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Jockeying for The Chainsmokers’ attention pays off at Cal Poly ANDREW EPPERSON | MUSTANG NE WS APPRECIATED
| Despite technical difficulties, The Chainsmokers’ DJs Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall were well received by the large crowd of approcimately 800 people at Wednesday night’s concert.
Michelle Zaludek @michelleinistic
It was like they had known each other for years. No stilted side hug. No awkward battle for whose arms go high and whose go low. Just a natural, easy hug. Maybe there was a spark between the two. Or maybe the DJ was practiced at it. After all, Cal
Poly was the finishing line for a college concert tour that had taken EDM and electro house duo The Chainsmokers to five other universities — with quick meet-andgreet sessions for approximately 30 people starting the night. But the illusion of a deeper familiarity was broken with an excited introduction shouted over pounding music.
“Hi! I’m Mary,” a student beamed at DJ Andrew Taggart after receiving the hug. Then she and her friend, who had stolen a similarly warm embrace from DJ Alex Pall, turned quickly to pose for a photo in the upper basketball court in Mott Gym on Wednesday night. The Chainsmokers, originally from New York, are most well known for their songs “Roses,”
“#Selfie,” “New York City” and “Kanye.” They also have roots in remixing popular indie songs. Below the meet-and-greet, hidden only by a thin curtain, a crowd of approximately 800 people was slowly making its way through security to gather in front of the stage. People dressed in summer music festival flair bounced on their heels, working off excitement
— and whatever chill was sticking to them from the cold gusts of wind outside. The night would become a burst of color and sound that reverberated through the building with powerful, deep thrums of bass that likely jostled the late-night gym-goers. Continued on page 6
ASI hosts ‘It’s On Us’ week to end sexual assault Naba Ahmed @nabaahmed
Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) and Safer are partnering to host “It’s On Us” week from April 6-9 to kick off sexual awareness month. “It’s On Us” week is about changing how students view sexual assault on campus, ASI Vice Chair on Board of Directors Jana Colombini said. “It’s basically a more empowering event that is encouraging others to change the culture of
sexual assault and making an environment in which sexual assault is not tolerated and doesn’t exist,” Colombini said. Safer will be coordinating with ASI for the entire week of events. In addition to this week, Safer will put on educational and awareness events throughout the month, Safer student assistant and journalism sophomore Kelly Jacobs said. “We’re grateful that ASI is passionate about ending sexual assault and raising awareness on our campus,” Jacobs said.
Each day will be focused on a different word of the “It’s On Us” pledge that students are encouraged to take: To recognize that nonconsensual sex is sexual assault; to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur; to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given; to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported. Continued on page 5
COURTESY ILLUSTR ATION
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR PLAYING UP | Cal Poly played its best volleyball against No. 13 San Francisco, but came away with a 3-2 loss.
Beach volleyball drops three games Ty Schilling @CPMustangSports
The Cal Poly beach volleyball team dropped matches against three opponents on Saturday in Santa Cruz, Calif., including Big West Conference competitor CSUN. Cal Poly lost 4-1 against Santa Clara, 4-1 against CSUN, and finishing with a 3-2 loss to No. 13 San Francisco. The weekend dropped the team’s record to 4-9. The Mustangs opened the weekend against Santa Clara after winning two matches last weekend. Santa Clara stamped its victory over Cal Poly by recording victories in the first three games of the five-game match. The Broncos trotted toward a victory in the fourth game, but the Mustangs did manage to take the second set, sending the game into a
15-point third set. The Mustangs geared up to finish the match with a victory in the twoset victory in the fifth game, winning 22-20 and 21-18. Cal Poly began its second match against CSUN hoping to gain ranking over a Big West Conference opponent. After dropping the first game, it looked as if the Mustangs may see the same fate of their first game. A victory in the second game by junior Anna Gorman and sophomore Raeann Greisen gave what was initially perceived as momentum for the Mustangs. Their momentum was stopped quickly as the Matadors rumbled to three straight victories, winning the match 4-1. After losing its first two matches of the day, Cal Poly then faced No. 13 San Francisco. There was only one
News... 1-5 | Arts... 6-7 | Opinion... 8 | Classifieds... 9 | Sports... 10
main difference in this match: The drive to upset a ranked opponent. The Mustangs advanced toward a victory in the first game from sophomore Taylor Nelson and freshman Adlee Van Winden. But the Dons showed up for an oldfashioned shootout. San Francisco and Cal Poly swapped the first four games which lead to a final tie-breaker game between the Dons’ Jessica Keenan and Kim Gutierrez and the Mustangs’ senior Megan Wagner and sophomore Clare Holehouse. The Dons proved their No. 13 ranking by cruising to victory in the fifth game in only two sets, 21-13 and 21-14. The Mustangs are now 4-9 overall and play Saturday at Sacramento State at 9 a.m. They will also play Boise State on Saturday in Sacramento at 12 p.m.
Monday, April 4, 2016
NEWS | 2
Danny Halprin elected as next IFC president Gina Randazzo @Gina_Randazzo1
Business administration sophomore Danny Halprin has been elected as Interfraternity Council (IFC) president for the 2016-17 school year. After being chapter president of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) this past year, working part-time at business management software company MINDBODY and receiving the Most Outstanding Delegate Award from AEPi headquarters, Halprin said he feels confident he can take greek life at Cal Poly to new heights. Q: Tell me a little bit about your upbringing — what were you involved in before coming to Cal Poly? A: I did Boy Scouts, where I learned through leadership positions that I really enjoyed delegating, organizing and managing people. I was also captain of my varsity soccer team. I wasn’t the best player, but I communicated well and understood how to achieve the goals we wanted to achieve. Other than that, I started an organization called the Varsity Club, which raised money for low-income schools to afford sports programs. Q: What about your family? A: I lived with my mom, dad and brother in Irvine, California. My dad and brother were in AEPi, my dad at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), my brother at California State University (CSU) Fullerton. So I was kind of bred into greek life. I always knew it was a great pro-
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gram to get involved in. I kind of grew up thinking I’d be greek, but I didn’t really know what it was about until I came to Cal Poly and checked out rush and I knew it was for me. Q: Were there other reasons you wanted to join greek life? A: Being the Jewish fraternity, it was also a cultural thing. I found a way to bond with very similar people deeper than just a social way. Greek life presented all sorts of positive benefits. There’s an alumni network to access for professional help, brothers as emotional support and a lot of incentives that I found immediately. Q: What made you choose Cal Poly? A: I had parents that went to UC schools, so they kind of made me believe that University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) was the better option when I was deciding between Cal Poly and UCSB. So when I got my acceptance, I was already buying Gaucho shirts. But when I visited Cal Poly I fell in love with the campus, the environment and business school, so I sold the shirts. Q: Did you get involved in your fraternity right away? A: I became alumni liaison as soon as I was initiated. With that role, I started reaching out to our alumni by using a contact database that we didn’t know existed before. With that, we were able to reconnect with over 300 lost alumni. They’ve really made a
difference for our chapter. Q: When you ran for IFC president, you mentioned that your experience in a Jewish fraternity made you able to empathize with the underrepresented and help bolster campus inclusivity. Do you think that diversity and inclusivity is a problem with greek life at Cal Poly? A: I don’t think it’s a problem, but I think the perception is why people have a problem with (greek life). I don’t think it’s wrong to be exclusive, selecting your members is part of the process that makes your fraternity strong because you take like-minded people and you put them together to be cohesive. I think a lot of people don’t consider greek life because there’s a stigma associated with it, and the public image of greek life is a little bit tarnished. I think there are more steps to take to make it more inclusive. Being Jewish has helped me understand that different groups of students have different interests and passions. I think applying that kind of understanding will help me work better with groups like United Sorority and Fraternity Council (USFC) and others. Q: Is there anything else you plan to do to break that stigma you say is associated with greek life? A: I want to show our tiered standards of excellence system to the campus community. There are three tiers — bronze, silver and gold — that represent different criteria at different levels.
GABBY PAJO | MUSTANG NE WS AEPI TAKES THE REIGNS
| Danny Halprin is excited to represent greek life as IFC president.
For example, the gold status is the chapter’s average GPA being above a 3.0, hundreds of philanthropy hours and three members involved in student government, among a whole list of things. If that was publicized and people got to see fraternities achieving those things, they might think “maybe greek life isn’t what I thought it was.” I definitely want to see more efforts along these lines with public relations so people can start understanding we do a lot of good in the community. Q: How do you feel about being the public face of greek life when things do go wrong and add to a negative public perception of your organization, such as the problem of sexual assault? A: I think greek life implements a number of different policies that focus on eradicating (sexual assault) from the greek life system.
The unfortunate part is that (sexual assault) is in college culture in general, but I think that greek life is doing far more than the normal college student to help with this problem. We have Safer chairs in our fraternities, a Safer representative on IFC, we have sexual education courses and we’re trained on risk management. We are getting the most training to deal with those situations. Q: You also said in your speech that you wanted to deepen your relationship with Safer. How are you going to do that? A: I hope to hold a greek-wide sexual assault awareness week and expand our current efforts to really drive home that greek life really does all that it can to support the message of Safer. Q: You said that next year is going to be the “make or break point” for greek life.
What do you mean by that? A: There have been up and down years, a number of incidences have happened in the past few years. I think that this year those events have plateaued, and I think that allows our trajectory to start heading upward. Hopefully, I can be the one to help us lead that positive direction and have stable and secure growth. Q: What are your feelings about being elected? Are you excited? A: I am very excited. I know it’s going to be a lot, but it’s definitely an effort worth fighting for. I strongly believe in greek life’s values and I’m ready to be the representative for it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
12/14/2015 2:35:04 PM
Monday, April 4, 2016
NEWS | 3
Jo Campbell steps in as director of University Housing and assistant vice president of Student Affairs Elena Wasserman @sammpryor
This summer, Jo Campbell will be leading University Housing and working with Student Affairs as the new director of University Housing and assistant vice president of Student Affairs. Mustang News talked to Campbell before she makes her move
versity of Toledo in Ohio and did that for five years. What was really interesting there was that I had 14 sororities and fraternities that lived on campus, and they had houses. Those were part of my portfolio with on-campus housing, so I got to learn so much about greek life that was really fascinating ,and I really enjoyed that. Then I went back to school full-time for my Ph.D. at Bowling Green in Ohio.
I knew he had a couple positions; he told me about the Dean of Students position and this one. We never worked together, but we knew each other through a professional student affairs organization. I have a lot of respect for him and his leadership, so that was certainly very attractive to me. The combination of knowing him and knowing what great work I think he’s doing, so that was
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY ATTRACTED ME WAS LOOKING AT THE THEMES LIKE LEARN BY DOING FOR THE INSTITUTION AND THEN ‘EMBRACE YOUR UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES’ FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS. JO CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY HOUSING & ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS from Ohio to California for her new positions. Q: When did you first start working in higher education? A: Most of my career has been at Universtiy of Illinois in Chicago. I went into an entry-level position, comparable to a (coordinator of student development) at Cal Poly. So I went in entry-level and stayed there for 25 years, and when I left I was a senior associate director. Then I became director at the Uni-
Going back to school after being out for so long was really hard. I always worked hard and spent a lot of time at work, and going back to school for my doctorate felt exceptionally hard. But I was successful. I got that done in three years, so finished my Ph.D. and graduated over summer and have been looking for that next perfect job, so I’m very excited I found it at Cal Poly. Q: How did you hear about this position at Cal Poly? A: Well I knew the Humphreys.
really very attractive to me in terms of a place to go. Q: What do you look forward to when working alongside Keith Humphrey in Student Affairs? A: I think he’s very visionary and I think that is inspiring to people. He’s also very collaborative and involves people. I looked at the process they went through when he first came and they were doing strategic planning, and he’s very involving of people and very transparent.
That’s the kind of leader I am, and definitely the kind of leader I was hoping to alongside with so it’s a great alignment in terms of style for the two of us. Q: Why do you want to work at Cal Poly? A: Some of the things that really attracted me was looking at the themes, like Learn by Doing for the institution and then ‘embrace your unlimited possibilities’ for Student Affairs. I think about both of those and they’re both very inspiring to me in terms of how we can work with students and help you be successful, so that was part of what was really exciting to me. It seems to be a great time to come (to Cal Poly) and work in University Housing. The housing program is expanding, and all the people that I met that worked in housing I was really impressed with. And the students I met I really enjoyed, so for all those reasons Cal Poly was very attractive to me. Q: What do you think about Cal Poly expanding University Housing? A: Absolutely I think it’s a good idea. I do believe in having people on campus. You know I’ve seen some of the data for Cal Poly in terms of retention and time for graduation, and it makes a huge difference when people are on campus for two years, so looking at what the facts are that was really compelling to me about keeping people on campus.
JO CAMPBELL | COURTESY PHOTO DIVERSIFY | Campbell has done a lot of work in the LGBTQI+ community.
Q: How do you think your experience as chair of LGBT committee on ACPA’s Executive Council will help you when you start working as assistant vice president of Student Affairs? A: I didn’t get to meet any of the staff that work at Cal Poly, so that’s unfortunate, but I hope to work with them and to work with all kinds of partners across campus. I think the kinds of experiences I’ve had really help me be open to what the possibilities are and what we might be able to do. I think trans students in
particular are a group we’re just starting to get a handle on what those needs are and what we can do as an institution to help support them. I think the advocacy work that I’ve done throughout my career around LGBTQ(I+) issues have been, I’ve really enjoyed it and I think as much outreach I can do with student organizations in addition to the Pride Center will be really fulfilling for me. I really enjoy doing that kind of work, so I’m looking forward to it. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Monday, April 4, 2016
NEWS | 4
Attempted burglary near campus James Hayes @jimbles_hayes
An attempted burglary took place early Thursday morning at a home on the 700 block of Grand Avenue. An unknown suspect attempted to gain entry through a home’s window shortly after 4 a.m., according to a campuswide alert. A resident of the home was awoken by the noise and saw the suspect’s hand coming through the window. When the resident shouted, the suspect fled. The suspect did not say anything, and no description of the suspect is available.
The campus community was alerted Thursday afternoon in accordance with the university’s Clery Act obligation. The Clery Act requires universities to disclose information regarding crime on or near campus. The email was sent to alert the campus community because the break-in posed a threat to those who live near campus. San Luis Obispo Police Department asks anyone with additional information to call 805-781-7312. Anonymous information can be reported to Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.
FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS RED-HANDED
| Cal Poly sent a notification about an attempted burglary on Grand Avenue. Nothing was taken and nobody was hurt.
Delta Chi placed on social probation Gina Randazzo @Gina_Randazzo1
Delta Chi has been placed on social probation while the Dean of Students office investigates the reported attempted sexual assault that occurred at the fraternity’s party on March 5. While the investigation — conducted by Cal Poly’s Title IX Coordinator Tera Bisbee — is underway, the fraternity will be barred from hosting social events, but is allowed to continue with brotherhood, philanthropy and athletic functions. Delta Chi’s social probation began on March 8 and will extend
until the completion of the investigation and the Dean of Students’ administrative review. Fraternities are not allowed to host social events during finals week, which began on March 14, and usually do not during spring break. Due to victim privacy concerns, university spokesperson Matt Lazier said he had no additional information about the nature of the investigation or the March 5 report, including whether the alleged attacker is a member of Delta Chi. Delta Chi President and civil engineering senior Steven Pollock said his fraternity still doesn’t have any information about the
investigation beyond what was included in a campuswide email on March 7. “It feels like everybody is in the dark, but we are too,” Pollock said. Pollock also did not confirm that the incident occurred — as far as he knows, it was only an alleged attack. During its time on probation, Delta Chi will be the best fraternity it can be, Pollock said. “This is not a reflection of our fraternity, and the people that know us know who we are,” Pollock said. “They hold us to a high moral status, the same as any other organization associated with the Cal Poly name.”
FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NE WS TO BE DETERMINED
| Delta Chi is on social probation due to an alleged attempted sexual assault.
Fraternities placed on social probation this school year Fall quarter 2015
Winter quarter 2016
Alpha Epsilon Pi
Spring quarter 2016
Alpha Gamma Rho
Party regulation violation
Violation of previous probation
Delta Chi
(To end of quarter)
(Extended to Spring 2017)
(Undetermined)
Alleged Attempted Sexual Assault
Phi Kappa Psi
Party regulation violation (To end of quarter)
Zeta Beta Tau
Party regulation violation (To end of quarter)
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NEWS | 5
Continued from page 1
Recognize Monday is dedicated to recognizing that sexual assault is a problem on campus and informing students about the “It’s On Us” pledge. ASI will have a booth in the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for students to learn about sexual assault at Cal Poly and empower them to make a change.
Identify Tuesday is focused on informing students about situations in which sexual assault generally occurs. Members of greek life will have a photo booth for students to take their picture with an “It’s On Us” logo to demonstrate their stand against sexual assault.
Intervene Wednesday is focused on bystander intervention and how to intervene in situations that could lead to sexual assault. Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) will be providing a free barbecue to students who take the “It’s On Us” pledge. Also, Cal Poly Athletics Department and club sports will set up booths on bystander intervention at Dexter Lawn.
Create Thursday will be focused on creating an environment where sexual assault doesn’t exist. Safer, greek life, Athletics and club sports will participate in the UU Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Throughout ‘It’s On Us’ week and Sexual Assault Awareness Month as a whole, students will learn how prevalent sexual assault is, the importance of consent, how to help survivors and be an active bystander,” Jacobs said. “It’s about coming together as a community and starting a conversation that will support survivors through their healing process and help to build a more informed, supportive community that has no tolerance for sexual assault.” ASI hosted its first “It’s On Us” week last year where it had more than 770 students sign the pledge. “Last year was a very eye-opening experience with how many students came together to make a culture change,” Colombini said. “We are hosting these events so that we won’t have sexual assault as a problem at Cal Poly, and we won’t have to hide it as a problem because it won’t exist.”
Monday, April 4, 2016
ARTS | 6 Sabrina Thompson @SabrinaThompson
Magicians make marvelous merriment in ‘It’s Magic!’ GABBY PA JO | MUSTANG NE WS AGES 5+
| Friday’s show delighted children and adults alike with tried and true magical illusions.
Continued from page 1
Cheers tore through the gym as Taggart and Pall took the stage, engulfed in red light. “Y’all ready to turn the fuck up?” Pall shouted to the crowd. He was met with screams of affirmation, and the duo started to play. But the gym quickly decided
that things had turned up high enough — the sound cut out about 2 minutes into the set. Taggart and Pall took it with good humor. Pall shrugged out of his denim overshirt and when the sound had been fixed, said with an exhausted voice: “I’m so sick of shit breaking.” The rest of the night moved fairly seamlessly, with an enthusias-
tic crowd hanging over the front barricade bobbing along to the beat, while others danced in wide, swirling motions on the sidelines. Cal Poly was selected to be part of the tour by being one of the first six colleges to hit 800 presale tickets through the crowdfunding application Tilt, which it reached in under two hours, according to a previous Mustang News report.
“It’s Magic!” The title says it all. A group of talented performers promised a night of illusions and misdirection, and that was delivered. The 60th anniversary of this beloved show graced the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC) in a night of comedy and delightful tomfoolery. Many in attendance, from the 5-year-olds to the 95-year-olds, were delighted by the tricks and gimmicks the talented group of performers put on display. Cal Poly class of ‘87 liberal studies alumna Barbra Philipp returned to the school for the first time since graduating to see the show, hoping for a cultured performance. Some were looking for a night out, like San Luis Obispo residents Stacy Combs and Anita Espinoza, self-described “big kids.” For the actual kids in the audience, the performers found a way to keep things family-friendly though most jokes probably flew over their heads. “It was kid-friendly show appropriate for a college audience,” audience member Nathan Billings said. The show was a classic magic night with quick changes, escapes and sawing a woman in half. The updated jokes on politics and celebrity trends made for an enjoyable night. Though no new tricks were presented, the executions of wellknown illusions dazzled even the least gullible audience members. Each act started in a silent trick, with music backing the magicians’ elaborate hand waving that made
the audience question their every aspiring magicians. move. It is a magician’s job to cause Some of the show’s real magic complete distrust; we know they was in overcoming the unpredictare lying to us with every move ability of live theater. Issues with they make. Their real job, though, music were mostly overcome with is to make every audience mem- ease and grace. The way in which ber walk out questioning how they some handled their use of audicould be tricked into believing that ence participation was effortless. doves could really fly out of pockets It was not perfect though, as a as in Joel Ward’s act; or how they 5-year-old boy made putting a could be so easily deceived into handkerchief in his pocket the Chris Blackmore’s ability to pick most difficult part of a trick, or as the exact card a woma spoon missed the cup an had pulled from it was intended to the deck of flip into. But cards he subthe quick wit sequently and comeshot into dic timing Just go for it, you never know the air. of the The permagicians what you can or can’t do formance s a v e d was more t h e s e until you try. than magic moments however, as from turning HENRIK BOTHE magician Heninto disasters. rik Bothe showed While some jokes that classic shows like fell flat, others were “The Ed Sullivan Show” knew real side-splitting hilarity. entertainment. Escaping from The only act that didn’t feature a straightjacket while riding a an audience member was the unicycle was impressive, but his quick change duo, David and favorite trick from his favorite Dania. aforementioned show was where With more than 10 different coshe spun eight plates at once, caus- tumes, two different hairstyles and ing audience members to bite their a dance routine matched to quick nails. He was also the man behind music, the two switched from cosa glow-in-the-dark act that used tume to costume without a hitch. a glowing stickman who danced, Young and old enjoyed a night of juggled and did tricks for a daz- mischievous misdirection and faszled audience. A crowd favorite, he cinating physical feats. A variety stuck around signing autographs show of classic tricks, “It’s Magic!” after the show. made April Fool’s day magical. “Just go for it, you never know History freshman Kyla Grant what you can or can’t do until you put it best: “It’s magic … No other try,” Bothe said, encouraging young words could describe it.”
Having students jockeying for The Chainsmokers’ attention meant, in theory, that the group would go places where they would be most welcome. “They wanted to go where their friends were, rather than through a normal city,” said Grace Lee, head of media partnerships for Tilt in a previous Mustang News report.
Because of that, Taggart and Pall were able to engage with a crowd in their own way that they knew would be appreciated. Pall would call out to the crowd before the start of some songs — opening “#Selfie” with: “If you hate this song, put your middle fingers up!” — which was met with a dense flock of people flipping the bird toward the stage.
And Taggart raked in his own cheers by moving around the stage, often hopping up onto the DJ stand and jumping off in time with the bass drop. That underlying sense of familiarity and genuine appreciation from both on and off the stage continued to thrive throughout the night, with a pounding bass pulse to keep everyone in sync.
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Monday, April 4, 2016
OPINION | 8
Awaking from the American Dream Brandon Bartlet @CPMustangNews
has just 8 percent of that wealth. To put that into concrete terms, the median White household Brandon Bartlett is an English owns approximately $111,146 in sophomore and Mustang News wealth holdings (capital, propconservative columnist. His erty, investments, etc.), while views do not necessarily reflect the median Latino household the opinion or editorial coverowns only $8,348 and the age of Mustang News. median black household has merely $7,113. And while If you had a childhood like I know that perfect wealth mine, then from even a very equality between races may young age the couplet “Amernever be fully possible, these ican Dream” had the power to numbers are staggering. produce a viscerally mythic While, of course, there are sensation. You didn’t know exthose who succeed and fail by actly what it meant, nor what their own merit within every it entailed, but vague images of people group, the notion that hardworking men and women virtue and ingenuity bifurcates against a star-spangled backso starkly across racial lines ground would inevitably rush seems utterly preposterous through your mind upon hearto me, and hopefully to you ing that simple phrase. as well. As you got older, you began So maybe we need to build to pick up on all kinds of difa more nuanced view into our ferent interpretations of what understanding of the “Amerthis nightly phantom truly ican Dream,” and this often meant: maybe it was the white seems like the move taken picket fences, maybe it was by conservatives. Usually the strength and integrity, maybe disparity is blamed on some it was patriotism and valor or scripted list of explanations: maybe it was consumerism broken homes, the lack of role and greed. But eventually, models, the cyclical nature of through the help of a teachpoverty. er, a parent or some good ol’ While each of these probafashioned republican rhetbly plays some role in oric, the dream was sumthe overall problem (as marized about like this: well as often carrying “If you work hard and do problematic assumpFOR ONLY WITH EYES WIDE OPEN TO what is right, then you will tions of book-worthy SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE CAN WE succeed”. proportions), we must EVEN BEGIN TO MAKE THE AMERICAN And what could be better admit what has now DREAM INTO THE AMERICAN REALITY than this meritocratic utobeen done. We have THAT IT DESERVES TO BE. pia? Seemingly, not much. taken the very core of - BRANDON BARTLETT For it motivates the best in the “American Dream,” people, punishes the worst the individualism it and may even have some necesAnd maybe this is the case. But contains, and polluted it. sary Darwinian elements. we must be aware of the ramificaOne is no longer judged merely But while this narrative, psycho- tions that such a statement carries by the merits of one’s self, but by logically speaking, can be incred- along with it. the actions and choices of one’s ibly helpful to people, it also has For instance, in America today parents, grandparents, and so on some very concerning implica- the average black household has (which, if we may be honest, were, tions that we are currently seeing just 6 percent of the wealth which in the case of the black and Latiplayed out in the political arena. the average white household has, no population, highly obstructed Specifically, if one’s merit is and the average Latino household by the actions of an overtly racist
MANAGING EDITORS Celina Oseguera, Benjy Egel BROADCAST NEWS DIRECTOR Leah Horner DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT Melissa Nunez NEWS EDITOR Jen Silva ARTS EDITOR Frances Griffey SPORTS EDITOR Eric Stubben BROADCAST CONTENT PRODUCER Michelle Logan BROADCAST SPORTS DIRECTOR Allison Edmonds SPECIAL SECTIONS COORDINATOR Suha Saya PHOTO EDITOR Georgie De Mattos OPINION EDITOR Liana Riley HEAD DESIGNER Jordan Dunn SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Cara Benson OUTREACH COORDINATORS Hannah Avdalovic, Reilly Roberts WEB DEVELOPER Jon Staryuk
Return to rationality society). And so we have doomed the “American Dream” by rejecting its central thesis. Or have we? Maybe that is the very point, the “American Dream” is still exactly what it claims to be: a dream; a hope for a better future in which mere nepotism and the randomness of birth do not construct a glass ceiling which one can only hope to crack. And in this light, I fully support the idea. However, what happens when we presume that the “American Dream” is already a reality? Well, I believe we are watching that unfortunate parody of politics play out before us. For if, as an example, lack of merit were why the average
Latino American holds such fewer assets than the average White American, then it would make sense (almost) to claim that Mexico was sending us its worst: its rapists and criminals. But of course we know that claim to be ridiculous. Yet, unfortunately, it can only be as ridiculous as the premise it is founded on: the idea that the “American Dream” is already here. For the first is unmistakably tied to the second. Which is why I urge you, my reader, to awake from the American stupor. For only with eyes wide open to suffering and injustice can we even begin to make the “American Dream” into the “American Reality” that it deserves to be.
An update from Dean of Students Hello Cal Poly students! I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that Cal Poly stu-
CONTACT EDITORIAL (805) 756-1796 ADVERTISING (805) 756-1143 CLASSIFIED (805) 756-1143 FAX (805) 756-6784
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kayla Missman
Letter to the editor dents were true Mustangs this past month of March in that by and large you all made good decisions on how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the end of winter quarter and the Cesar Chavez holiday. Many student organizations chose to do service activities on these days and then host
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directly tied to one’s (economic) success, then one’s (economic) failures are necessarily tied to one’s vices.
Dr. Kathleen McMahon is the Cal Poly Dean of Student Affairs. Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.
MUSTANG NEWS
small gatherings afterwards to celebrate. This helped to build a positive and productive relationship with our SLO neighbors. You all made us proud to be Cal Poly community members! This weekend we hope you will choose to stay local and enjoy the many fun activities in
the area. This spring we encourage you to continue making good decisions and suggest you keep health, wellbeing and excelling in your academics at the top of your mind. Stay safe, local and enjoy the amazing activities in SLO. Go Mustangs!
STAFF REPORTERS Gina Randazzo, Warren Fox, Naba Ahmed, James Hayes, Carly Quinn, Brendan Abrams, Michelle Zaludek, Madi Salvati, Annie Vainshtein, Will Peischel, Alison Stauf, Keenan Donath, Clara Knapp, Ayrton Ostly, Alexa Bruington, Avrah Baum, Tommy Tran, Hannah Stone, Ty Schilling, Michael Frank, Connor McCarthy, Chloe Carlson COPY EDITORS Tori Leets, Kalynn Carpenter, Gurpreet Bhoot DESIGNERS Zack Spanier, Sabrina Smith, Kylie Everitt OPINION COLUMNISTS Amelia Parreira, Emilio Horner, Brandon Bartlett, Daniel Park, Erica Hudson PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Hung, Illiana Arroyos, Andrew Epperson, Christa Lam, Gabby Pajo, Hanna Crowley ILLUSTRATOR Roston Johnson ADVERTISING MANAGER Maddie Spivek ADVERTISING DESIGN MANAGER Jordan Triplett PRODUCTION MANAGER Erica Patstone MARKETING MANAGER Ross Pfeifer ASSISTANT ADVERTISING MANAGERS Anna Seskind, Sam Patterson SENIOR ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS C.J. Estores, Kristen Corey ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Madison Flemming, Victoria Howland, Emily Manos, Clara Howley, Levi Adissi, Luke Bickel, Tara Heffernan, Darcie Castelanelli, Joseph Pack ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Micaela Pacini, Sabrina Bexar, Alex Braica, Ellen Fabini, Rene Chan DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Ring FACULTY ADVISER Pat Howe GENERAL MANAGER Paul Bittick
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Monday, April 4, 2016
SPORTS | 10
Jesse Yap swings away JESSE YAP | COURTESY PHOTO BEYOND THE LINKS
| Jesse Yap served two years of mandatory military service in Singapore’s military before finding a home in San Luis Obispo and competing on the Cal Poly men’s golf team.
Keenan Donath @CPMustangSports
Golf requires consistency and mental toughness. Jesse Yap, a member of the Cal Poly men’s golf team, has come to epitomize both of those qualities on and off the course. Born in Alabama and raised in Singapore, Yap committed
to compulsory military training right out of high school and currently sports a 4.0 GPA in the College of Engineering. A vital member of this year’s squad, Yap sits second on the team in scoring average (72.9) and was key in the program’s first win in nearly three years earlier this month. His success this season is the culmination
of a process that has taken place on two different continents and included a recent swing change to boot. But for the industrial engineering junior, who redshirted his freshman year, not too much has changed since he first picked up a club. Yap’s unassuming demeanor can be traced back to his introduction to golf. There is
CONFUSED ABOUT THE STRIKE? A letter from CFA
Dear Cal Poly Students, As you know, on April 13–15 and 18–19, your faculty are going on strike. We want you to know why we are doing this, and how it will affect you. First of all, you should know that our salary increase will NOT cause your fees to increase. All CSU faculty are governed by collective bargaining: we negotiate our contract as a group. We’re all in this together. In this situation, if the other side refuses to make a reasonable offer then our last option is to strike. This is where we are today. A normal labor strike means that employees walk out and do not return until a contract is settled. Employees don't work, products don't get made, and the company loses money. But in an educational setting, that kind of strike can make things tough on students. Entire courses would be canceled, grades would not be assigned, and your academic progress would be put in jeopardy. Faculty literally love teaching and we don't want to hurt the very people we came here to work with—our students. So we elected to do a five-day strike. Classes will not meet for those days. Faculty will not be teaching, supervising or answering e-mails. There will be picket lines and demonstrations and lots of press coverage. And this will be happening at all 23 CSU campuses at the same time—the largest strike in the history of American higher education. Please understand that we don't take this action lightly. This strike has been years in the making, and while it's primarily about worsening faculty pay, it's also a product of years of declining morale. Our salary request is so reasonable that an independent fact finder who was requested by the Chancellor’s office declared that a substantial general salary increase “is in the interest of students, who need caring faculty and certainly in the public interest as our country needs a well-educated population.” During strike discussions, you may also hear about attacks on shared governance (a system in which faculty and administrators used to work together on decision making) and of a leadership crisis in the system and on this campus. Ask your faculty about these important issues. Now it’s time for us to change things. You think of Cal Poly as your alma mater; we feel the same way. We are truly invested in Cal Poly’s future and your success. So, we are doing this to earn a fair wage, to get our voice back, and to return Cal Poly to the quality institution it has been. This is the promise we make to you—our students. So, please join us by connecting with Students for Quality Education (SQE) via their Facebook page (Cal Poly Students for Quality Education – SQE) or at goo.gl/4iyrQy. If you choose to attend class, no one will prevent you. On the other hand, Cal Poly administrators assured the Academic Senate that no student should be penalized for refusing to cross the picket line. We invite you to join us on our picket lines. This is your alma mater. For us, this strike is for a life's work. We'll see you April 13th (and 14th, 15th, 18th, and 19th)!
Cal Poly’s California Faculty Association
no dramatic recollection of his started to search for schools played puts him just behind first time playing; Yap simply where he could play golf Justin De Los Santos (last year’s took up the sport to kill time and receive a first-rate engi- Big West Conference Champiafter classes. neering education. Cal Poly onship winner) on the team’s “When I was in primary 4 came up on his radar, and he depth chart. [roughly 10 years old; Singa- connected with head coach As it turns out, Yap and De pore is on the British educa- Scott Cartwright. Los Santos have built up quite tion system] I had to choose “He contacted me and I gave the rapport in the last couple an extracurricular activity,” Yap him what our parameters were years. The two were roommates said. “My mom told me to pick to be able to play and he had and Yap even spent a weekend something that isn’t on Satur- some pretty good scores,” Cart- caddying for De Los Santos day because she told me ‘I don’t wright said. “I told him that while he played in last year’s want to drive you to school on when he gets out of the military Straight Down Championship Saturday.’” we would love to have (him) on with Cal Poly alumnus Loren “I chose golf because it was on the team.” Roberts. Wednesday,” he said. “No one in Since coming to Cal Poly, “I saw him improve his game my family had played before, so Jesse has experienced the ups over the season. He was strugI started practicing by hitting and downs that are common in gling in the beginning of the tennis balls to a fence and back.” golf. After redshirting during year, but then he started to get He kept with his after-school his first year in San Luis Obispo, it together. I always thought practice and entered in local Yap played his first collegiate his swing was pretty consistent tournaments, posting scores season last year as a 22-year- but it wasn’t fully put together that were good enough to old freshman. A tie for fifth yet,” De Los Santos said. “Tocompete at the collegiate level. wardsthe end of last year he While mostly made up of prireally started compacting his vate country clubs, Sinswing and his ball strikgapore has an active ing just got a lot better golf community and he just built off with more than that confidence. Jesse is a quiet leader. He is older, 30 courses Jesse started in a counoff good this so he is more mature, he has some tr y that’s year so it different life experiences than roughly has been half the going resome of our guys from the states. size of ally well Los Anfor him.” JESSE’S COACH geles. O n e By the a r e a SCOTT CARTWRIGHT time Yap that has completnever ed the needed American improveequivament is lent of high Yap’s studies. school, he Achieving a 4.0 had his sights GPA is very difset on playing golf ficult at Cal Poly, collegiately at an acaperhaps especially so demically rigorous school. in the nationally-renowned There was just one thing he College of Engineering. had to get out of the way first: place at the To do so while juggling the a mandatory stint in Singapore’s El Macero Classic highlighted added responsibilities of being military. his year, but his scoring average a Division I student-athlete is Every able-bodied man in Sin- stood at an underwhelming 74.6 almost incomprehensible. Cergapore must complete at least 22 in limited action. tainly, some of the credit must months of service in the counMidway through that first sea- be attributed to the discipline try’s military. Yap spent first two son, Yap made a small change and time management imparted months in basic training, then in his swing. As is often the on Yap in the military. moved onto officer cadet school case for golfers, that minis“When we are driving in the for the next nine months. cule alteration led to a world van to tournaments for five “You get used to waking up of difference. hours, he is the one in the back at 5:30 and not having as much “My teammates and I joke with the laptop studying while freedom,” Yap said. “It was about it now. I started at everyone else is sleeping” Carttough, there were definitely a address and then brought wright said. “Jesse is a quiet lot of times where you ques- the club up 90 degrees and leader. He is older, so he is more tion why you have to do this then started my swing,” Yap mature, he has some different because it is not like you signed said. “When I started to go life experiences than some of up for it.” away from that, I started to our guys from the states.” “But over time I came to ap- play better.” Whether Yap’s education will preciate it and what I was going Without the slight pre-shot eventually take him further through. I think it served me movement this season, Yap has than the flight of his drivwell and helped me to become emerged as one of the most er is yet to be determined. more independent away from impressive performers on the But one thing is for sure: For my family.” squad. His four top-20 finish- now, Jesse Yap will continue to While in the military, Yap es in a total of six tournaments swing away.