At its meeting on March 18, the Academic Senate heard from CSU Bakersfield President Lynnette Zelezny, who announced that the university hopes to administer up to 5,400 COVID-19 vaccines a day starting on Saturday, March 27.

The vaccinations will take place seven days a week, by appointment only, through myturn.ca.gov.

The Academic Senate meeting began with Vice Chair Melissa Danforth, who is also a CSUB professor in computer and electrical engineering and computer science, reading a statement acknowledging the one-year anniversary of CSUB’s virtual learning during the pandemic.

In the statement, Danforth acknowledged what a trying time we, as a community, have all been through.

Danforth thanked essential workers, many of whom are students at CSUB, for their part in making the community safe and operational. She acknowledged the difficulties that come with virtual learning and the missed social connections each one of us has felt during this last year.

Lastly, a moment of silence was taken for those who lost their lives in the last year due to COVID-19.

Zelezny spoke about what will be happening at CSUB in the next few weeks.

There will be a virtual groundbreaking ceremony coming up for the new GET Bus station. CSUB students, staff, and faculty qualify for 50% off of GET Bus monthly passes according to the Sustainable Transportation page of CSUB.

CSUB’s Provost, Vernon Harper, is hopeful that he will have a better idea about what classes in fall 2021 will look like after spring break. The plan is still in the works.

During the March 4 Academic Senate meeting, a resolution was brought to the senate by Senator Charles Lam, a professor of mathematics at CSUB, regarding an academic testing center for proctored exams.

The resolution asks that a room, or rooms, be available for students who want to take their exams in person. This can be done safely with cleaning, space between students, wearing masks.

This would offer an option for faculty who need alternative measures.

This resolution was voted on and passed during the Senate meeting on March 18. A proctored exam room or testing center may be coming in the near future for CSUB students.

The Academic Senate meets every other Thursday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. via Zoom.

The next meeting will be after spring break on April 15, 2021. To request a link to the Zoom meeting, email Beth Bywaters, the Administrative Analyst for the Academic Senate, at [email protected].