C AL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO ’S NE WS SOURCE
MUSTANG NEWS WELCOME BACK TO
SHABANG
THE SAN LUIS OBISPO MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS M AY 1 7, 2 0 2 2
|
MUSTANGNEWS.NET
IN THIS ISSUE
2
LEADERSHIP Tessa Hughes
Editor in Chief, Mustang News
MUSTANG NEWS NEWS
Catherine Allen Editor Chloe Lovejoy Assistant Editor Sierra Parr Amelia Wu Mckenna Rodriguez Benjamin Anderson Cole Pressler Ethan Telles Esther Lo Emmy Burns Allister Loftus Elizabeth Wilson
OPINION
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022
Claire Lorimor
Sofia Silvia
Sophie Lincoln
Victoria Bochniak
Creative Director
Radio News Director/ Special Sections Editor
PHOTO
Emilie Johnson Editor Maddie Harrell Jacqueline Espitia Kayla Stuart Shaelyn Ashamalla Lily Tenner Emmy Scherer Fenn Bruns Jenna Pluimer Tiana Reber Eyasu Betwos Andy Sherar Jackson Damhorst
COPY
SPORTS
SOCIAL
ARTS & STUDENT LIFE
MUSTANG NEWS
Ashley Holly
Managing Editor
Nicki Butler Editor Brayden Martinez Elijah Winn Neta Bar Owen Lavine Zoe Denton Rebecca Caraway Diego Sandoval Editor Kyle Har Gabe Arditti Miles Berman Derek Righetti Gwendalyn Garcia Kylie Hastings Nick Bandanza Noah Greenblatt Mia Isobel Craig Matthew Ho
UPFRONT
Cameryn Oakes
Kiana Hunziker Editor Abigail O’Branovich Alisha Nazar Elissa Luce Lauren Emo Olivia Meis Naomi Vanderlip Krithi Sankar Tini Nguyen Emma Robertson Lauryn LaDuc Mari Stusser
DESIGN
Grace Woelbing Zara Iqbal Audrey Ryan Elise Bodnar Sarah Chayet Brett Vollrath Ashley Holly Social Media Manager Kiana Meagher Daisy Kuenstler Chloe Chin Talia Toutounjian Jillian Butler Claire Han
DATA
Omar Rashad Editor Alexis Bowlby Ryan Hunter Sophie Moore Sucheen Sundaram Jack Clark Jezzia Smith
EN ESPAÑOL Diana Beas José González Mike Esparza Ava Farriday
KCPR
LEADERSHIP
Sheri Donahue Marketing Director Nicole Herhusky Art Director Sophie Lincoln Radio News Director Zoe Boyd Managing Editor Liv Collom Programming/Music
Claire Lorimor Creative Director Megan Anderson Kayla Olow Karen Ma Coby Chuang Zara Iqbal
Director
VIDEO
DISC JOCKEYS
Sofia Silvia Video Manager Brady Caskey Matthew Bornhorst Ava Kershner Ariel Lopez Ellie Spink Angelina Salgado Gabrielle Downey Harrison Kaseff
Zoe Boyd Tessa Hughes Liv Collom Kyle Himmelein Jaxon Silva Melissa Melton
Social Media Manager
Video Manager
Digital Director
Tessa Hughes Ava Kershner Nikki Morgan Lauren Boyer Torstein Rehn Amanda Wernik Violet Macguire Sophie Corbett Jennie Le Nicolas Vinuela Jillian Butler Sofia Silvia Victoria Bochniak Trevor Baumgardner Jordan Triebel Avery Elowitt Maddie Harrell Jada Griffith Natalie Levesque
KCPR.ORG
Zoe Boyd Managing Editor Eden Baker Assistant Editor Addie Woltkamp Cayley O’Brien Emily Tobiason Emma Hughes Michelle Mede Ashley Oakes Emily Brower Alina Jafri Kaelyn Bremer Lily Tenner Navie Bower
MMG BUSINESS ADVERTISING & PR
Brynna Barton Advertising Manager Carley Epple Marketing/PR & Operations Director
Ryan Manseau Small Team Manager Ellie Auerbach Small Team Manager Nicolette Laventure Ashley Pagsibigan Caitlin Willard Matt Daugbjerg Samuel Hubbard Yuka Shindo
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Sheri Donahue KCPR Specialist Elaine Do Ad Design Manager Katherine Olah Ad Designer Cindy Nguyen Ad Designer ADVISERS Jon Schlitt General Manager Pat Howe Adviser Brady Teufel Adviser Patti Piburn Adviser
KCPR NEWS
Sophie Lincoln KCPR News Director Alexa Kushner
Cal Poly is in tiłhini, the Place of the Full Moon. We gratefully acknowledge, respect, and thank yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini, Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region in whose homelands we are guests.
04
STUDENTS RESPOND TO SUPREME COURT’S DRAFT TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE STORY BY Tini Nguyen DESIGNED BY Megan Anderson
06
“IT FELT LIKE A TURNING POINT”: CAL POLY PROFESSORS RECOUNT THE IMPACT KRISTIN SMART HAS HAD ON CAMPUS OVER 26 YEARS
10
STORY BY Cameryn Oakes DESIGNED BY Coby Chuang
WELCOME BACK TO SHABANG: THE SAN LUIS OBISPO MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS
STORY BY Emily Tobiason & Zoe Boyd DESIGNED BY Nicole Herhusky
12
THREE-PEAT: CAL POLY BEACH VOLLEYBALL CAPTURES BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK BIG WEST TITLES STORY BY Miles Berman DESIGNED BY Karen Ma
18
“A PASSION PROJECT”: HEARST CASTLE REOPENS WITH NEW STORIES TO TELL STORY BY Sierra Parr DESIGNED BY Nicole Herhusky
We’re looking for feedback from the people who matter the most - OUR READERS! Take the survey and let us know how we’re doing.
Filling out the survey will enter you into a drawing to
WIN 2 OUTSIDE LANDS PASSES!
4
STUDENTS RESPOND
TO SUPREME COURT’S DRAFT TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE BY TINI NGUYEN
SCAN THIS QR CODE TO SEE HOW STUDENTS HAVE BEEN RESPONSING!
ARTS & STUDENT LIFE
MUSTANG NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
TINI NGUYEN | MUSTANG NEWS Cal Poly student Julia Cannon with her sign.
After the Supreme Court’s opinion draft to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, hundreds of San Luis Obispo students and locals took to the streets to protest for abortion and reproductive rights. Cal Poly students were among the crowd of protestors. “I think [the draft is] disgusting and appalling,” forestry and natural resource sophomore Isabel Burne said. “It’s really scary to see.” Burne was one of the many who attended the May 5 protest during downtown San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market. Protestors began gathering at 6:15 p.m. in the Union Bank parking lot and began their march through the Farmers’ market and other downtown businesses. This was the second protest organized in San Luis Obispo, following the May 3 rally organized by Women’s March San Luis Obispo. Chants of “Pro-life is life,” “You don’t care if women die,” “Keep your laws off my body” and “We say prochoice, they say no choice” rang through the downtown streets. Bystanders showed their support by clapping and cheering. “We’ve had several assaults on our campus already this year. Knowing that, I feel like we’re at the age where [sexual assault] is really likely to happen,” Burne said. “It’s just scary to feel like the government isn’t looking out for our safety and our rights to healthcare.”
It’s just scary to feel like the government isn’t looking out for our safety and our rights to healthcare. ISABEL BURNE Forestry and Natural Resource sophomore OWEN L AVINE | MUSTANG NEWS Activists gather on Monterey Street in front of the San Luis Obispo Courthouse to protest for abortion rights on May 3.
Burne also said that abortion should not be limited to only sexual assault survivors, as they are a fraction of people who need access to abortions. There are a number of reasons why people seek abortions, including single parents who struggle to provide for their current children. Adding a newborn to the family would endanger the quality of life for the other children in danger, Burne said. Protest attendee and animal science sophomore Corina Klein said society would be going back in time if abortion was made illegal. “Showing that women don’t have the right to abortion and privacy is showing that we’re not worthy of any of that,” Klein said. “And [that] we’re less than the men who created these laws.” Industrial technology and packaging freshman Merav Tzori said she felt frustrated and upset when she first heard about the leaked draft. “It educated me a lot more about what the actual intricacies of the law [were],” Tzori said. “But there is a little bit of a like initial misconception, at least on my end, and that this would ban abortion completely.” The draft is not the final decision of the Supreme Court, but if Roe v. Wade is overturned, then each state would decide their own abortion laws. Women living in Republican-led legislatures would be impacted the most, according to Kaiser Health News. “While Roe v. Wade legalizes and protects reproductive healthcare and personal autonomy, there are still several present systemic barriers that currently prevent disadvantaged communities from being able to exercise this choice,” civil engineering graduate student Julia Cannon said. “If overturned, this will directly affect those same communities first and amplify reproductive injustice.” Cannon said some of the ways people can take action is by voting in the June 7 California primary election and fund organizations that can help provide reproductive healthcare for those in need. Cal Poly Students for Life Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LOS ESTUDIANTES RESPONDEN
5
AL PROYECTO DE LA CORTE SUPREMA PARA ANULAR ROE V. WADE BY TINI NGUYEN
“Mientras Roe v. Wade legaliza y protege la salud reproductiva y la autonomía personal, todavía hay varias barreras sistémicas que impiden a comunidades desfavorecidas ejercer este derecho a elegir” — dijo la estudiante de posgrado de ingeniería civil, Julia Cannon. “Si se anula, este afectará directamente esas mismas comunidades primero y amplificará la injusticia reproductiva”. Cannon dijo que algunas de las maneras que las personas pueden tomar acción es votando en las elecciones primarias de California del 7 de junio y financiar organizaciones que puedan ayudar a proporcionar la salud reproductiva para los necesitados. Cal Poly Club de Estudiantes para Vida no respondieron a un pedido de comentario.
MCKENNA RODRIGUEZ | MUSTANG NEWS La manifestante local, Jeanette de la Cruz, sostiene carteles que abogan por el aborto y los derechos reproductivos en la concentración del 3 de mayo.
MUSTANG NEWS
Me educó mucho más sobre la complejidad actual de la ley
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
MERAV TZORI Estudiante de primer año de tecnología industrial y embalaje
“Me educó mucho más sobre la complejidad actual de la ley” — Tzori dijo. “Pero hay un poco de confusión inicial, al menos de mi parte, y que esto prohibiría el aborto completamente”. El proyecto no es la decisión final de la Corte Suprema pero si se anula Roe v. Wade, entonces cada estado decidiría sus propias leyes de aborto. Las mujeres viviendo en las legislativas lideradas por los republicanos serían las más afectadas, según Kaiser Health News.
TINI NGUYEN | MUSTANG NEWS Los manifestantes se reunieron y corearon una variedad de frases, incluyendo “El aborto es una mentira, no te importa si las mujeres mueren”.
EN ESPAÑOL
El artículo fue originalmente escrito en Inglés. La traducción en Español fue hecha por Mieke Esparza. Después de que el proyecto de opinión de la Corte Suprema para anular Roe v. Wade se filtró, cientos de estudiantes y locales de San Luis Obispo salieron a las calles a protestar para el aborto y los derechos reproductivos. Estudiantes de Cal Poly estaban entre la multitud de manifestantes. “Pienso que [el proyecto es] repugnante y espantoso” — dijo Isabel Burne, una estudiante de segundo año de silvicultura y recursos naturales. “Da miedo ver”. Burne fue una de muchos quienes asistieron a la protesta del 5 de mayo durante el mercado agrícola de San Luis Obispo. Los manifestantes comenzaron a reunirse a las 6:15 de la tarde en el estacionamiento de Union Bank y comenzaron su marcha por el mercado agrícola y otros negocios del centro. Esta fue la segunda marcha organizada en San Luis Obispo, siguiendo la concentración del 3 de mayo organizada por la Marcha de las Mujeres de San Luis Obispo. Consignas de “Pro-vida es vida”, “No te importa si las mujeres mueren”, “Mantén tus leyes fuera de mi cuerpo” y “Decimos pro derecho de escoger, ellos dicen no derecho de escoger” se elevaron por las calles del centro. Los transeúntes demostraron su apoyo aplaudiendo y animando. “Ya hemos tenido varios asaltos en nuestro campus este año. Sabiendo eso, siento que estamos en la edad en donde [la agresión sexual] es muy probable que suceda” — dijo Burne. “Da miedo sentir que el gobierno no está cuidando nuestra seguridad y nuestros derechos a la atención médica”. Burne también dijo que el aborto no debe ser limitado a las sobrevivientes de la agresión sexual, porque ellos son sólo una parte de la población que necesita acceso a los abortos. Hay muchas razones por
las que la gente buscan los abortos, incluyendo padres solteros quienes luchan por mantener a sus niños actuales. Añadiendo un recién nacido a la familia pondría la calidad de vida para los otros niños en peligro, dijo Burne. Otra asistente de la protesta y estudiante de segundo año de ciencia animal, Corina Klein, dijo que la sociedad retrocedería en el tiempo si el aborto fuera ilegal. “Mostrado que las mujeres no tienen el derecho al aborto y la privacidad está demostrado que no somos dignas de nada de eso” — dijo Klein. “Y [que] somos menos que los hombres quienes crearon estas leyes”. Estudiante de primer año de tecnología industrial y embalaje, Merav Tzori, dijo que se sintió frustrada y alterada cuando escuchó el proyecto por primera vez.
6
“IT FELT LIKE A TURNING POINT”
NEWS
MUSTANG NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
Cal Poly professors recount the impact Kristin Smart has had on campus over 26 years
BY CAMERYN OAKES
When they first found out
Phil Bailey has seen many things happen during his 53-year tenure at Cal Poly: the changing of Cal Poly’s name as California Polytechnic State University, the opening of the Robert E. Kennedy Library and the 1990 Poly Royal riots. But one aspect of Cal Poly’s history that has been on his mind for the past 26 years is the disappearance and murder of former Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Smart was a freshman at Cal Poly when she went missing while walking to her dorm from an off-campus party on May 25, 1996. She was last seen with Paul Flores, another Cal Poly student, and was reported to be heavily intoxicated. Paul Flores and his father Ruben Flores were arrested in April of 2021 and have been charged with the murder and accessory to the murder of Smart, respectively. After a preliminary hearing held in San Luis Obispo, the trial has been moved to Monterey County and is scheduled to begin May 31. For Bailey, one of the longest employed faculty members at Cal Poly, Smart’s disappearance was a catalyst for changes regarding student safety at Cal Poly. After 26 years, the story of Smart is still alive in San Luis Obispo. Billboards with her face can be found throughout the county, her name is frequently found in headlines and news stories and with an impending trial for her murder, Smart’s name echoes through the community. For many students on campus, these are the only ways they learn about Smart, a person who was legally declared dead in 2002 before some students were born. However, there is a group of about 57 faculty members that were employed at Cal Poly when news struck that Smart was missing, and still work on campus to this day
Bailey began teaching as an assistant professor at Cal Poly for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1969. He later became the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics in 1983, and it was while he held that position in May of 1996 that he said he learned of a student “unaccounted for.” That student was Kristin Smart. Bailey said that it took a couple of days to hear about her disappearance, probably early in the week following her disappearance when he read about it in the newspapers and heard it on the radio. “It was really, really of a concern to the campus and it really influenced to some extent how we did things for a while,” Bailey said. “It shook the campus.”
We shouldn’t really do anything short from making sure that we are protecting the life, the honor, the dignity of our students. FAYSAL KOLKAILAH Aerospace Engineering Professor
Biological sciences emeritus professor Chris Kitts was in his first year teaching at Cal Poly and said that he wasn’t paying much attention to the campus community due to the workload of a new professor, but he said he still remembers a feeling of worry that ensued on campus. Like Bailey, Kitts said he first found out about a missing student via local news, as well as hearing about it across campus. The same was for music professor Alyson McLamore,
UNIVERSIT Y ARCHIVES | COURTESY The Mustang Daily, Cal Poly’s student newspaper, published their first story about Kristin Smart on May 31, 1996, reporting her disappearance.
who first read about Smart’s disappearance in the Tribune and heard conversations in the hallways about it the Thursday and Friday after she was reported missing. Kitts said that many conversations were held among faculty concerning the safety on campus in the wake of a missing student. These conver-
sations carried beyond campus, as Kitts said Smart would be discussed at faculty social gatherings as well. To Kitts, the disappearance and murder of Smart was the beginning of a new awareness on campus. “From my perspective, since I just got here, it felt like a turning point,” Kitts said.
Like many other professors told Mustang News, McLamore said that not much information was released regarding Smart’s disappearance which led to suspicions and rumors wafting through campus. “I can’t say [the campus reaction] was horror, it was more puzzlement,” McLamore said. “You know,
7
UNIVERSIT Y ARCHIVES | COURTESY Several students read, study and chat in the common room of a red brick residence hall circa 1987. Kristin Smart lived in Muir residence hall, one of the red bricks, when she attended Cal Poly.
‘this is strange, this is weird, I wonder where she’s gone.’”
Issues of safety
fessor Tao Yang said that one way Cal Poly can increase their safety measures is by implementing cameras on campus. Camera surveillance on campus is one way to help solve crimes, Yang said, and the university should learn from Smart’s case and the lack of surveillance of her disappearance. “How much time money and ener-
It was really, really of a concern to the campus and it really influenced to some extent how we did things for a while.
gy were wasted?” Yang said. He suggested that students advocate for such measures for their safety, like cameras and increased lighting, utilizing Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) to enact the change. “Let the students decide where to put the lights or cameras,” Yang said. “It’s a student campus. Students should have more voices to speak up.”
Professors taking safety into their own hands
Kristin’s impact For Kolkailah, remembering the early moments of the Smart case is not hard. “How can you forget that?” Kolkailah said. “And as I said, it makes me even more worried about my grandkids and my kids at home here and also on campus. I worry about the students I’m teaching that something can happen to them, boys or girls. Now, that’s not a good feeling.” Smart’s disappearance is something that’s weighed on Kolkailah over the past 26 years. “We lost this beautiful young lady,” Kolkailah said. “My heart goes for her parents, her family, her loved ones. I’m not kidding, sometimes I get tears in my eyes.” Bailey, too, said that Smart’s disappearance is something that has been on his mind for the past 26 years. During his tenure, he said her disappearance has led to an increased awareness on campus, and the lack of resolution for her case has kept her name alive. “I can just tell you that 25-26 years later, most of us [Kristin Smart is] at the front of our minds,” Bailey said. “How can we have not gotten her back?”
NEWS
Kolkailah has been working at Cal Poly since 1984 and has had three daughters attend Cal Poly. He said
was scary. I mean, we didn’t want anything to happen to anyone else.” Like Bailey and Kolkailah, many professors echoed the same piece of advice for their students: never walk alone, especially when it’s dark.
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
PHIL BAILEY Chemistry Professor
that whenever they were studying on campus late at night, he ensured that either he would be there to walk them to their cars or make sure someone else would do it. But Kolkailah’s diligence for safety did not just extend to his daughters. To him, all of his students over the past 38 years are his grandkids, and with that is his desire to ensure their safety as well. “All of the kids at Cal Poly [are] my daughters or my sons,” Kolkailah said. “I’m 73 years old, so I look at all my students as grandkids. I wouldn’t let any of my grandkids, at home or at school, walk alone from the library to their car at night.” Bailey and his wife Christina Bailey, faculty and chair emeritus in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, housed over 20 unrepresented and low-income Cal Poly students after their own four children left the house. When Smart disappeared, they were hosting two young women and had a heightened concern for their safety. “When she went out I said, ‘you be careful and I want to know where you are,’” Bailey said. He said that his concern, like Kolkailah, also extended to his students. Although he had always been concerned with his students’ safety, the disappearance of Smart increased it. “In my lab, I went around, especially to all the women in [the] lab, and I said, ‘do you have a safe way home?’ And if they didn’t, I either took them home or paired them up with somebody,” Bailey said. “But it
MUSTANG NEWS
Prior to coming to the Central Coast, psychology professor Laura Freberg had spent much of her life in city environments. She grew up in Los Angeles, but later moved to New Haven and New York City in the 1970s. She described New Haven at the time as a “war zone” and everyone she knew in New York City had been mugged. Freberg said that she “never quite lost that city girl,” even after moving to San Luis Obispo to teach at Cal Poly in 1985. To this day, she said she is more cautious because of her city experiences. While she said that living in San Luis Obispo is much safer than the urban war zones she described living in, she still never felt completely safe when walking on Cal Poly’s campus at night. “So you have these kinds of instinctive, burnt into your soul safety things, but I still don’t like being at Cal Poly at night,” Freberg said. “I never have.” What makes Cal Poly feel unsafe for Freberg is how dark the campus is at night and its remoteness. Kitts said that the concern for safety on campus at night is something that still pervades the campus. “[Smart’s] story does get brought up when we’re talking about doing things late at night,” Kitts said. “I think everybody sort of has that on the back of their mind.” While Freberg has always felt unsafe on campus, San Luis Obispo has had a reputation of being a safe town, yet Freberg said that San Luis
Obispo’s tendency to brush safety issues aside and Cal Poly’s need to “maintain this elusive safety” has been a hindrance to the conversations surrounding student safety and the true experiences of students. She said that after Kristin Smart’s disappearance, Cal Poly student Rachel Newhouse was raped and murdered by Rex Krebs in 1998, who was later found guilty for the abduction, rape and murder of Newhouse and Cuesta College student Aundria Crawford. Freberg said that prior to discovering Newhouse, missing posters for her were posted all over Cal Poly’s campus. Right before open house, though, all the posters were removed. She said she does not know who removed them. “Because heaven forbid that we express any kind of dismay about our safety to the incoming students and their parents,” Freberg said. “I think in dealing with a situation [of student safety], hopefully they don’t come up, but if they do, I think we owe it to everybody to be a little more sensitive to kind of honoring our community.” Aerospace engineering professor Faysal Kolkailah said that it is important that the university establishes safety measures for its students, such an increased presence of police walking on campus. “Life is very, very, very, very important,” Kolkailah said. “We shouldn’t really do anything short from making sure that we are protecting the life, the honor, the dignity of our students… Our students on campus should be able to feel safe walking [on campus].” Industrial and manufacturing pro-
UNIVERSIT Y ARCHIVES | COURTESY Now former College of Science and Mathematics Dean Phil Bailey speaks at the Unocal donation presentation, as featured in Cal Poly Magazine’s Fall 2000 edition.
8
STUDENTS CRITICIZE CAL POLY’S NEGLECT OF HISTORIC FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS WHILE EXPANDING OTHERS BY COLE PRESSLER
Scholars receive a disproportionate amount of attention. While they do support how the College Based Fee will assist low-income students, they say Cal Poly must address the gaps between existing programs before starting a new one.Currently, Cal Poly Scholars students receive more than three times as much scholarship money as EOP and TRIO students receive. Psychology senior Stanley Leung, who is an EOP Student Assistant, said he thinks the university is “pushing [EOP and TRIO] down and burying them more” than Cal Poly Scholars. “From friends who have been in TRIO, they definitely don’t feel supported by the school,” Leung said. EOP and TRIO both include
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
While Cal Poly’s College Based Fee (CBF) increase will provide more aid to low-income students, many are criticizing the school for not supporting their current financial aid programs — which students say are now struggling. The administration said the newly-approved fee increase is an alternative to expanding Cal Poly’s existing low-income support programs: the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), the TRIO Achievers Program and the newer Cal Poly Scholars Program. Cal Poly’s reasoning is that EOP and TRIO are historic, state-run programs that are difficult to change,
and Scholars will max out at 3,000 students by the next school year. Therefore, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said the revenue from the College Based Fee will support all low-income students with household incomes under $150,000, prioritizing those below $90,000. “This is a bigger move than all three of those, frankly, in that we’re going to have financial aid for everyone in California up to $150,000 in income,” Armstrong told Mustang News. The school intends to allocate 60% of the College Based Fee increase towards financial aid, with the remaining 40% supporting other academic opportunities. Some students in EOP and TRIO say they already feel that Cal Poly
first-generation, low-income students while students in the decade-old Cal Poly Scholars program must be from California Partner High Schools, which is a group of 520 schools that are typically poorly-funded in addition to being low-income, according to Cal Poly Spokesperson Matt Lazier. Armstrong said the root of the university’s problem was — and still is — inadequate money for low-income students. “We have 50-55% of students with incomes over $200,000,” Armstrong said. “They’ve had free choice to come to Cal Poly and we’re a bargain. Yet, for students under $90,000, financial aid has been the biggest
MUSTANG NEWS
They consider us all under the same category of community, but... there are some people who end up feeling bad about themselves because ‘oh, that person is in Cal Poly Scholars and I’m not. I’m only in EOP or TRIO.
NEWS
ANONYMOUS STUDENT Student Assistant
JACKIE ESPITIA | MUSTANG NEWS Cal Poly’s financial aid office.
barrier for them coming to Cal Poly.” Cal Poly receives more funding than other CSUs. This was exemplified in a 2020 report that showed that Cal Poly received $2,000 more per student from the CSU system than a predominantly non-white school like CSU Los Angeles. However, Armstrong said that the funding is still inadequate for Cal Poly’s cost of attendance compared to other schools due to its desire to provide a “Learn By Doing” mission to students. A student who is in both Scholars and EOP said they feel the university supports Cal Poly Scholars more than EOP because there has been an increase in enrollment numbers while EOP has stayed stagnant. The student asked to remain anonymous due to their employment as a student assistant by one of the financial aid programs mentioned. “It’s kind of sad because I feel that all programs should have that growth,” the anonymous student assistant said. Despite the programs’ differences, Cal Poly typically houses students in all three programs in the same Residential Learning Community on campus. “They consider us all under the same category of community, but … there are some people who end up feeling bad about themselves because ‘oh, that person is in Cal Poly Scholars and I’m not. I’m only in EOP
“The plan is sustainable because we have so many students from parents with over $200,000 in income today. And I value all students. I just want everybody to have the same choice.” Cal Poly’s EOP is only one of two CSU campuses without a director, coordinator or senior adviser since the end of the 2018-19 school year when the last director departed for CSU Long Beach. “Just due to the economic situation that we’re in, we have many, many positions open in student affairs, academic affairs and across the university,” Armstrong said when asked about the vacancy. Leung challenged this argument, and said that the university promotes EOP and TRIO but neglects to actually manage them well. “It’s really annoying having them saying they’re doing great by showcasing our programs, but they’re not putting any effort into growing our programs,” Leung said. “Why don’t you work on expanding and growing
the communities and programs that we already have on campus?” Armstrong recently said that with revenue from the CBF increase, Cal Poly plans to create a program that would award financial aid to a drastically higher number of low-income students than Scholars, EOP and TRIO currently support. This new program would potentially provide additional aid as soon as Fall Quarter 2022. Leung supports the CBF increase but didn’t like how Armstrong used EOP and TRIO as a model for implementing it. “[Armstrong] said ‘we learned it by doing it,’ but he didn’t do anything for these programs,” Leung said. “He can’t get rid of EOP because it’s in the constitution — you have to have one of these programs on your campus — but he can definitely bury it under [Scholars] and he can make sure that we don’t get any additional funding.” While Armstrong has refrained from directly changing EOP and
TRIO programs, he said it’s no longer necessary to expand them. Instead, in the future, incoming EOP and TRIO students would be able to dual-enroll in Cal Poly Scholars and receive financial aid from both programs. “It’s an end to the ‘either or’ question,” Armstrong said. Armstrong acknowledged concerns about how the Scholars program excludes some students, but he said the CBF increase would eliminate the partner high school restrictions, allowing any low-income Californian to receive aid. He also said that Cal Poly will bend that rule in the future to ensure that EOP and TRIO students can dual-enroll. Currently, only about half of EOP students, 344 specifically, are dual-enrolled, according to Hill. However, Executive Director of Financial Aid Gerrie Hatten is optimistic about an upward trend. “Of the 174 first-time freshman students in the EOP program this year,
9
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
NEWS
144, or 83%, are CP Scholars,” Hatten wrote in an email to Mustang News. “So, we are definitely moving in that direction, as we anticipated would happen.” By 2023, the school aims to support 3,000 Cal Poly Scholars, and Hatten estimated with the increase in Scholars, dual-enrollment will increase as well. “The potential exists at the freshman level for all EOP students to be Cal Poly Scholars,” Hatten wrote. However, no timeline was provided for 100% dual-enrollment. “While the university’s goal remains to dual-enroll as many students as possible, because each program [TRIO, EOP and Scholars] must award based on their own criteria, we may have some students only in one program and not the other,” Hatten said. While EOP provides their selection criteria and eligibility by income level on their website, EOP student assistant and electrical engineering senior Carlos Gonzalez said that the Cal Poly Scholars selection criteria still isn’t transparent, as their standards cannot be found on the Scholars website and they don’t define “low-income” students. “People just get chosen,” the anonymous student assistant added. “Because of the way they also describe the program, it’s for ‘high-achieving students,’ but then it’s like what constitutes a high-achieving student if there are no actual criteria and it’s all based on financial aid?” The new financial aid program provided by the CBF most likely won’t be fully implemented for years, as the final fee increase won’t take effect until the 2026-27 school year. The anonymous student assistant said they think without student input, increases to any of the programs would be much slower. “Historically speaking, it’s usually always students who have to speak up within these programs to implement changes,” they said. The student assistant said they are optimistic about the future overlap between EOP or TRIO and Scholars like in their situation. “That would help students tremendously in terms of financial aid and overall networking opportunities within those two programs,” the source said.
MUSTANG NEWS
or TRIO,’” the student assistant said. “They feel that, in a way, there’s neglect towards these other programs.” Cal Poly Scholars receive between $4,000-$5,000 per year in scholarship funding. By contrast, EOP students receive $900-$1,200 in scholarships yearly from the CSU, and only 1015 TRIO students receive a $1,000 scholarship, according to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Debi Hill. Cal Poly’s EOP program started in 1968 and is the oldest EOP in the CSU system according to Student Affairs. TRIO, funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant, has been at Cal Poly since 1984. EOP and Cal Poly Scholars provide similar benefits such as program-specific advising, being placed in the program’s residential learning community and access to workshops. TRIO provides students with mentorship, workshops and “cultural enrichment activities/field trips,” according to materials provided by Leung. The Scholars program is funded by the Cal Poly Opportunity Fee (CPOF) — an out-of-state fee that will generate more than $11 million for financial aid by the 2023-24 school year. EOP and TRIO are funded by the CSU and the U.S. Department of Education, respectively, which provide much lower financial aid rates. While Cal Poly could increase EOP and TRIO funding at their discretion, Armstrong said he started Cal Poly Scholars in 2012 because it was harder to create “drastic change” in older, statewide and national programs with low financial aid levels than it was to create a new, Cal Poly-specific program. Armstrong said they could have expanded EOP, but it would be more difficult to do so. “I can’t go back in time and change that,” Armstrong said. “The bottom line is: we had a need [for financial aid] and we attacked the need in the quickest way possible, which was to start Cal Poly Scholars and move forward.” Cal Poly Scholars, which started in 2012 with 14 students, was grown by non-resident student fees and fundraising. Armstrong said school benefactors were more likely to fund a Cal Poly program than older, state-wide and national programs like EOP and TRIO. “It was easier to get donors to fund something new,” Armstrong said.
10
WELCOME TO
SHABANG
KCPR
MUSTANG NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
BY EMILY ZOE BOYD
TOBIASON
AND
The Shabang Live Music and Arts Festival returned to Laguna Lake Park in San Luis Obispo after a nearly two year hiatus. The five stages attracted roughly 4,000 guests on Friday and 9,000 on Saturday, as well as 40 artists from all over the country. The first Shabang was thrown back in 2014 by four Cal Poly students and was held illegally atop Cuesta Ridge. It featured only local acts and was a way for the founders to bring house shows to a larger scale, according to Shabang’s public relations specialist Nikki Morgan. “They just started figuring out that there were so many more people that were interested in creating a music festival that bases itself around the culture of the Central Coast, and bringing super cool music and awesome experiences to the people of San Luis Obispo and the general California public,” Morgan said. Now held legally, this Shabang took place overlooking Laguna Lake and the surrounding hills and featured headliners like TV Girl, STRFKR, Walker and Royce and The Knocks.
THE MUSIC
The main stage, named the Laguna Lake stage, was set on the waterfront of Laguna Lake and decorated in red, orange and purple colors. Crowds gathered to watch the acts Tropa Magica, Levitation Room, Hot Flash Heat Wave, Strange Case, Dante Marsh and the Vibesetters, The Hip Abduction and Post Animal. TV Girl, Neil Frances and STRFKR headlined the Laguna Lake stage to close out the festival nights, with TV Girl on Friday and Neil Frances and STRFKR on Saturday evening. Funk Safari was one of the electronic dance music (EDM)-based stages, adorned in jungle leaves and a painted bull skull. The stage consistently attracted a large crowd with performers like Walker and Royce, The Knocks and Miss Dre. The Hush House Silent Disco was the second EDM attraction, inspired by San Luis Obispo’s house show
culture. To enter, guests would walk through the front of a house and pick up a set of headphones. There were two live DJ sets that could be tuned in to from the privacy of the attendee’s personal headset. The Cuesta Ridge Stage was the home for many of Cal Poly’s studentrun bands and drew crowds of those who weren’t afraid to kick up some dust dancing to their favorite local acts. The bands Couch Dog, Swede and Skogen, The Bogeys and Honeyboys performed at this stage alongside other California-based artists Creative Differences, The Charities, Uncle Uncle, The Bash Dogs and Spooky Mansion. KCPR sat down with Uncle Uncle, a Santa Barbara rock band, who said that after three years in the making they were excited to perform on the Cuesta Ridge stage. “The energy is really good … we’re excited to be on a stage like this,” drummer Nick Fields said. “We’ve been playing in dark, damp rooms and this is a nice change-up.” Shabang is also a great opportunity
for exposure given the variety of tastes and genres present, lead guitarist Christian Edstrom said. “This is probably one of the bigger audiences, if not the biggest, we’ve ever played in front of so that’s really cool,” Edstrom said. Another band performing at the Cuesta stage was the Huntington Beach group Creative Differences. Lead singer Ryan Petersen said it was “crazy” seeing the festival come to fruition after several months of work. Although his allergies were set off by the grass and wind, drummer Larson McDonald said he enjoyed the park’s weather and scenery. “This is me and [the bassist, Aidan’s] first music festival, we’ve never even been to one, so we’re excited to be playing one,” McDonald said. THE ART & VENDORS
Hammockers lounged out among trees while artists set up their painting supplies and artwork — which ranged from traditional paint-on-canvases to murals crafted on wooden doors — along the base of the tree’s trunks. Throughout the length of the festival, artists could be spotted creating artwork in real time in this space. One of the live artists was local artist Amanda Berger, who
said she has been going to Shabang for many years. She painted a large crocodile to hang in her house. “It’s just literally so fun,” Berger said. “I’m so happy I get to sit here and paint.” In between the University and Laguna Lake stages was another art garden filled with canvas paintings, drawings, graphics and sculptures hanging from trees or displayed on stands. Alongside the displays of music and art, vendors ranging from clothing, artwork and accessories were located within the shopping district of the festival named the Shabang Marketplace. Eclectic festival clothing from vendors such as Milk Room and All In Onesie were available, as well as Wook Earrings, a vendor selling earrings that doubled as earplugs to protect the hearing of festival goers
THE SAN LUIS OBISPO MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS
11
JACKIE ESPITA | MUSTANG NEWS San Luis Obispo-based band Honeyboys takes the Cuesta Ridge stage.
LILY TENNER | KCPR KCPR reporter Emily Tobiason interviewing Santa Barbara band Uncle Uncle backstage at Shabang.
SCAN THE QR CODE
FOR A WORD-ON-THE-STREET WITH FESTIVAL ATTENDEES
JACKIE ESPITA | MUSTANG NEWS Indie pop band TV Girl performs on the Laguna Lake main stage at Shabang Friday night.
KCPR
Festival-goers were greeted by a wooden archway that spelled out “Shabang” and three giant blown-up mushrooms that stood tall near the entrance, providing shade for guests to lay on blankets and socialize. The event had multiple contributions of Cal Poly students on display: student bands performed along the festival’s lineup and as well as structures that were originally featured in the 2022 Cal Poly Architecture Program Design Village.
festival. She also liked the ability to switch between the variety of music genres offered. “SLO is such a magical little place, in my opinion, and so we have this
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
THE CULTURE
Architectural engineering sophomore Ellie Untalan said she enjoyed getting out of the classroom to enjoy the music. Having been to Outside Lands, Untalan said she did not know as many artists at Shabang but felt the environment was similar in seeing people she knew and getting dressed up. “[Shabang] brings a lot of local artists together and the community gets to appreciate and support a lot of local artists,” Untalan said. Shabang University was an area of the event which hosted interactive workshops –– ranging in dance, yoga, speed dating, health and self love –– taught by locals. Intimacy Coach Rory Adele taught “sex magic” at the University stage — an ancient teaching focused on embodying ones desires. She said she thought the crowd of people enjoyed it. College students, fans and performers walked around the clothing and art pop-up shops, watched aerialists hang from silks and rings and wandered from stage to stage to see the artists perform. Environmental engineering junior Julia Loew said she particularly loved the set up and design of the
MUSTANG NEWS
while enabling them to remain stylish. The screen printing clothing company, Thirty by Thirty, had an interactive TV set next to their shop where people could watch themselves being recorded, explore the trippy visuals and effects, play video games or simply relax. Another vendor, Maria Kate Art, sold jewelry, hand-held mirrors, hair clips, stickers and more. She said her experience as a vendor was great given the support from the Shabang team and the kindness of shoppers. “I went to Shabang when it was a baby festival … so it’s really cool to be here when it’s blowing up,” she said. “Full circle moment.”
little music festival that started here, was born here and is slowly growing,” Loew said. “That is so wonderful because I think any reason to have more people coming into SLO is a good reason, especially to enjoy good music and fun times with good people.”
12
THREE-PEAT:
CAL POLY BEACH VOLLEYBALL CAPTURES
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
BIG WEST TITLES BY MILES BERMAN
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
Cal Poly beach volleyball had another historic season in 2022, winning their third consecutive Big West Championship and automatically qualifying for the NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship tournament. The Mustangs were the No. 3 seed going into the conference tournament on Apr. 29 and 30 that took place at Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex. Despite being third in the Big West, the team won four straight matches, upsetting No. 2 seed Long Beach State and No. 1 seed
University of Hawaii twice on their way to the title. Entering this season, the Mustangs were ranked No. 8 in the nation following a national championship appearance last season. However, a significant portion of the team looked different than those who went to Gulf Shores, Ala. for the 2021 national championship tournament. Eight players from the 2021 team were gone and five new players – three true freshmen, a sophomore transfer and a grad student – had entered. On the court, three-time All-American Tia Miric played out
EYASU BET WOS | MUSTANG NEWS Piper Naess dives for a ball in the championship matchup.
MUSTANG NEWS
SPORTS
her final season as part of the No. 1 duo alongside freshman Ella Connor. Connor earned All-American honors and won Big West Freshman of the Year in 2022. The No. 2 duo included redshirt junior Jayelin Lombard and freshman Piper Ferch. The two were 22-18 together and will both be returning for the 2023 season. The consistent No. 3 duo was also a standout team, made up of graduate Addison Hermstad and freshman Peyton Dueck. Hermstad transferred to Cal Poly from Tulane while Dueck made the transition from the indoor volleyball team in the fall to the
The team celebrates their third straight Big West title.
beach team in the spring. The duo was a team-best 21-6 on the season, earning a Top Flight award, an award given to the best pairings in the nation. The No. 4 and No. 5 duos were switched around throughout the season, but they were relatively set by the championship tournaments. Sophomore Piper Naess and redshirt senior Mariah Whalen played at the fours while redshirt sophomore Josie Ulrich and redshirt junior Vanessa Roscoe played on court five. Regardless of who was playing, Hermstad spoke to the importance of relying on teammates in beach volleyball. “It is so difficult to play this sport without ultimate trust [in your partner], the four other pairs playing and even the girls that are not in the
It’s incredible to see all the younger girls grow throughout the season and our mentality as a team has been to get better and better every weekend.
TIA MIRIC Beach volleyball redshirt senior
rematch in the Big West championship game. Cal Poly came out firing, as Naess and Whalen along with Dueck and Hermstad won to put Cal Poly up 2-0. After court five fell to make it 2-1, attention turned to the No. 1 duo of Connor and Miric, who had won their first set. The score was tied 21-21 in the second set. A Hawaii win would
Tia Miric awaits the ball.
friends, my greatest teachers, my most inspirational heroes and the most incredible athletes.” The third matchup of day one of the tournament was the most dramatic as the Mustangs faced off against Hawaii. Cal Poly found themselves in a similar situation, going down 2-1 early to the Rainbow Wahine. After Dueck and Hermstad collected their third win of the day, the No. 2 duo of Ferch and Lombard came up clutch with a win that secured a spot in the championship. Early the next morning, Hawaii won the semifinals game to set up a
The Cal Poly team rushed the court and hugged Connor and Miric in celebration, as the Mustangs had just clinched back-to-back-to-back Big West titles. “It is the most incredible way to end my career at Cal Poly,” Miric said. “It’s incredible to see all the younger girls grow throughout the season and our mentality as a team has been to get better and better every weekend.”
13
We did not beat anyone who was ahead of us [all season]; we have to win the Big West, anything less than that, I don’t think we get in to the NCAA tournament.
TODD ROGERS Head coach of Cal Poly beach volleyball
lead to a third set, while a Mustang win would mean a team victory and a third-straight Big West championship. With the winner needing to win by two points, there was some backand-forth play that led to the score
Peyton Dueck and Addison Hermstad embrace after winning a point.
MUSTANG NEWS TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
The beach volleyball team poses with their trophy after winning the 2022 Big West Championship on April 30.
SPORTS
lineup,” Hermstad said. The team started the season struggling. After their first 10 games, they were 3-7, losing to the University of Tampa, No. 3 Florida State, No. 6 Texas Christian (TCU), No. 8 Stanford, No. 7 Grand Canyon University, No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Loyola Marymount (LMU). This theme of losing to higher-ranked opponents carried throughout the season. “We did not beat anyone who was ahead of us [all season],” head coach Todd Rogers said. “We have to win the Big West, anything less than that, I don’t think we get in [to the NCAA tournament].” Nearly half of the opponents the team faced all season were ranked, and 15 of their matches were against top 10 teams in the nation. Near the end of the season, Cal Poly hosted the Center of Effort Challenge against No. 1 USC, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Florida State and No. 6 LMU. The team went 0-4 on the weekend. Two weekends later, the Mustangs hosted the Big West Conference Tournament on the same courts. In the opener against CSU Northridge, Cal Poly won 5-0, sweeping every court. Next, they faced Long Beach State. After the Beach took a 2-1 lead, Cal Poly had their backs against the wall. However, Dueck and Hermstad secured a win and Whalen and Naess closed it out to advance. Whalen, a redshirt senior that has suffered multiple injuries throughout her career, wrote a letter to the sport of volleyball after Cal Poly’s season ended. “Even though I haven’t yet played a full season, there have been numerous reasons to stop,” Whalen wrote. “There are more reasons to be grateful for what [volleyball has] brought me during those times. [Volleyball has] introduced me to my closest
Piper Naess serves.
being tied again at 23-23. However, the tie didn’t last long as Hawaii served the ball into the net for the very next point. Once again, the Mustangs were one point away from victory at 24-23. Miric was up to serve again. She sent the ball over the net and Hawaii set up to send an attack over Connor’s block to the backline. However, Kaylee Glagau’s attack went long, giving the point to Cal Poly.
14
HOW COLLABORATION MANIFESTS
AMONGST DIFFERENT BANDS
IN THE SLO MUSIC SCENE WHEN THEY NEED IT MOST BY EMMA ROBERTSON
type of atmosphere can serve is where everything “comes full circle” and you can “form a core community of creatives who can hype up each other’s work,” she said. While the creative and collaborative aspects of the band scene are
Every time I see a Couch Dog show, I’m in the mosh having a good time, sweating, smiling, everything.
CATE ARMSTRONG Sociology senior, Purple Hibiscus vocalist
often positively characterized, there are still learning curves.
ARTS & STUDENT LIFE
MUSTANG NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
When the weekend arrives for Cal Poly students, it doesn’t take long before small venues and houses become energized with the mutually encouraged liveliness of band-fan interaction. Commonly recognized as “house shows,” these events have been gaining traction as a key way for students to connect with one another by means of musical stimulation, while allowing local bands to gain exposure. Yet from every perspective of the band scene in San Luis Obispo, there is a harmonious recognition that collaboration lies at the center of the music community’s success, according to Cate Armstrong, a sociology senior and vocalist of the band Purple Hibiscus. She has witnessed this first hand throughout her own immersion within this community. In San Luis Obispo, many small bands have made, or are working to make, their mark. Three-piece local-band Kiwi Kannibal was established upon the foundation of friendship when its two senior members discovered the
value in working together. “I would go over to Adrien’s dorm and he would play bass and I’d play guitar and we’d start jamming out,” journalism senior Amanda Wernick said, who is the band’s lead singer and guitarist. “That was when I started figuring out how to record music and finding a sound. We just had musical chemistry and we just started hanging out together, like he was my music homie.” With the establishment of local bands such as Kiwi Kannibal, the importance of building a community within the band scene has become more recognized by those within it. Armstrong said it is key that there is a mutual sense of respect and a level of “stoke,” or passion, present. Throughout her experience in Purple Hibiscus, Armstrong said she has also realized that these communal bonds stem from, and can also cater to, the spirit of artistry. “I think what’s really unique about the music scene here in SLO is there’s just such an essence of creativity that is always blooming in music, art, just all things creative,” Armstrong said. Wernick echoed that the role this
Andy Sherar | MUSTANG NEWS Kiwi Kannibal performs at BarrelHouse Brewing Co.
PURPLE HIBISCUS | COURTSEY Purple Hibiscus is a band known for their funk, soul and R&B sound.
Adrian Rosas, the bass guitarist of Kiwi Kannibal and journalism senior, described the early phase of starting a band as the “honeymoon phase.” This phase for Kiwi Kannibal came to a halt when its members found themselves in need of a drummer. Despite their initial concern about how they would carry on until they found one, the band was met with even more support and more collaboration than before when they turned to the broader San Luis Obispo music community for help. “We made a lot of really good friends in the scene and that was one of the moments that me and Amanda kind of realized that it was really cool to connect with a lot of the musicians here,” Rosas said. Just as Kiwi Kannibal had interim drummers for a more extended period of time, the bands in San Luis Obispo are generally flexible and use substitute musicians when needed. Armstrong said that other bands often use substitute musicians from different groups when a member leaves or is unavailable for a show. “Especially being in college and being so busy and having so many different realms that we’re occupying, like we’re not able to make every show so it just kind of depends on the band’s flexibility,” Armstrong said. Bands in the San Luis Obispo community also show their support by attending each other’s shows. Armstrong said people may promote shows that are not their own on social media, or that even those within the
band scene, including herself, may go see other bands perform, both as a sign of solidarity and for the enjoyment of it. “This is my final quarter at Cal Poly, so I think really just prioritizing the shows and the people I want to play with. Every time I see a Couch Dog show, I’m in the mosh having a good time, sweating, smiling, everything,” Armstrong said. This universalized collaboration also helped Kiwi Kannibal to develop “a core sound that people kept coming back [to]” and find a songwriting style that “stuck out as distinctly [their] own,” Wernick said. Now with their permanent drummer Jon Achee, Wernick also said she believes that Kiwi Kannibal is more stable than it would have been without the band’s prior collaboration with temporary drummers. As this community continues to develop with the presence and involvement of new musical creators, Armstrong said that the fellowship that has been woven between bands will grow with it. “There’s just a hunger for having live music be available again. I think that collaboration is definitely at the center of that, because it takes a village to get all of this going up again,” Armstrong said. “It can’t just be one band, it has to be all the bands having that same shared vision of making music alive in SLO.”
15
WE ARE…
AWKWA RD SILENCE BY EMMA HUGHES
TRUMAN WALLER Member of the Tensegrity team
KCPR
After the name was selected, the group began to focus on the music. Playing a wide variety of wellknown bands, they got their inspiration from The Doors, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. With these artists in mind, the group started to create their own setlist of songs they all liked. “We all go around and each of us picks a song that we try out,”
“For me, I think it was our first [performance] out in public at Liquid Gravity. We were filling in for Ghost Monster, and it was just a few songs but it was an amazing feeling to see everybody cheering for us. It was such a new feeling,” Rippens said. “I remember, we all kind of hid around the corner after we played and we were all just shaking because we were so excited.” When performing, Bisheff said they receive praise from not just strangers, but those closer to them too. “One of my favorite memories was after our first time playing downtown,” Bisheff said. “I was talking with my friend Peyton who came down to the show, and he said ‘I did not think you guys were very good, I will be honest. But I was about two blocks away when I heard someone playing the drums. I was like no, there is no way that is them.’ Then he came over, and he saw us. It was one of the first praises received from friends.” For Awkward Silence, it is all about the music and being able to perform together. The band finds joy in their jam sessions and performances, but even beyond simply being bandmates, the members are all friends. “Music is a really great experience and we are all a closely knit group,” Aebischer said. “We hang out at school, and I think this band really helped us form some bonds and friendships.”
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
Over the summer we spent a couple weeks learning songs and playing a little concert, and we just decided to stick together after that.
Aebischer said. “If we like how it sounds, we learn it and add it to our setlist.” Although the process sounds easy enough, the band dedicates their time to perfecting each song. “We have a pretty streamlined process,” Bisheff said. “I adapt a tab from the internet, and then we print it out for everyone. We usually learn it in about one session, so an hour. If it is more difficult, it will take two, maybe three sessions.” The members allocate their time to practicing their song selections until they get them just right. “To master a song, it probably takes us three plus weeks,” Soderin said. “We can get the gist of the song down pretty fast, but then getting it perfect takes a lot longer.” The group meets once a week in Bisheff’s basement, but they also practice on their own. Scheduling times to meet up has proven to be difficult because they are all balancing the band, school, sports and other extracurriculars. However, despite this, the band is able to practice and even perform from time to time. According to Dellinger and Browne, Awkward Silence has performed at Liquid Gravity once, the food bank on World Hunger Day and the San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market twice. Living the dream, the band revels in each performance. All the time spent practicing and working on their music comes to fruition when they are able to perform in front of a crowd.
MUSTANG NEWS
At one point or another, everyone dreams of becoming a rock star. The excitement of being on stage, having adoring fans and making music is all part of the appeal of being a musician. For most, this fantasy will remain just that: a fantasy. However, for six fourteen-year-old boys, this dream is a reality. Local band Awkward Silence consists of bassist Nico Aebischer, guitarist Noah Soderin, pianist Wes Bisheff, singer Aidan Dellinger, drummer Nikita Browne and guitarist Owen Rippens. Like any good origin story, the band started as just a summer dream that with time became a reality. “Over the summer we spent a couple weeks learning songs and playing a little concert, and we just decided to stick together after that,” Bisheff said. The six members have long wanted to form a band and have been playing their instruments for even longer. Bisheff has played the piano for nine years, Aebischer has played the bass for two, Browne has been drumming for nine, Soderin has played the guitar for three, Rippens has played guitar for about two and Dellinger has sung for six. “[Forming the band] has been a running idea for a long time,” Rippens said. “We got the idea in elementary school, and it was going to a band camp that really made it happen.” Once their talents were recognized
and blended together for the band, the next step was choosing a name. “We chose [Awkward Silence] as a backup in case we were really bad, that way we can say ‘haha awkward silence from the crowd’ when they do not clap or if there is an awkward moment,” Aebischer said. “Plus we are all teenagers and kind of awkward, so it is a perfect name and fits us well.”
FENN BRUNS | MUSTANG NEWS Awkward Silence performs at the San Luis Obispo downtown Farmers’ Market on March 31.
16
ANTI-LGBTQ+
LEGISLATION
IS GRAPPLING TO SAVE THE NUCLEAR FAMILY BY OWEN LAVINE
OPINION
MUSTANG NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
Owen Lavine is a journalism sophomore and Mustang News opinion columnist. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News. Republican Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed a bill dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” into law on Feb. 24, which, according to the bill, prohibits “discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in grades kindergarten through third grade. This fascistic and traditionalist piece of legislation has been condemned by LGBTQ+ groups globally. Marie-Cristine Mahe, Vice President of Stonewall SLO, a queer democratic club, called the legislation “deplorable,” in an email to Mustang News. “It really resonated with me because I felt just the same [as I did] nearly 50 years ago and it’s so sad that young people are still going through the same thing,” Mahe said. Like most pieces of conservative legislation, this one only serves to stop a manufactured fear placed upon a scapegoat demographic who falls outside of the W.A.S.P., or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, hegemony. The War on Drugs was launched by reactionary conservatives who thought society was degenerating due to drug use, and thus sought to “ban drugs,” which has been an absolute failure on every metric. The anti-abortion movement has worked thick and thin to make abortion illegal, something they have unfortnately been successful at recently. People did not stop using drugs or having abortions despite them being criminalized, and likewise, people will not stop being queer because we make it illegal to talk about.
These movements in conservative media are rooted in two deeply fundamental post-civil rights era conservative fears: 1. Women leaving domestic duties and entering the professional workforce allows for children to go unsupervised and will lead them to discover potentially “harmful” pieces of media and think outside of the Christian hegemony in the nuclear family unit. 2. Integrating schools and allowing children to attend those schools will cause said children to develop empathy for oppressed groups. Candace Owens, a prominent
conservative pundit, levaraged those essential fears in her wildly contradictory speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) just a day after the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” went into law. Owens opens her speech by explaining that sometimes, when female bears give birth, male bears will attack the cubs so the females will go back into heat. She concludes this story by questioning the motives of schools and politicians decrying that they are “masking [children], injecting them [and] sexualizing them through the education system.” Owens harps on the conservative distrust of governmental institutions when handling children. This
is an ancient concept in conservative thought stemming from the Reagan era which is best understood through Reagan’s very own words: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Owens goes on to declare women entering the workforce as the start of the United States Government trying to “co-parent” with mothers and fathers. She spells it out herself in no uncertain terms, when women began leaving home to “be like a man,” is when our children were put at risk. They are at risk of learning about gay people, and at risk of learning that two children, one dog, a stepford
wife and a white picket fence may not be the recipe for a happy life. And, of course, they are at risk of developing empathy for the victims of white supremacist capitalism. These are the risks Owens believes exist for American children if mothers leave the home.
It really resonated with me because I felt just the same as I did nearly 50 years ago and it’s so sad that young people are still going through the same thing. MARIE-CRISTINE MAHE Stonewall SLO Vice President
If, as conservative, you want to keep the next generation of children from thinking that being gay is normal, then keeping that information sequestered is very important. A 2011 study found that institutional, familial and peer support was essential when coming out for many queer people. As such, conservatives have decided to attack schools’ ability to teach children to accept queer people. Queer people won’t disappear as a result of this law or conservative rhetoric, being queer in this country will only become more dubious and dangerous than it already is.
MEET GRACIE BABATOLA, CAL POLY’S ASI PRESIDENT-ELECT WHO CAMPAIGNED ON
17
“REBUILDING CONNECTIONS” BY COLE PRESSLER
When Gracie Babatola, the only sophomore Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) presidential candidate and the only one without ASI experience, heard her name called as the newly elected 2022-23 ASI president, she was shocked. “I genuinely was very surprised,” Babatola said. “I looked around to see if other people heard … It was surreal.” When Babatola was announced as the winner of the 2022-23 ASI presidential election on April 21 in the University Union Plaza, she jumped up, hugging her friends and laughing as dozens of supporters and fellow students applauded. Babatola amassed 1,193 initial votes out of the 2,901 ballots cast, according to an ASI news release. After an instant runoff process – an elimination voting method ensuring that the winning candidate receives at least 50% support – she finished with 1,863 votes. Babatola, who was endorsed by San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart before the election, campaigned on the platform of “rebuilding con-
nections” between the student body, student organizations and ASI. “This was not just a catchy statement or lifeless promise,” architecture senior Chloe Wardrick, Babatola’s campaign manager, said. “This platform was bolstered by Gracie’s complementary goals as well as her dedication to talk and share her campaign with many clubs and entities on campus.” Babatola canvassed the university and local businesses and restaurants, taking the time to have conversations with individual students. “People could see I was putting the time and effort into what I was doing,” Babatola said. “I wasn’t speaking out of some rehearsed talking point. I was speaking from what I truly believe I want to actually accomplish.” She also had individual conversations with students — such as talking with her cashier at Campus Market — which she said helped her relate more to the campus community. “Apart from just talking to large groups, it is even more important to have those one-on-one discussions with anyone I met,” Babatola said. Babatola has served on the board of the Black Student Union (BSU)
People could see I was putting the time and effort into what I was doing, I wasn’t speaking out of some rehearsed talking point. I was speaking from what I truly believe I want to actually accomplish. GRACIE BABATOLA ASI President GR ACIE BABATOL A | MUSTANG NEWS Political science sophomore Gracie Babatola was elected as the 2022-2023 ASI President.
excited to start rebuilding those connections.” The 2022-23 ASI Board of Directors was also announced on April 21. For full election results, visit the ASI website.
Scan for a video Q&A with Babatola. (ASI Press)
NEWS
and as students in general that I will definitely be able to utilize.” Now that the election results have been ratified by the current Board of Directors, Babatola will start searching for a chief of staff to help her put together the 2022-23 ASI Executive Cabinet. Babatola said she plans to keep students updated on meetings she attends and how she spends her day in order to provide more transparency to the campus community. “If people know what I am doing and how I’m spending my time, what I’m doing with my day, my peers are also able to keep me accountable,” Babatola said. She posted a video to her personal Instagram account on the afternoon of April 21, thanking her supporters for voting, asking her questions and listening to her. “I truly could not and would not have been able to have done it without your help,” Babatola said. “I’m so
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
She said she believes Babatola will help strengthen the role of the ASI president as a student advocate. “Gracie is a committed individual,” Wardrick said. “Students will finally be given the transparent, caring and thoughtful leadership that they deserve. A good population of Cal Poly’s community will know Gracie next year as she begins to ‘rebuild connections.’” Babatola was the only sophomore running for ASI President as an official candidate and the only one without previous ASI experience — something she highlighted in her campaign as what set her apart. However, she praised her competitors after the election and promised to work with them to create multi-faceted approaches to problems at Cal Poly. “I am one person and can’t understand the perspective of all students at once,” Babatola said. “Each of [my opponents] brings such a unique perspective and outlook on life, ASI
MUSTANG NEWS
SALUD CARBA JAL | T WIT TER ASI President-elect Gracie Babatola meeting congressman Salud Carbajal at an ASI event.
for the past two years along with Wardrick, who is the president of BSU. Wardrick said she is confident in Babatola’s ability to lead students. “Gracie’s student-first advocacy will be an effective way in which she will better relate to the student voice she is serving,” Wardrick said. “This is something that we have not seen in an ASI President in quite some time.”
18
A PASSION PROJECT: HEARST CASTLE REOPENS
WITH NEW STORIES TO TELL BY SIERRA PARR
restorations to the castle’s bell towers. Then, the rest of the world turned to virtual spaces for school and work, the museum too followed suit. Castle guides like Tracy Kosinski had to shift from giving in-person tours to meeting a growing demand for online programs. “The discovery of stories and the ability to talk about them with people from all over the world is definitely something special,” Kosinski said. “Even though we haven’t been seeing people in person we’re still doing our job of interpretation.” Through the State Parks Online resources for Teachers and Students program, the guide staff of Hearst Castle have been able to offer virtual tours and interactive videos to students across the country. As museum director, O’Brien saw the pandemic as an opportunity to share a deeper knowledge of Hearst Castle with its visitors. “We’re all different people now. We’ve done so much studying and research and learning more about the collection,” she said. “We did everything that we have always wanted to explore that you just don’t
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
On an early morning in San Simeon, Museum Director Cara O’Brien takes in the serenity of the Hearst Castle esplanade. Panoramic views of the Central Coast mingle with the scent of citrus trees and rose gardens and she feels as though she’s stepped into a dreamland. “It’s kind of like walking on clouds,” O’Brien said. “It’s beautiful up here.” For over two years the historical monument has been closed to the public due to the pandemic and severe rainstorms that damaged the access road to the castle in early 2021. Following the completion of important restorations to the road, Hearst Castle reopened on May 11. “Hearst Castle is a state treasure and we are thrilled to reopen this wonder to the public to enjoy in a safe and responsible manner,” California State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a press release. “We are confident that these once-in-alifetime repairs and improvements to the road facility will serve countless generations to come.” Once the eccentric home of newspaper magnate William Randolph
Hearst, the Hearst Castle estate consists of a 115-room main house plus guesthouses, pools and eight acres of cultivated gardens. Throughout the 1920s and 30s, the castle was host to many notable figures from Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin. The castle serves to showcase Hearst’s extensive fine art collection and has since become a world-renowned house museum. Though the monument may have been missing its usual groups of touring families and curious travelers, museum staff found plenty of projects, both inside and outside of the castle, to span the two year hiatus. Without having to work around a constant flow of visitors, restoration staff were able to breathe life into deteriorating fixtures that otherwise would have been difficult to restore. According to California State Parks Historian Amy Hart, these projects included: rehabilitating the teakwood cornice on the main house, which had become a favorite spot for woodpeckers, repairing the mosaic tile walkway near the Roman Pool, which had become worn down by heavy foot traffic, and beginning
HEARST CASTLE®, 2022 , ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | COURTSEY The main house exterior “Casa Grande” - this building is about 65,000 square feet with 38 bedrooms, 42 bath and 14 sitting rooms.
have time to talk about on the tours.” As staff took the time to look deeper into the architectural history of the monument, stories of underappreciated artistry arose. The “Unsung Heroes” project turned these stories into a collection of educational videos highlighting the castle’s most important craftspeople.
MUSTANG NEWS
Hearst Castle is a state treasure and we are thrilled to reopen this wonder to the public to enjoy in a safe and responsible manner. ARMANDO QUINTERO
NEWS
California State Parks Director
HEARST CASTLE®, 2022 , ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | COURTSEY The Indoor Roman Pool at Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California can be viewed on any of the Castle tours.
“We really dug into the stories of who did the gardening,” O’Brien said. “Who did those paintings, you know, who did the ironwork?” At the center of these craftspeople was visionary architect and longtime collaborator of Hearst, Julia
Morgan. Morgan’s tireless dedication to Hearst’s dream and her gift for design are highlighted in a brandnew tour focusing on her life and career. “She was definitely one of those brains that could hold a ton of information and not just take it in and envision it, but make it a reality,” O’Brien said. “Even if someone gave you a limited amount of stuff and said ‘design one room in the Spanish style using these pieces’ — that would be hard. But they designed this huge space into something phenomenal and eclectic that somehow blends.” Even being at the Castle every day, O’Brien notices unfamiliar intricacies. She credits Morgan’s incredible attention to detail as part of what keeps visitors returning to the museum. “You could do the same tour every single time and hear different stories and see different things,” she said. “There’s just so many little details you couldn’t possibly see it all.” While the story of Hearst Castle is one of wealth and status, O’Brien’s primary goal is finding the personal connections between the museum and its modern day visitors. “We want to live it,” she said. “We want to feel it, we want to be a part of it and that’s what the draw is.”
YOUR SUMMER. YOUR SCHEDULE. YOUR SUCCESS.
600+ CLASSES
$250 PER-UNIT
FOUR SESSIONS
Benefits of taking summer classes include: • Significant per-unit savings. • Cal Poly faculty-taught courses. • Classes offered in person and virtually. • Avoid course credit transfer hassles.
Save on in-state undergraduate fees. Financial aid resources are available for eligible students.
First five-week session June 20 - July 22 Second five-week session July 25 - August 26 Eight-week session June 20 - August 12 Ten-week session June 20 - August 26
If you are not a resident of California, you must add $264 per enrolled unit of Non-Resident Tuition to the total amount above.
summer.calpoly.edu
IMPORTANT
2022
ABOUT DIABLO CANYON POWER PLANT
l l a g n calli Welcome to Cal Poly. We are glad you have chosen to make San Luis Obispo your home. Located within the county is Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP), a nuclear power plant that generates approximately 10% of California’s electricity. If a serious emergency were to occur that would require you to take action, the County would sound the Early Warning System sirens. The sirens are an indication to tune to a local radio or television station for emergency information and instructions. When at sea, tune to Marine Channel 16. The siren system is tested regularly throughout the year and may be used for any local emergency. Additional emergency planning information regarding DCPP is in the current Emergency Planning calendar, and at www.ReadySLO.org
www.ReadySLO.org
Is your student graduating? Celebrate their success by purchasing a Grad Ad with Mustang News. Scan the QR code for details!
L POLY BASEBALL CAL PO 6:00 PM
PEPPERDINE TUESDAY, MAY 10
UC DAVIS MAY 20-22
BAGGETT STADIUM