On Sept. 7, students and faculty received a campus-wide email alerting them of the option for faculty to move to remote instruction this week, beginning this afternoon since some classrooms have been uncomfortably hot.

There has been an excessive heat warning in the Los Angeles area that remains in effect until 8 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The warning alerts people of dangerously hot conditions with temperatures of 100 F to 102 F.

Provost and Executive Vice President Jose A. Gomez sent an email to all campus faculty at 12:17 p.m. stating that the priority is the well-being and the health of the Cal State LA community.

“This week’s excessive heat may have a detrimental effect on the learning environment in your classes,” Gomez said in the email. “This option provides each faculty member with the ability to decide what’s best for their classes given the weather and other factors.”

Vice President for Student Life Octavio Villalpando sent a school-wide email to students at 1:15 p.m. letting them know about this option offered to faculty.

“Courses may remain in person if conditions in the classroom are not impacted by the heat,” Villalpando added, “and/or if it is not practical to move to remote instruction due to course requirements.”

Villalpando encouraged students to look on Canvas or their campus email to get any updates on their classes. 

Jorge Salazar, an accountancy master’s student, shared that his forensics accounting class, located in Salazar Hall, gets extremely hot because there are around 30 students and the classroom is small.

“I think it’s good that the university is giving faculty the option to teach online this week,” Salazar said. “I also believe that instruction should completely go remote this week because that is the best option for the environment and students’ safety. Many professors might decide to still meet in person this week and that could affect those students.”