A Call to Action as Cal Poly SLO Moves Forward on Building

Good evening All,

I have just posted a major update on the blog -

Dean Horgan of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES), Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo sent out an email on Friday informing the faculty and staff that he has decided to go ahead and begin building on the prime farmland.  (https://www.californiainsectscience.com/cisblog/proposed-elimination-of-class-1-ag-land-cal-poly-san-luis-obispo

The building will start years before any replacement infrastructure is ready and that compromises the educational opportunities for current and future students.  

It is going to take a monumental effort to stop the building.  For the community, alums, students and other's concerned and opposed to the building I have two ideas for having an impact:

1.  A big celebration and fundraising campaign is planned for Cal Poly’s CAFES 125th anniversary starting in November.

Get the attention of Armstrong, the CAFES Dean's office, the department advisory councils and anyone else involved with planning or fundraising related to the 125th anniversary.  Send emails, or message on LinkedIn to: 

any of the Plant Sciences Department advisory council members, 

or the CAFES’s advisory council members, 

Dean Brian Horgan (bhorgan@calpoly.edu) 

and Jeff Armstrong (jarmstro@calpoly.edu) 

Explain that you will not be attending or donating until this issue has a satisfactory resolution. If you’ve already paid for tickets or given a donation, you can get your money back!

2.  Contact the CSU Board of Trustees (Armstrong’s bosses). 
Submit a 1-minute public comment in-person or online by September 21st 

• Public comment  will take place on Tuesday, September 22, at the start of the Board of Trustees’ open session, scheduled to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.

• Email Written comments in advance of the meeting by 12:00 p.m. on Monday,  September 21 to trusteesoffice@calstate.edu. 

• Public comment during the meeting, in-person or virtually/telephonically by providing a written request by 12:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21 to trusteesoffice@calstate.edu or completing the form at Addressing the Board of Trustees. In your request, identify the subject of your comment - Do Not Build on Prime Farmland at Cal Poly, SLO.

The meeting will be broadcast via the livestream through the Board of Trustees website

Here is the 1-minute comment I plan to submit. Feel free to use this one or write your own. 

California loses 47,000 acres of farmland every year, approximately 1 square mile every 5 days on average.  It is a problem for CA agriculture and CSU campuses that serve that industry should not be part of the problem.  President Jeff Armstrong of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo wants to destroy 54 acres of prime farmland on campus, ignoring previous agreements that protected this land from development, to build a non-academic neighborhood on campus that no one has asked for.  This severely weakens student’s expectations for a hands-on learning experience.

• Instead - build on already compromised soils and seek innovation and educational opportunities from the design and build programs on campus
• Set the example for land and natural resource stewardship
• Honor your previous commitments and the wishes of the student body and do not build on prime farmland

Let's flood the meeting with our comments!