No dorms or events. Why the ‘American college experience’ is gone for CSU students this fall

As California continues to work on preventing the spread of the coronavirus, several colleges and universities throughout the state announced they will not physically reopen in the fall, leaving incoming students upset and looking for options.

Athletic events, the celebratory move-in day and other social events have all been put on pause as California slowly lifts stay-at-home orders for residents. The California State University system, which has 23 campuses, announced it will officially moving fall classes online.

C.K. McClatchy High School student Olivia Vinding first read the news on Twitter. The news hit the Chico State-bound student hard. She already paid the university a $300 housing deposit and made concrete plans to move over the summer.

“It came to the point where you were no longer able to look forward to senior ball, you were no longer able to look forward to graduation, so starting a new chapter in your life and going to college was a new turning point for you and the year 2020,” said Vinding, 18. “But this monumental moment feels gone too.”

CSU Chancellor Timothy White during Tuesday’s CSU board meeting made the announcement that the campuses, including Sacramento State and Fresno State, would not reopen in the fall. Classes will be held “primarily virtual” except for some activities that cannot be delivered remotely.

“Anything done on a campus this fall won’t be as it was in the past, it will be different,” he said.

And the Los Rios Community College District, which includes American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom Lake and Sacramento City colleges in Sacramento County, announced it will move to a fully online class schedule due to concerns over COVID-19. A small number of classes that cannot be moved online will remain in person, according to an email to students.

Some university students are expected to sign up for community college classes either to save money or because they are staying at home.

Vinding, who declared business as her major, said she’s left to question why she’s paying university tuition for her first year of college when she could take the same classes online through Los Rios. She is considering deferring her acceptance to Chico State for the semester.

In fact, one in five students is unsure if they will re-enroll in college or take college classes at all this fall, according to a national survey commissioned by the American Council on Education and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Vinding is waiting to hear back if the university still plans to charge students full tuition.

“The first thought that came to my mind was that this financially doesn’t make sense,” she said.

CSU officials said tuition could potentially be a topic of discussion in the near future.

“Campus-specific plans are still to be determined, but will be communicated before the end of this month,” CSU officials said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. “While our plan is to primarily deliver courses virtually, it’s possible that in-person instruction could take place in certain circumstances, so we would ask that any student get as much information as possible prior to making any decisions.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision Thursday will help schools and universities determine their financial decisions.

But other students shared frustration with all the unknowns.

McClatchy High senior Katia Kasower said she feels numb to the news. She was accepted into San Jose State University in the fall to study animation. She has already paid her deposit and found a roommate, and is now unsure if she will be allowed to move into her dorm.

Her program is working to reduce some class sizes to allow students in a classroom, but Kasower said she isn’t sure if that’s enough to persuade her to move to San Jose in the fall.

“I found being in an online class in high school was really challenging,” said Kasower, 18. “It was hard to absorb material. For my major, the first semester is important. I won’t get to know people at all.”

White has indicated that there will be a reduced availability of cultural and athletic events on CSU campuses, ultimately reducing social events for all students, but it was still unclear to what extent that will be applied in the fall.

“You pay to go to school for that American college experience of friendships, bonds you create and that independent lifestyle,” Vinding said. “It’s saddening that it’s taken away from us.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.