The brisk walking to get to class on time, the huddling around campus maps and students holding stacks of textbooks at bookstore registers signaled the start of the fall 2022 academic year.
With in-person classes increased to 73 percent this year - as well as 10.3 percent hybrid and 16.6 percent fully online - the campus has been teeming with life since the academic year began Aug. 25. Despite more students, faculty and staff on campus, safety remains a concern, with professors going over safety protocols along with their syllabi and the addition of two vending machines where COVID-19 testing kits can be purchased.
At the African American Student Center, Joshua-James Lewis-Martin spent some time talking with friends before heading to his afternoon classes. The senior kinesiology student, taking the last of the units this fall he needs to graduate, said all of his classes are in person for the second consecutive semester.
"Before the pandemic, the campus was more lively. People were more together. It definitely took a toll on us," he said. "Now, we are coming back together and building back that community that we lost. We're all taking care of each other, so we can all succeed and build a stronger village."
In the quad, Sicomoro Hall roommates and freshman France Garcia and Emilene Morrison, looked back and forth between a campus map along the pathway and one on Garcia's phone trying to figure out how to get to Building 45.
Garcia, an English student who plans to switch her major to economics, said she had only been to the campus twice, including orientation, but likes what she sees of it so far.
"The campus is so pretty," said the Torrance native. "I like the nature, so its really cool."
Morrison, an English student from Redlands, is already involved. She attended movie night on campus, which showed the recent release, "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." A member of the university's cheer squad, she also helped fire up incoming Broncos at a back-to-school pep rally the first week of classes.
"This week has been amazing," she said. "I'm on the cheer squad, so I got to do the pep rally. I made the team before I chose to come here. This is the best school I got into. I feel super lucky."
In Building 24, the sound of a student playing the piano behind the closed door of one of the practice rooms echoed down the halls.
Across campus in Building 17, Steven Dobbs, an instructor for ARO 1011L, Introduction to Aeronautics, gave the class an overview of what to expect over the semester. Dobbs ('70, aerospace engineering) shared with students how he learned the importance of pushing through shyness during his childhood when he once froze up during a speech at his church.
Over in Building 6, post-baccalaureate students working to earn their teaching credentials received words of encouragement from Associate Professor Cesar Larriva in his Foundations of Education in a Diverse Society course.
"This is a safe space for you to develop your communication skills. Bring your 'A' game," he said. "Come prepared. We're a team, and we need you."
And up on the hill, Ben DeWald ('82, hotel and restaurant management), a professor in The Collins College of Hospitality Management, shared stories about his career path and rewarded students with prizes for asking questions. He told students that in his course, Intro to Hospitality, they would get an overview of the industry with an emphasis on career opportunities, customer service and personal success strategies.
That sounded good to Jen Tapia, a Carson resident who aspires to one day own a business that serves parfait desserts infused with alcohol. The hospitality management student said she was looking forward to the classes Cal Poly Pomona offers that will fuel her passions.
"I'm nervous because I have only been up here to the college once or twice," she said of her first day. "I am excited to be here because I want to go into food and beverage."
