While students shuffled off of campus and spent the summer with family and friends, Chico State continued to move along. Here is what to expect upon returning to campus for the Fall semester. 

The Phi Kappa Tau fraternity faced a suspension after a two-month long investigation that reached a verdict on May 8. This follows a video that circulated around campus in the Spring 2025 semester of a pledge licking a dead rat.

When asked to confirm whether the video was related to the suspension, Public Relations Director Andrew Staples said, “I won’t discuss the details of the investigation.”  

The fraternity has been suspended until the end of Spring 2026, according to Staples. 

Phi Kappa Tau will have to complete restorative training and the fraternity’s reinstatement will be contingent on their compliance with the terms of the suspension, Staples said. 

It isn’t just licking a dead rat that can make you sick. E Coli. was detected in Big Chico Creek, and a no-swim advisory was placed in July on popular swimming holes and the creek that runs through campus. 

Maybe no swimming, but if you were on campus Aug. 15, then you may have had a chance to take a shower when a cap on the end of a water line failed resulting in flooding on campus. 

“Running groundwater carried soil onto the path of travel between Tribal Relations, Glenn, Colusa and Trinity Halls, Meriam Library and the Science Building,” said Ashley Gebb, Interim Chief of Staff for Chico State. 

The incident was reported at 10:40 a.m. and “water was shut off within an hour,” according to Gebb. She gave credit to Facilities on their response to the incident. 

Chico State has “more than $100 million in deferred maintenance to address the decades-old infrastructure,” Gebb said. 

She called for more investment from the state to improve infrastructure on campus. 

What about the Reimagining Initiative?

One can only imagine what is happening with the “Reimagining of Academic Affairs.” 

After cancelling a previously scheduled meeting, Provost Leslie Cornick said in an email to The Orion “Right now there really isn’t anything to report until the semester starts.” 

The “Reimagining of Academic Affairs” was an initiative started to change Chico State’s 7-college model and the academic affairs model. The initiative was led by Cornick and the Provost Advisory Council. The restructuring remained contentious throughout last semester with many students, faculty and staff voicing their concerns and frustrations with transparency and the overall unclear process. 

The campus community was notified of a pause on the initiative when an email was sent out by Cornick on April 22.

“While the Reimagining process will not continue exactly as originally outlined, we can move forward together with a few thoughtful ideas that came from the process. At the same time, we’ll adjust the timeline in the coming year to allow for deeper engagement, campus collaboration and meaningful implementation,” the email stated.

The Orion will continue to report on any new updates to the restructuring of academic affairs.

Division of Information Technology

The Division of Information Technology worked on several projects over summer to welcome students back to campus.

Wildcat ID Cards are now connected to the Atrium Campus Connect platform, allowing for cards to be printed faster than the three minutes it currently takes. 

“This upgrade also lays the foundation for future enhancements like mobile ID cards and a modernized point-of-sale system,” according to the DoIT Monthly Newsletter released in August. 

The DoIT is also boasting the addition of more than 300 computers which have been sent to labs and high-demand areas. 

Hate it or love it, artificial intelligence is here. CatBot, a chatbot, allows for around the clock support with “common questions” which will be available in CanvasLMS, according to the same newsletter. 

Taking the numbers as they are, the majority of students aren’t interested in it. The newsletter reported that 2,968 students, 439 faculty, and 1,484 state-side staff had made a ChatGPT Edu account. That means that there are just 4,891 users out of Chico State’s 16,490 students, faculty and staff who have made an account. Chico State’s population comes from Fall 2024.

The DoIT has seemed to embrace AI. An Administrative Support Coordinator in the office of the DoIT created a podcast called the DoIT Podcast, according to Jatinder Sandhu, Manager of Communications for the DoIT. 

The first episode was created with NotebookLM and two AI voices converse to “walk you through Chico State’s Student Employee Separation Checklist.”

Sandhu said that this podcast is intended for tips and tricks and the DoIT intended to release more episodes, but the AI voices have been quiet on the other line since June. There is still only one podcast episode out. 

Dining Services

Dining Services introduced Clover, a new point-of-sale system for the Fall semester. Dining Services is also intending to introduce mobile ordering, according to the Director of Dining Services Thomas Rider. 

The North Valley Food Hub has also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Dining Services. The NVFH is a collection of local farmers which provide farm-to-fork service across the area. Currently, Dining Services is receiving hundreds of pounds of local produce from the NVFH, with the majority of the produce going to the Dining Hall and toward catering, Rider said.

SuperFresh Foods replaced Monkey Bowls in The Marketplace, a decision Rider said was mutual. SuperFresh Foods items can already be found in Butte Station and around campus, but specialty sushi and other items can be found at The Marketplace. 

If you were at Aspire Fest last week, you may have seen a trailered smoker station. Rider said the station will be available at more events such as the Harvest Market, which will occur September 22. 

New Facilities 

Chico State opened the California State University’s first mass timber building over summer. The University Services Building houses Risk Management, Environmental Health and Safety and Facility Management and Services along with the Emergency Operations Center. 

The 22,132 square foot, two-story building cost $20 million and is located at West First and Cedar Streets. During the planning and construction phase, students in the construction management and interior architecture programs got hands-on experience with the project. 

Langon Engineering Center began construction of a new roof, which is now delayed following rain that flooded the building. The work on the roof is expected to be back on schedule soon, Gebb said. 

New Programs, Majors and Minors

Chico State will now be offering:

Master Programs: 

• Mathematics (Master of Sciences) 
• Business Analytics (Master of Sciences)
• College Student Equity and Success option within Social Science (Master of Arts)

Majors:

• Corporate Accounting option in online Business Administration (Bachelor of Science)
• Regenerative Agriculture option in Plant and Soil Science (Bachelor of Science)

Minors:

• 3d Digital Modeling and Environments 
• Finance 
• Nutrition for Human Performance 
• Sports Media
• Social Work
• Philosophy and Law
• Electrical Construction 

Certificates:

• Equity and Leadership in Higher Education
• Team and Organizational Leadership in Agriculture 
• Health Services Administration

Chris Hutton can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]