Photo by Noelani Sapla
Screen shot of University Senate meeting shows President Adela de la Torre and other senate members.
The proposal comes just one week after the official add/drop deadline for classes, meaning if students wished to no longer take a class once moved online, they must file a petition with the Registrar’s Office and will receive a W (withdrawal) in the class which would not affect their GPA. Some students were more
understanding of the proposal and voiced this understanding in the comments as well. One student commented, “I hope to be in person but I feel bad for my elderly professors who are too scared to even take a sip of water in class due to COVID.” A.S. also made a second post stating they were opposed to the proposal. The
posted memorandum cited equity gaps for low-income students forced online, mental health strain on students, a greater health and safety risk for students due to “a lack of structured, social academic spaces” as well as the high vaccination rate on campus as reasons for their opposition. “Allowing this resolution to pass would insinuate a disregard for not just process and genuine justification, but for consideration and respect of student commitment to their promised in-person education while health guidelines allow,” the memorandum read. Additionally, the memorandum also stated faculty were given the chance to apply for accommodations to teach virtually before the school year began and the university granted exceptions to all 150 individuals who applied. A.S. President Ashley Tejada began the discussion by reading aloud the aforementioned memorandum. Dr. Pamela Lach, the Digital Humanities Librarian and DH Center Director, read aloud the library staff’s letter of dissent which focused on the lack of support for other non-teaching faculty and staff. “Had the University developed a contingency plan for unexpected surges, such as delaying the start of inperson classes due to the Delta variant, classroom safety and course modalities could have been addressed in a uniform way that would minimize confusion and center the well-being of all members of our community,” the letter stated. The Inclusion Council also presented a letter of dissent at the meeting which SEE UNIVERSITY SENATE PAGE 4
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony honors fallen heroes and commemorates 20 years since tragic attack by Noé Sandoval MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR
On Monday, Sept. 13, San Diego State held a remembrance ceremony for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks by the flagpole in Campanile Walkway in front of Hepner Hall. This ceremony marked 20 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City. The SDSU Army, Navy and Air Force Reserves Office Training Corps hosted the memorial, and those who attended showed their respect to the fallen heroes and victims of the 9/11 attacks. The San Diego Police Department, SD Fire Department and the U.S. Armed Forces attended the event saluting to the lives taken away during the attacks 20 years ago. This event included a salute to the nation with the national anthem and a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. to commemorate the time when the North Tower of the World Trade Center Complex was attacked. A bell also rang 20 times to acknowledge each year that has passed. SDSU students, faculty and staff attended the event, listening to the words of San Diego first responders and university President Adela de la Torre
about the significance of remembering such an important event in modern U.S. history. “Most of our first-year students, the sophomores and the juniors passing through Hepner Hall have never known a time without this war,” de la Torre said. “They have never known a time without 9/11 and without the terror and anxiety it created in our lives and in the lives of their families. But this is also a day to remember our great strength as a diverse nation. To remember how much good we have done and how much we have grown.” Keynote speaker SDPD Captain Christopher Knighten recounted his experiences back to the day of the 9/11 attacks, and how it seemed impossible that this was an act of terror happening upon our country at that time. The event brought together the San Diego military community to reflect upon the events that made an impact on the nation. Military and Veterans Administrator at SDSU’s ROTC program Elisa East attended the event to pay her respects to first responders and volunteers that risked their lives during the attacks. SEE 9/11 CEREMONY PAGE 4
Photo by Mariadelcarmen Zuniga
Service members and staff honor and remember the innocent lives taken on Sept. 11, 20 years ago.
