Frequently Asked Questions

A: Cal Poly application rates are rapidly accelerating, leading to turning away students otherwise qualified for admission. In an effort to maximize available campus space for student programs, including faculty spaces, the university has committed to strategically transitioning administrative functions to the Mustang Business Park off campus. This will be followed by the backfill of the space with student-facing programming, including a Shared Services Center, and increased classroom space.

Establishing the Cal Poly Mustang Business Park as the new workplace destination for Cal Poly staff is the first step towards achieving the goals outlined in the Space Optimization Project.

A: The building is undergoing necessary safety and design updates to make the best use of the space for Cal Poly employees. Simultaneously, the design team is engaging departments to receive their input and thoughtfully understand the best configurations and furniture that will make this a destination for Cal Poly employees to maintain flexibility while doing their very best work.

A: The earliest moves will begin in late March, depending on final layouts and approval. Updates will be provided to managers and staff as dates are finalized.

A: There are many ways to get support or information, depending on your question.

• General questions about the building or project can be directed to MustangBusinessPark@calpoly.edu.
• In the current pre-move or move phase, you can contact your department's Change Champions or your manager with questions.
• After move-in, you can still reach out to your department Change Champion or your manager, but we are also looking into a building committee to address concerns during a Live-and-Learn period.

A: Yes - informal tours of are now being offered upon request. The building is currently undregoing construction, so your future workspace is in progress. Requests for department tours, ideally with a weeks lead time, can be submitted to MustangBusinessPark@calpoly.edu.

A: The Cal Poly MBP will be a Cal Poly Flexible Workspace. This means that the space is designed to take into account hybrid work because many Cal Poly teams have a mix of telecommuting and in-office team mates.

In practice, teams will be allocated dedicated zones or Team Neighborhoods to use as their primary work space. There will be many other space types for meeting, collaborating, or socializing that will be shared. You can choose the space that best suits your task at hand or activity.

Departments will be assigned Team Neighborhoods, or dedicated locations within the workspace where they can collaborate and anchor themselves when they’d like to come together as a team. Team Neighborhoods can also be used as spaces to celebrate events and wins.

A: A Cal Poly Flexible Workspace is a shared workspace that provides a variety of spaces and configurations to support a diversity of work activities, needs, and preferences. This type of activity-based work environment is the best model for supporting hybrid work styles--empowering people to locate themselves where most suitable for their work.

A: Team Neighborhoods will be allocated to each team as their primary workspace, with opportunities to co-locate as project needs arise. MBP Residents will receive a Building Guide and will have the option to create signage to show which teams are allocated to each Neighborhood.

A: This will be specific to your team and a department decision. Managers are encouraged to discuss this in advance of moving into the MBP.

A: The future residents of the space will ultimately define MBP's distinct culture and norms, but here are some unique elements about this new environment that will shape this new experience:

• This is an opportunity to increase our network as a brand new community of colleagues with the shared purpose to serve the university's business-related functions.
• More frequent spontaneous interactions with a diverse group of professionals, which may unlock new ideas and innovation.
• This is a chance to co-create new norms as a team — intentionally deciding how we connect and collaborate. We'll also share a new common thread of shared processes and norms in our shared environment with all our colleagues residing in the MBP.
• A new common thread of shared processes and norms in our shared environment.
• The proximity to the evolving services and businesses in this developing part of SLO.
• The increased accessibility to a variety of social destinations for out-of-office interactions.

A: Individuals working at the Cal Poly Mustang Business Park will receive resources to support their transition to this new building and the Flexible Workspace. Resources will include a Building Guide, relying on a network of Change Champions across roles and departments, and Training Materials on how to make the most of your space and set new norms. Managers will also have access to a Meeting in a Box, or guided meeting materials to facilitate department conversations.

A: All MBP staff are encouraged to be good neighbors and assess which spaces are best suited for your task at hand. Private conversations are best suited in phone rooms or conference rooms when available. For additional personal laptop privacy, teams can explore personal laptop privacy screens. As is encouraged on campus, you can ensure your information is kept private by keeping your desk clear of sensitive documents and using the lock feature on your device when you're away from your desk.

A: Layouts of each area were designed with directorial and manager input. Feedback should be shared with your department director, manager, and your department Change Champion. If you do not know your department's Change Champion, please ask your department director. If you're interested in becoming a Mustang Business Park Change Champion, please reach out to MustangBusinessPark@calpoly.edu.

A: No, there will be no cost (or permit) for parking at MBP. Cal Poly staff will have free parking in 272 spaces. Campus parking will not change and the team is looking into options to support business visits to main campus.

A: For the MBP, the design team is engaging with each department to determine which roles and functions require private office spaces.

For administrative offices remaining on campus, departments moving into vacated campus spaces and other on campus locations will go through a similar exercise. This will determine which roles and functions require private office spaces, and which are better suited to flexible work spaces.

A: IT will support through their normal help desk ticketing system. There will be on-site IT services at opening, and we will evaluate ongoing needs during the Adapt phase after move-in.

There will be Dark Fiber Connectivity – meaning the building will be part of the Cal Poly Intranet, with no VPN connection needed.

A: Yes.

A: There will be a mail room and an on-site mail delivery system with scheduled delivery each business day. We will be in touch about setting up a new address in advance of your move.

A: We are planning to utilize an electronic key card system - not issuing a traditional key to building users. This will allow users to enter the building outside of normal business hours. Division managers will be responsible for supplying the building administrator a list of users that should be issued keys.

A: There will be a communal kitchen area within the MBP to store and prep food.

A: For nearby food outside of the MBP, you can visit House of Bread, the Kitchen Terminal (a shared use commercial kitchen). On Wednesdays, food trucks will be located in the nearby East Airport Park Development. Cal Poly Strategic Business Services will also alert all approved Cal Poly catering vendors of the opportunity to become a part of the approved vendor list and receive orders for MBP.