Watch our first interview with President Mahoney here. 

Xpress conducted a second hour-long interview with SF State President Lynn Mahoney to ask about the recent announcement that the fall semester will be almost entirely online. Throughout the interview the president revealed information surrounding graduation, student housing in the fall, student fees, enrollment drops and the possible in-person fall classes. Below is a list of every question asked with hyperlinked time stamps, simply click the time to go to that part of the video.

1:30 What can you tell us about the first virtual graduation?

2:59 Will the 2020 in-person graduation occur simultaneously with the 2021 graduation or separately? 

Question: Will there be accommodations for graduates without reliable internet or computer access?

5:05 Most students who voted for an in-person graduation also said they 

would rather have the ceremony sooner, even if its smaller rather than wait for a 

larger ceremony. How much smaller would a sooner graduation be?

6:41 Tell us about the decision to move fall classes online 

9:44 Your announcement said that some fall classes would be in person. Is one centralized body choosing these classes or is it less centralized and are there any criteria to qualify?

11:27 When can students expect to have a list of courses that will be in-person for fall?

12:17 Will online classes mainly be based on zoom lectures where everyone meets at the same time, or will they be like most typical online classes where students complete the work and lectures at their own pace? 

13:12 What is the default grading system for Spring 2020?

14:33 The university is actually increasing some mandatory fees next semester, when were these increases decided and how?

16:28 Which office is in charge of determining temporary fee discounts for the fall semester?

18:17 Governor Newsom’s recent state budget proposal includes a 10% cut to higher education. According to the president of the California Faculty Association this would mean a $400 million loss for the CSU. Can you tell us what that would mean for SF State’s campus? 

21:13 What has it been like dealing with this pandemic during your first year at SF State?

23:31 Do you expect any drop in enrollment next semester and how might that impact the university? 

26:29 What do you say to students currently deciding between coming to SF State or going to a community college?

28:32 With facilities like the library and Mashouf closed, do you expect to have a decrease in student employees and if so how significant?

30:57 Having employees on campus will require long-term precautionary plans, can you tell me what conversations you’ve had surrounding what those precautions might look like? 

33:16 I spoke with students who work in different departments across campus. One student who worked for Residential Life that I spoke with said they had only gotten paid for one week out of the month of April. Do you know if desk assistants are exempt from paid administrative leave? Do you know if any departments are exempt from paid leave?

34:17  Another student who works as a shelving assistant said they were receiving paid administrative leave but because of a cap on maximum hours, they were losing 20% of their wages. 

34:58 What are the plans for student housing next semester?

36:45 How many students might be in student housing next semester? 

38:05 What training will happen at City Eats and Bricks when housing reopens? Last spring, a Department of Public Health investigation found rat droppings in City Eats.

40:00 How will the university handle a situation in which students on campus are not following precautions?

41:39 Do you know if any students remain in Gator Crisis Housing? 

42:22 Do you know if Gator Groceries is continuing throughout the summer?

43:21 Are there any plans to expand hours for students to use Mashouf showers? Can you talk about how to balance providing resources while not increasing risk of exposure too much? 

44:17 The library has run out of loaner laptops. How will the university ensure students have access to the technology necessary to complete their courses next semester?

45:42 Will there be another round of applications for more CARES Act funds?

47:37 How much money have SF State students collectively requested from the HOPE Crisis Fund and how much funding is there?

48:31 Is the university keeping track of whether students who applied to CARES Act funding and the HOPE Crisis Fund got both or just one? 

50:00 Some school districts have banned Zoom due to security and privacy concerns. Does the university have any concerns about the continued viability of Zoom?

51:13 Is there anything you can tell us about the contents of the Information Security report conducted by CSU auditors?

52:36 What training is being held for campus employees regarding information security now that that’s such a prevalent issue?

54:08  The CSU audit department assessed SF State’s emergency response plan and concluded that “Overall, we found that the campus was not effectively administering many of the required components of its emergency management program.” Can you tell us about the progress in adopting the recommendations made by the auditors?

55:10 What is your final message to students?