By Grace Johnson, March 23, 2021
Following last week’s attacks on Asian Americans in Atlanta, the ASI Board of Directors expedited and passed a resolution in solidarity with Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander students during its March 18 meeting.
The resolution, presented by ASI Attorney General Matthew Jacobson, was unanimously expedited by the board without objections and passed with a 9-0 vote.
“A resolution for solidarity with Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is very important especially in lieu of the things that have been coming to light around the world,” said Jacobson. “We have added many things such as urging students take the campus climate surveys as well as encouraging those who have been either directly or indirectly affected to reach out to CAPS or CPP Life Matters.”
ASI Business Senator Matthew To expressed his thoughts on anti-Asian sentiment in the United States since the start of the pandemic and beyond.
“It’s hard for me to say, but as an Asian American, I just hope that people will check up on any of their peers, friends or family. My dad was discriminated against the other day in regard to the virus and it is so disheartening,” said To. “There’s this model minority image out there that Asians are the number one minority in the economic tax bracket. I just hope that we all can come together and make the world a better place. There is no need for the divide that exists and that is why these decisions are important.”
During the meeting, the board also discussed the implementation of caste into the California State University’s Anti-Discrimination Policy. Caste, a hereditary social group separated by economic status, class rank, common cultural features and occupation, has been known to cause discriminatory social division.
The board’s discussion on the topic mirrored and endorsed the same conversation in the California State Student Association with caste being described as a structure of oppression that affects individuals across the world.
According to Jacobson, adding caste into the policy will further develop equity in support of those systematically marginalized by this discrimination.
In a presentation to the board, Victor Martin, facility operations coordinator for ASI Campus Recreation, debriefed the board members on the current BRIC reopening plan which estimates a soft opening date of Aug. 2.
According to Martin, this is the seventh date change for the reopening due to the unexpected surges in the pandemic.
Using equipment checkout software, Connect2, Campus Recreation developed a risk matrix which eventually led to the creation of the Campus Recreation Assessment and Mitigation Plan.
“We took all of the programs and services that we did amidst Campus Recreation and assigned a risk value to each, depending on the number of people typically involved, shared equipment that’s used and the nature of the space that’s used to be able to see which areas are more risky than others,” explained Martin.
As of March 15, Los Angeles County entered the red tier and indoor gyms amidst the county have begun reopening. From the risk matrix program stemmed the evolution of the plan to mitigate health risks on campus by mimicking the county’s guidelines.
According to Martin, this plan includes the implementation of new signage throughout the BRIC, 55 new sanitizing units, a 10% facility capacity requirement, reduced projected operating hours, a new reservation system and new steps to disinfecting the facility.
“In order to mitigate against COVID, any attendees to the BRIC will be required to use masks at all times, unless utilizing the pool, which will have lower capacity,” said Martin. “This will be a big portion of our staff training and getting them ready to have these conversations if members aren’t complying. We will be training the staff using the student conduct pamphlet on COVID-19.”
Alongside these updated guidelines, the BRIC will use the Clorox 360 system, an electrostatic sprayer that disinfects and sanitizes surroundings and surfaces that are often unreachable by hand along with active air purifying systems. The charged particles will sanitize equipment and reduce the spread of infection in the air. These additions will initially be on the second and third floors and eventually added to other areas as they open.
Additionally, the BRIC will upgrade to a new equipment tracking system that will note when equipment or machinery has been used and if it has been cleaned by a staff member for use.
“We plan to have staff stationed across different designated zones,” said BRIC Manager Supervisor Anellie Rodriguez. “We will be having two tags: a yellow and a red tag. The yellow tag would indicate that the equipment has been disinfected and is ready for usage. The red tag will be permanent signage on the equipment and will indicate that the equipment has not been thoroughly disinfected. All instructions will be on the tags and will indicate which zone they belong to.”
When members complete a workout, they will be responsible for removing the yellow tag and placing it into one of the drop-box locations. Each drop-box is placed at a level and is accessible to all individuals.
According to Rodriguez and Martin, the constant updates to these plans aim to open the BRIC’s doors at a faster rate and keep them open by minimizing the spread of the unfortunate coronavirus.
For further information pertaining to these updates, the next ASI Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for April 4. If interested in presenting information at an ASI Board of Directors meeting, students can visit https://asi.cpp.edu/student-government/meetings/board-of-directors/.
Feature photo courtesy of Sharon Wu.