This is a developing story. Coverage continues here. Stay with City Times Media for more updates.
The San Diego Community College District remains without internet at its four college campuses, as the district continues to deal with a cyberattack that began over the weekend.
The ongoing attack has affected on-campus services, but faculty and staff continue to hold classes and are available to assist students.
Offices on campus are gradually reopening, with counseling, student affairs, the cafeteria, and City Commons among those announcing they are accessible to students in varying degrees once again.
According to the latest update from the City College Communication Office, the district is sending mobile hotspots to assist with the internet outage, but advised students to be wary of areas that may be densely-populated as it can slow down Wi-Fi.
“As you identify needs, keep in mind high-traffic student areas such as the library and tutoring centers, especially with finals approaching, as well as common areas like the cafeteria where students rely on the college for Wi-Fi access,” the office shared in its weekly events newsletter.
The newsletter added the Welcome Center and Admissions & Records is available for in-person support and is operating.
“Staff will be available on-site to assist students directly,” it added.
SDCCD Chancellor Greg Smith updated the district yesterday via Instagram, reiterating that students’ data was safe.
He provided an update on the status of food services, which was taken offline due to the all digital portal, and thanked students and faculty for their patience.
“The food services at the campuses were disrupted,” Smith said. “Food service was offline on Monday and Tuesday – I’m happy to say they are open today. Student registration for summer classes has remained open for this entire week. They of course can’t register for classes on our campuses but using wifi hotspots, personal devices and other means they can continue to access that.”
A CalFresh Enrollment event has been rescheduled to May 14 from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The location is currently TBD and should be finalized soon.
Students who need assistance can schedule an appointment at bit.ly/getcalfreshcity, and can contact the San Diego Access Line to receive assistance with their cases by calling 1-866-262-9881.
Tutoring Center remains open
The English Center, located in the L building, is open for students to enter and receive any services in-person or online.
Thursday will be the only day with altered in-person hours, according to tutor Alex Desta.
“We’re closing early today at 2 p.m.,” Desta said. “Today is the only day we’re closing early today. Our online Zoom will be open until 4 p.m.”
Students are still encouraged to come by to the English Center and receive any services needed.
Veteran’s Center open for students
The Veterans Center is still open but with limited services.
Students will be able to enter as a space to rest or complete work.
Computers will be available for students to use but won’t work unless a hotspot connection is given.
Printing and copying services are still not available due to services being down.
– Azriel Casteneda
Police dispatch, emergency services accessible
District police dispatch and emergency services are still accessible and operational.
The system used for these services operate on a separate network than the district’s, confirmed an official in the campus police station Thursday morning.
– Rosemary Archer
Financial Aid open with limited service
The Financial Aid & Scholarship office has been opened with limited services available.
“Due to ongoing network limitations, the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office will be providing all services virtually today. For Thursday and Friday, we will be open to assist students who walk in, with limited services available,” a campus-wide email said.
– Mikey Gonzales
Basic Needs Center open
Basic Needs Center has been opened with the food pantry and Threads & Things fully operational.
“Thank you for your patience, support, and understanding as we navigate this temporary disruption,” a campus-wide email said.
– Mikey Gonzales
Monday “Honoring Maiz” event runs smoothly
The Basic Needs Center, in collaboration with the Agriculture program, hosted “Honoring Maíz: History, Cultivation y Mas” on Monday, May 4.
The hands-on community driven event ran smoothly amid the SDCCD network outage.
“I always bring a personal computer. I just never know what I’ll walk into,” professor Erin McConnell said. “The outage did not affect me today but it would have if I had classes today.”
– Marisol Sandoval
Students concerned about data safety
City College students AB Ross and friend Kevin Suarez sat outside the Business and Technology building staring at their phones the Monday the cyberattack was announced.
“I was kind of surprised because even my professor said this is something that hasn’t happened to her since she’s been teaching here,” said Ross, a recent journalism major transfer. “It really had an impact on my classes today. I was very shocked at what was happening.”
Ross explained how the situation made her question the personal safety and security of the information the district holds.
“On a deeper level, it really worries you because there wasn’t much information given out with the cyberattack,” Ross said. “They kind of just said it happened. So it creates a sense of fear when it comes to what information is being spread.”
– Marisol Sandoval
Monday “Dismantling Dystopia” event unaffected
Students for Justice in Palestine Vice President Serena Cuza began the “Dismantling Dystopia” event by honoring Kumeyaay land SDCCD stands on and encourages students to learn past awareness.
“We encourage everyone to go beyond land acknowledgment and to learn about these nations and to take tangible steps to resist colonization,” Cuza said.
Cuza stated the purpose of organizing this event was to name the turmoil and catalyze disruption.
“We brought you here today to agitate you, because that’s where we are at right now as a society,” Cuza said.
The SJP vice president ended her introduction by acknowledging how the current internet outage was evidence instead of inconvenience.
“We see our government waging genocides, wars, ICE raids, elite child trafficking rings, an omnipotent surveillance state, climate change, inflation, homelessness and the algorithm hacking of humanity,” Cuzo said. “What we’re experiencing right now here today, as you all know, our internet has been shut down here at City College, shame.”
– Marisol Sandoval
Stay tuned to sdcitytimes.com for the most up-to-date information on this ongoing story.
Multimedia journalists Azriel Castaneda, Rosemary Archer, Mikey Gonzales and Marisol Sandoval contributed to this report.
