CSU Board of Trustees Approves Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and CSU Maritime Restructuring Without a Plan

At the November 20 CSU Board of Trustees meeting, trustees voted to approve the restructuring of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Maritime campuses despite months of CFA members, students, and others expressing their concerns.

While most faculty have supported the restructuring, the vast majority have condemned management for their abhorrent lack of transparency and accountability in the planning process, as well as their failure to consult with faculty on these matters.

These concerns were amplified during our meet and confer with CSU management this past Friday, when management informed us that they never had a plan to begin with.

“Management stated that they have no secret plan, but rather that a plan has yet to be developed,” said Tad Walters, CFA San Luis Obispo Lecturer Representative and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Lecturer.

Throughout the meeting, CFA members attempted to get clearer answers on the planning process, but were met with little to no information. When asked about the estimated $29.9 million of ongoing funding to maintain Maritime Academy, management admitted they had no cost estimates nor any further details on the numbers.

Their response was no different when asked about the merging of the same or similar departments across the two campuses, with management stating that the Chancellor’s Office had no plans at this time.

“Perhaps the most egregious moment was when they had no idea whether or not CSU Maritime had a library. They even admitted that they gave no thought to librarian faculty,” Walters said.

Though management told us that academic restructuring would begin July 1, 2026, they also admitted to not having any idea what the restructuring would look like. They vaguely noted that layoffs may be coming to CSU Maritime, but no further details were provided.

From this meeting and repeated requests to obtain information that were denied, it is clear that management has not paid any attention to the way restructuring will impact faculty and students.

Students for Quality Education (SQE) intern Elijah Zuniga also criticized both campuses’ handling of sexual misconduct, which ranks among the highest in the CSU system.

“Cal Maritime failed to even report or be transparent about how widespread the issue of sexual misconduct was on their training vessels until an investigation by the Los Angeles Times revealed the university’s coverup and inaction. Worse still, Maritime received these reports of sexual assault 11 months before they even decided to initiate a compliance review,” said Zuniga, who is studying economics at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Following the meet and confer with management, CFA San Luis Obispo President Lisa Kawamura and CFA Maritime President Aparna Sinha drafted a letter to CSU Chancellor Mildred García outlining members’ unresolved concerns.

Both Kawamura and Sinha explain that multiple requests for information regarding alternatives to the proposal, its impact on majors, course cuts, faculty senates, housing, and commuting between campuses were either denied or received inadequate responses.

Both CFA presidents also raised concerns about a lack of clarity surrounding the Year-Round Operation proposal, noting that some departments may be unable to adapt to new requirements and may be at risk of being cut or devalued. Additionally, there is uncertainty regarding whether new tenure-track faculty and lecturers would have summer teaching added to their contract and whether they would be required to teach three consecutive semesters without a break.

They also alerted Chancellor García to the potential harm that the restructuring could have on student graduation and enrollment if a plan is not well implemented.