San Jose State will resume online classes Thursday after it canceled the first day of in-person and online classes for the Fall semester due to unhealthy air quality from the fires ravaging Northern California.
However, Vincent Del Casino Jr., SJSU provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, said in-person classes are canceled Aug. 20 and 21 as they predict unhealthy weather conditions to persist.
“These current wildfires, in fact, are much closer to San José State than recent ones,” Del Casino stated in a campuswide email Wednesday evening.
Residence halls, University Housing Services, the Dining Commons and the Student Wellness Center will remain open according to a previous email from Del Casino Wednesday morning.
In the first email, the school said it was looking into limiting outdoor activities, adjusting air conditioning systems to prevent outside air from circulating in the buildings, as well as keeping doors and windows shut.
“We understand this is not an ideal start to an already unprecedented fall semester,” Del Casino stated in the first email.
Residents located in Santa Clara, Alameda, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Contra Costa counties were asked by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to evacuate immediately Wednesday at noon due to the Santa Clara Unit (SCU) Lightning Complex fires. The SCU Lightning Complex fires are approximately 20 separate fires in three different zones caused by a surge of lightning strikes, according to the Cal Fire website.
Del Casino said the university recognized that many of its students, faculty and staff live in affected wildfire regions.
“We wanted everyone to have ample opportunity to prepare should they have to relocate at a moment’s notice,” said Del Casino about the university’s decision to cancel classes Wednesday.
Del Casino advised students who cannot attend classes tomorrow to contact their instructors as soon as possible.
In addition, instructors affected by the situation may cancel class by notifying students and the department chair, however staff will be expected to attend remotely unless similar circumstances apply.
“We can’t penalize each other for circumstances that are beyond the control of any one individual,” said Del Casino.
CalFire stated that high temperatures and low humidity play a role in the steep and rugged terrain that continues to burn.
“Some of the terrain has little to no fire history with decadent fuels conducive to extreme fire growth,” according to a CalFire incident update Wednesday.
Andy Chun, a San Jose resident, is worried he will have to evacuate, too.
“I think the school closing temporarily is a major help to those who are evacuating right now,” Chun said.
He added that if he had to evacuate, he would lose his place of study and a reliable internet connection, which is key during an online semester marred by a pandemic.
These wildfires are nothing new to Lee William, a Willow Glen resident, who says he’s seen smoke fill his neighborhood skies before.
“The common response to this is to stay home as much as you possibly can,” Chun said.
This story will be updated on the Spartan Daily website as more information becomes available.
