By Coco Chica & Breezh Nunez, May 11, 2021
The ASI Board of Directors discussed plans for the proposal of a fitness and adventure program during their May 6 meeting, the final of the semester. The proposal would provide Cal Poly Pomona housing residents with recreational programs to help their physical and mental wellbeing.
The program is expected to be implemented the week of June 7 and available to University Housing Services and University Village student residents. It was discussed that the ideal spots for hosting the fitness programs are on the field areas near the Residence Suites and could include CPP nature walks, intro to trail running, group fitness classes, and fishing and skateboarding workshops.
ASI Vice President Manshaan Singh shared further information on the most efficient locations on campus. He proposed the BRIC and its surrounding plazas could soon be home to summer activities.
“The proposals could work around open fields on campus that could provide spacious room for students in order to remain socially distanced while still being socially involved in activities with other fellow students,” said Singh.
The proposal would also offer a variety of group hiking trails in the areas surrounding campus which feature CPP’s natural areas, such as the Aratani Japanese Garden and rose garden found on campus.
The program is currently only set to be available for those residing on campus as the board looks to keep those housed on campus active but continue to push the implementation of these activities for the future as students return to campus this fall.
“These new programs are being implemented with COVID-19 precautions with the planning on keeping such programs for future students even after these safety protocols are lifted and normal life resumes,” added Singh.
The proposal includes safety protocols that follow Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 guidelines such as the use of outdoor space, limited capacity of eight students per program, the prohibition of shared equipment, sanitation policies and continuous temperature checks for those participating. Furthermore, for general safety, the staff will have an emergency response kit and cell phone handy to contact emergency services if needed.
Attorney General Matthew Jacobson believes that given the positive feedback from students who have participated in the campus’ in-person study spaces, this on-campus ASI program should be implemented soon.
“I think our campus recreation team and our whole team within ASI that has been working on these different proposals to reopen programs in spaces safely have done a very in-depth job at looking at different requirements as far as cleaning versus sanitizing and what all these different terms mean to help protect students, staff and faculty,” said Jacobson. “With the current rate of COVID cases declining in LA County, I think the approval for the plan should happen relatively quickly. ASI has put in place a handful of resources to maintain the program in a safe environment here on campus.”
ASI President Lucy Yu expressed confidence in these programs bringing a sense of inclusion and normality to those who have limited access to a social setting.
“As ASI we always hope that mental health and physical health programs can be as beneficial as possible to students, especially in the times that we live right now,” said Yu.
As previously reported, ASI is also planning the BRIC’s reopening as early as this summer. BRIC access for students who graduated during the campus’ shift to virtual instruction was approved by the board with a unanimous 12-0 vote. Graduating students can redeem their BRIC access up to two terms after graduation, which can be used between now and 2030.
In other business, ASI approved a resolution that hopes to improve University Police Department operations and student safety enforcement with a unanimous 11-0 vote. Jacobson explained the importance the resolution’s approval which he called “our stance on how the UPD has been operating and protecting students.”
“We had a lot of conversations with the administration about it and what we could do to make it better,” said Jacobson. “We hope that this resolution can call more attention to that area and hopefully urge campus administration to be quicker when it comes to the Police Advisory Task Force and other things to make students feel safer as we start to return to campus.”
Once signed, the BRIC reopening and UPD resolutions will be uploaded to the Public Documents tab on the ASI website. To learn more about ASI proposals or resolutions, students can visit https://asi.cpp.edu
Feature image courtesy of Sebastian Pociech.