Stan State Nursing Alumnus Arnold Velasquez (far right) with the nursing staff at NYU Langone, New York.
As California issued a stay-at-home order and the number of patients dwindled at the Turlock doctor’s office where Stanislaus State graduate Arnold Velasquez worked as a nurse practitioner, the number of severely sick people with COVID-19 surged in states like New York.
Responding to the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on Stan State students, Wells Fargo has made a $30,000 donation to the Stan State California Faculty Association Campus Cares initiative, with $15,000 going toward the Student Emergency Fund and $15,000 to the Food Insecurity Fund, which supports the Warrior Food Pantry.
Besides the empty Quad, the switch to all virtual instruction and the daily Zoom meetings, COVID-19’s effects on Stan State students as they pursue their educational goals are more than inconvenient.
In some cases, some students are struggling to find food and other basic essentials.
Responding to the crisis, students, faculty, staff and the community are rallying with financial support.
When asked why he volunteers as a faculty peer mentor helping colleagues to transition and adjust to virtual modes of instruction, Associate Professor David Zhu has a simple answer.
“Helping others is rewarding. Period,” he said. “As a member of society and this community, it is my responsibility, and my great pleasure, to offer my hands to those who need them.”
Stanislaus State is now one of about 40 universities in the nation and is the first in the West Coast to create an Alpha Alpha Alpha chapter. The honor society — which Stan State students prefer to call Tri-Alpha because its full name is a tongue-twister — is special because it supports the academic achievement of first-generation college students.
From the classroom to living rooms, the move to distance education has changed the learning environment for Stan State students. While today’s students are often technologically savvy and comfortable with online communication, it's still been a challenging transition for many. The Office of Information Technology and Office of Academic Technology have spearheaded the campuswide effort to make the shift as smooth as possible.
By late February, Stanislaus State’s Kinesiology Department had 28 health promotion students placed in internships in Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties. All seniors ready to graduate in May, the interns were gaining valuable experience in government offices, schools and nonprofit organizations while they worked on projects addressing childhood obesity, homelessness and other health issues.
While face-to-face advising is not possible with social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place, the Academic Success Center is still available remotely. Students are encouraged to utilize general advising online and over the phone.
The simple process requires going to the Academic Success Center webpage and choosing the Online Academic Advising option. Appointments are available from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and students may choose which advisor they would like to meet with via Zoom or phone call.
Daisy Ramirez Meza earned a health science degree at Stan State with a concentration in leadership and administration.
She’s putting those skills to use, not in a medical facility but on the Stan State campus as the Health Careers Navigator in the School of Nursing, where she’s ushering through the latest cohort of RNs working to complete their bachelor’s degrees.