By: Alondra Tamayo and Raveena Rahman, Dec 10, 2024
The Cal Poly Pomona letters at the top of Colt Hill were deemed hazardous and a potential risk factor to students, according to a risk management auditor.
The Associated Student Inc.’s board of directors and the Division of Student Affairs are currently discussing potential solutions to the problem. They are considering removing the weeds and adding lights in the surrounding area, or planting flowers in place of the letters and working with police and city authorities to maintain safety precautions.
ASI president and engineering student Cade Wheeler claimed the CPP letters should be removed because they pose a safety risk to students who visit, which could also make CPP liable if no action is taken.
“When you go up there, the trail is incredibly steep, not very leveled,” said Wheeler. “There is no guard rail. There are no safety precautions. And when you actually get to the letters there is no lighting. There is uneven ground and again, it’s at a slope. These are all factors that are fairly dangerous on a risk management level.”
When a certain issue is brought to administration, Wheeler explained an immediate solution needs to be decided, especially if it involves student safety.
But Wheeler also acknowledged that the university understands that by removing the CPP letters, it’s also removing the right for students to engage in self-expression.
“In my opinion, it’s not about them wanting to get rid of a crucial part of campus,’ cause those letters really are,” Wheeler said. “But it’s a matter of student safety and the university wanting to make sure that they care about the issue since it’s being brought up by a risk management audit.”
ASI Vice President Megan Shadrick called for a meeting Sept. 19 to discuss the next steps. So far, the school has decided to no longer allow students to paint the letters, as students have previously done during protests.
During the meeting, ASI board members mentioned possibly removing the letters and eventually changing them to make them more similar to the letters near the CLA Building.
Shadrick asked students to present ideas about possible solutions to ASI. She mentioned possible solutions, including adding lights around the letters, replacing the weeds with flowers and potentially hosting an event in commemoration of the letters.
However, Wheeler said making safer changes to the letters so they are not considered a risk factor is highly expensive and costs more than removing them.
“The trail is extremely steep, so we would probably have to do some winding,” said an ASI board member. “It would have to be a huge funding. It would probably be about $2 to $3 million.”
Biology student Amy Tran is upset over losing the letters.
“I have always wanted to hike to the letters with my friends,” Tran said. “It’s disappointing that we might not get that chance. I feel like visiting the letters is kind of like a rite of passage for Cal Poly students. It’s something that I believe every CPP student should experience during their time here.”
The decision regarding the letters is a university admin-level issue, and it’s out of ASI’s control, according to Wheeler.
Wheeler added Vice President of Student Affairs Christina Gonzales would have more information on the topic. However, Gonzales postponed an interview with The Poly Post and could not be reached in time for publication.
College of Business Administration Academic Senate Chair Rita Kumar also declined to comment on the future of the CPP letters due to a lack of information on the matter.
There is no concrete plan on what the letter-removal process would look like since it’s still undecided, according to ASI.
Featured image courtesy of Darren Loo
