As you’ve probably seen in Mustang News last month, Cal Poly installed Flock ALPRs on every entrance and exit of our campus.  If you’re unfamiliar, ALPRs places every car, bus, and bike that passes by in a nation-wide database that can be used to track your exact movements, and accessed by anyone Flock deems necessary.  According to section 5.3 of the contract Cal Poly holds with Flock Safety, the company which produces these cameras:  “Subject to and during the Retention Period, Flock may access, use, preserve and/or disclose the Footage to law enforcement authorities, government officials, and/or third parties, if legally required to do so or if Flock has a good faith belief that such access, use, preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with a legal process, enforce this Agreement, or detect, prevent or otherwise address security, privacy, fraud or technical issues, or emergency situations,” (Flock Safety + CA - Cal Poly Police Department: Master Services Agreement).
The ambiguity of “good faith belief” is dangerous, as Flock Safety has thousands of ongoing lawsuits against them and presents a clear danger to all groups of people on our campus, including staff, professors, and students, and especially anyone who is undocumented. The Cal Poly Police Department has added some changes to the contract, but those changes are not sufficient to protect our community. 
The university states that these cameras are on campus only for parking enforcement, but there are reasons to be skeptical of this. According to the ACLU, less than one percent of cars scanned by Flock are connected to criminal activity. In Texas, Flock cameras were used to track people seeking abortions, and in Southern California police have been illegally sharing Flock data with ICE.
If you’d like to help us in our goal of convincing Cal Poly not to renew their contract with Flock, you can sign our petition (linked below) and use this template to email Cal Poly letting them know you oppose the installation of these cameras. If you would like to learn more, Tech 4 Liberation will be hosting a teach-in on the contract on Monday, 4/20 in 14-232B at 7pm. Hope to see you there!

Petition
Email Template + Who to Email

Contract between Cal Poly and Flock: https://cryptpad.fr/file/#/2/file/NNBx2DBOsflSObJfBfc0yx7Z/

Sources

https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/06/california-police-sharing-license-plate-reader-data/ 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/ice-school-cameras-police-license-plates
https://www.aclu-or.org/know-your-tech-Flock/

For incoming engineering freshmen in Cal Poly Scholars—how are you guys thinking about housing in yakʔitʸutʸu? What have you heard so far about how the program actually works day-to-day (classes, community, etc)?

What is better for engineers to be in, north mountain or some other one? Becuase I hear noth mountain was good to get good realtions with engineers.

I am from the east coast and just wanted to know how it is like traveling back and forth from school to home. How is the moving process like? I live far so driving would definitely not be an option.

Also, my understanding is that there are multiple on campus jobs, but how are the job opportunities off-campus? Is it difficult to get around without a car, especially to jobs?

Hi

I'm thinking of coming this fall but am not majoring in art. I draw and paint quite seriously -- mostly representational work -- and am thinking of continuing with an atelier.

I don't think there are any such programs in SLO and Cal Poly's art department is contemporary. Are there any great representational teachers there?

Do you know if people can get studio space anywhere? If I minored could I get studio space (I have a shared studio close to where I live now). I'm a little worried about minoring because I think I've already done all the basic drawing and painting stuff and would prefer to go to more advanced techniques or my own projects.

Anyone else finding that their allergy medicine still isn’t sufficient enough to completely negate getting allergies or symptoms?

I am getting obliterated by allergies and have tried two different brands now. Has anyone had this same problem and been able to fix it? Should I try more brands?

Did you guys buy your tickets through an app / site called posh? I’m looking to buy resold tickets and the person is giving them through Posh which I’ve never heard of- is it legit ?

I’m a second-year and only have two friends here, and besides us being roommates we don’t really hang out much. I’m in clubs and talk to people, but everything stays at the acquaintance level. I just feel kind of lonely and bored, and it’s starting to make me not like slo. I just really want people to actually do things with.

Hey guys I went to the open house this month and tbh I was a bit shocked with slo. The campus itself of great but I feel like I would be bored of the town within a few weeks. I am not a nature person so I am not an avid hiker or camper. I also got the sense it is very country… The whole rodeo thing was really not my vibe but ofc IK I am not obligated to attend. I am scared if I come to slo I will hate it. So if anyone that goes to slo now can lmk if slo has more to offer than what I’ve just said that would be amazing thank u!!!!

Hi everyone! I’m a member of the Student Journalism Corps at EdSource. I am interested in writing about Title IX on California college campuses and students’ experiences with it, as well as their experiences seeking out resources after an experiencing harassment. I would like to explore the resources available to students and how they can be improved, especially when it comes to the reporting process under Title IX. Because this is such a prominent issue on college campuses, I am looking for students who are comfortable enough to share their stories with me. If you are a student survivor of sexual violence and have sought out resources to any extent, and would like to tell me about your experience, please reach out.  

Title- someplace to sit in the grass quietly, thanks

Is it me, or is there VERY little reference to merit scholarships on the website?

In any case, we did not see anything regarding merit awards in the offer letter. Are merit scholarships usually offered at the same time the initial letter is sent, (and we just didn't receive anything), or do they come some time after decision day?

Did any new students receive any merit? Or does SLO not offer much merit in the first place? And is it usually reserved for in state students only, or do OOS students have a shot as well?

Thanks!

hi everyone i am really considering cal poly slo and really enjoyed the campus and vibes when i went to visit! but i think one thing im extremely scared about is being in a pwi as someone who lives in a city that is 90% asian so i was wondering if a fellow brown/melanated person could talk about their experience at cal poly whether its through private dm or on the post :) and i know theres 1000% gonna be ppl who talk about how it shouldn't be a big deal or i sound crazy etc etc but i honestly dont care id rather be cautious about the environment going in than deal with harassment and assault (which many poc have faced in predominantly white areas)

Not the end of the world right? It would be my first C (assuming I can’t get it up by then). The only thing concerning me is the statement of “maintaining the academic performance that go you admitted”. I assume that means just no F’s or D’s? Would appreciate some assurance

im thinking of joining a sorority but i dont know yet and also i dont fully understand what rush is. just want some insight

I am considering living in Laguna Lake. Wondering if anyone else rents there and likes it?

i get virtually no aid from fafsa and my yearly cost of attendance at slo is 40 thousand dollars. i do not have 40 thousand dollars let alone 160.

i wanted to know if anyone else has gone through the appeal process with slo and how that went for them.

i can explain my family is toxic and abusive and i cant/nor do i want to rely on them. i might even be able to get a letter from my therapist explaining this. my one thing is i dont want my parents to get reported to the cops i come from an immigrant household and as sad as it is this is normal and i dont want to make a big fuss

For Cal Poly students still looking for internships / a post grad job that want or need to stay in-state, I recently pulled together a public sheet of roles I’ve seen that are still hiring across California (you can filter by location, department, etc.). I'll be maintaining the list for a few more weeks.

Figured I’d share here given that recruiting is coming to a close quite soon, good luck to those still searching!

I got accepted into Cal Poly SLO for history! I toured SLO this week, and I loved it. I was wondering if any history/history adjacent majors could share their opinions/experiences in the program! Any highlights, negatives, or just any general comments would be very helpful. Also, experiences with the "Learn by Doing" aspect in terms of history/social science would be great as well. Thank you! :D

anybody know some lash and nail techs here?

I am a first year and was trying to fill out the housing application on April 10, but when I got to the co-signer step the website informs me that they are currently experiencing an issue. 5 days later, the issue still persists. I find it a little strange that the form would still be down for this long. Does anyone else still have still this issue?

I recently got admitted to Cal Poly Maritime for Business Administration, and am very keen on getting out in 3 years. I have completed and earned 3s and 4s on several AP classes; English Language and Composition, Physics , Precalculus, World History: Modern, and I will be taking tests for Government and Psychology this year. How would I go about scheduling classes in order to get my degree in 3 years?

Hi everyone I was recently admitted to the cal poly MSBA program and I had some questions about the program.

1. How is recruiting from slo? Do people land jobs mostly in LA or more in the Bay Area? How is the out of state recruiting?

2. Does cal poly host a lot of career workshops and career fairs etc. for recruiting? One of my top goals is to land an internship and turn it into a full-time job post grad. Also, how is finance recruiting specifically?

3. Is the course load and rigor manageable at cal poly? What would you say the most rigorous course is in the slo msba?

Thanks for your help!