C A L P O LY S A N LU I S O B I S P O ’ S N E W S S O U R C E
MUSTANG NEWS
LOSS, LOVE & LIGHT THE CAL POLY COMMUNITY HOSTS 3 CANDLELIGHT VIGILS IN 8 DAYS
PAGE 6 NOVEMBER 6, 2018
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Social Media Managing Editor
Video Managing Editor
PR Manager
SLO AIRPORT WORKING TO ADD FLIGHT DESTINATIONS
P H OTO Zachary Donnenfield Carolyne Sysmans Kylie Kowalske Alison Chavez Diego Rivera Connor Frost Maxwell Morais Intern Luke Deal Intern COPY Kelly Martinez Amanda Simonich Jarod Urrutia
KY L I E KO WA LSK E | M USTA N G N EWS
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport passengers have increased 20 percent since last year.
D ES I GN Calista Lam Director Michelle Cao Solena Aguilar Julia Jackson-Clark D I V ERS I TY Monique Ejenuko Editor Sonya Jindal PR Alyssa Wilson Dominique Morales Kaitlyn Hoyer Mikaela Lincoln Tess Loarie Intern Christina Arthur Intern SOCIAL Lindsay Morris Hanna Crowley Danielle Lee Candace Lee Intern A DV I S O RS Paul Bittick General Manager Pat Howe Print Advisor Brady Teufel Digital Advisor
REPORTED SEXUAL ASSAULTS PAGE 4
NEW FLIGHTS COMING SOON
BY SA MA NTH A SP ITZ The San Luis Obispo County Airport is working to expand their list of flight destinations. Direct flights to Dallas, San Diego and Portland, Oregon could be a possibility as soon as early next year. The airport was recently ranked the fifthfastest growing airport in the United States by the Airports Council International. According to deputy director of San Luis Obispo County airport Craig Piper, they are trying to add these three destinations because of community feedback and statistics showing flight destinations of people flying from the San Luis Obispo airport. “I usually fly out of SLO, have a layover in San Francisco and then get on a flight to Portland,” sociology sophomore Abby Cogen said. “Having a direct flight to Portland would save me a lot of time, so I hope it is
CAMPUS DINING MEAL PLANS PAGE 5
something they can do in the future.” In addition the airport is looking to add five more flight destinations, including Houston, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Chicago and Las Vegas in the future. “We put our best foot forward, but ultimately it comes down to whether or not the airline wants to support that flight destination,” Piper said. The airport is seeing a massive increase in passengers. For the San Luis Obispo County Airport, the number is already up 20.6 percent from last year, according to Piper. Additional service to San Francisco, Seattle and Denver continues to bring more people to the local airport. According to Piper, the airlines increased the aircraft capacity from 38 passengers to 50-76 passengers. With the airport’s new $39.5 million terminal opening last November, airport traffic continues to grow.
CAL POLY DRAG CLUB PAGE 8
NIGHTLIFE SAVINGS PAGE 9
With only 15.7 percent of Cal Poly’s total student population being from outof-state, these new flight destinations may not make a difference for all students. “I’ve never flown out of SLO because it is way too expensive,” computer science sophomore Camden Stocker said. “I usually go down to Los Angeles or up to San Francisco to fly home to Denver. There was one time my driver bailed on me so it’s not easy getting to other airports, but it’s worth it just for the cheaper tickets.” These new flight destinations are not confirmed, but the San Luis Obispo County Airport is currently collaborating with different airlines to try and increase flight options for the community. “Our hope is that these new flight destinations increase competition and causes flights to be more affordable. It provides greater choices for the community,” Piper said.
CROSS COUNTRY SUCCESS PAGE 15
LENDING A HELPING HAND
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BY ALLI E R OLPHS De Oro Devices, a Cal Poly student-run company, has raised $150,000 since participating in the 2018 SLO HotHouse Accelerator Program to get their medical device on the market by 2020. The device, called Gaitway, helps Parkinson’s disease patients with a common symptom called freezing of gait. Freezing of gait causes patients to feel like they cannot walk
S I D N E Y CO LLI N | CO URTE SY
De Oro Devices CEO Sidney Collin invented Gaitway as a project for the Quality of Life Plus club.
or move due to a lack of connection between the body and the brain, according to Parkinson’s Foundation. De Oro Devices Chief Executive Officer Sidney Collin, a biomedical engineering senior, began working on Gaitway as a project for the Cal Poly Quality of Life Plus club. The goal was to help a local veteran with Parkinson’s disease find a solution for freezing of gait. “The reason that it turned into a company was because I realized there were so many more people that needed this device,” Collin said. Collin and the De Oro team — business administration senior Adam Schwartz and co-founder William Thompson — worked to find a way to reestablish the connection between the body and brain, allowing patients to walk again. “We took the most effective audio and visual cues, and combined [them] into one single device that can attach onto any cane or a walker,” Collin said. De Oro Devices was chosen by Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) as one of eight startup companies to participate in the HotHouse Accelerator Program that took place over summer. Each company received $10,000 in funding, access to mentors and office space at the Hot-
S I DN EY COLLI N | COU RT ESY
Collin tests out Gaitway with a Parkinson’s disease patient. House located in downtown San Luis Obispo. De Oro Devices received funding from four investors on Demo Day, the final day of the Accelerator program. The company continues to fundraise and develop its product. Its next step is sending the prototype to local patients for feedback.
Gaitway is the first device in a line of products to help improve quality of life. “There are so many people who are having their independence taken away from them because they don’t have a way to be able to walk by themselves,” Collin said. “I just realized no one else is going to do this, so I will.”
TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | NEWS | MUSTANG NEWS
STUDENT COMPANY MAKES DEVICE TO IMPROVE LIVES OF PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE
UPD AND SAFER ANNUAL REPORTS ORGANIZATIONS SEE DIFFERENT RATES OF REPORTED SEXUAL CRIMES
BY ISABELLA PAOLETTO
Trigger warning: rape, sexual assault. The latest Annual Security Report showed the number of reported sexual assaults is increasing at many California State Universities (CSUs). Total reports to the University Police Department (UPD) of sexual assault, which includes rape, incest, fondling and statutory rape, increased by more than 50 percent from 2015 to 2017 at Cal Poly. In the three years prior to the 2016-2017 school year, Safer saw a 45 percent increase in students, faculty and staff utilizing the Safer Crisis and Advocacy services, according to the 2016-2017 annual report. In the 2017-2018 report, Safer said there was an increase in reports of stalking and suspected drug facilitated sexual assaults. 77 sexual assault survivors from 2016 to 2017 and 76 sexual assault survivors from 2017 to 2018 sought Safer’s resources. The upward trend in reports to UPD could be attributed to an increase in educational efforts on sexual assault and reporting, Uni-
Sexual assault reports to University Police Number of Sexual Assault Reports
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versity Spokesperson Matt Lazier wrote in an email to Mustang News. Although both Safer and the Annual Security Report have noted an increase in these statistics over the years, this does not necessarily reflect an overlap, Safer Coordinator Kara Samaniego said. “It’s comparing apples and oranges,” Samaniego said. “Just because someone goes to UPD doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re working with Safer and just because they’re working with Safer doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re reporting to law enforcement, so it’s really comparing very different things.” The numbers reflected in the Annual Security Report only represented a piece of the whole picture. In order for a sexual assault to be counted in the Annual Security Report, it must
occur either on university-owned property or within a certain distance from campus. This means that even if an assault were to involve a Cal Poly student, if it does not fall within these geographic areas, it would not be counted in the Annual Security Report. Another factor is a lack of reporting of sexual assault. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), only 20 percent of female student victims report to law enforcement. There are many reasons why survivors choose not to report their assaults, whether it be fear of retaliation, further violence, not being believed or viewing it as something personal, according to Lazier. College sexual assault and its handling legally national attention with the 2015 high-profile case of Stanford University student Brock Turner, who in 2015 received a
“Sexual assault and all forms of sexual misconduct are unwelcome on Cal Poly’s campus,” Lazier wrote. “The university takes all reports of such misconduct very seriously and responds appropriately to each.” Victims of sexual assault or violence on campus considering coming forward can partner with a campus advocate at Safer to look at reporting options and create a confidential plan directly with another survivor that is best tailored to their needs, Lazier wrote. A confidential Safer advocate is available by making an appointment during regular business hours or 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays. The Respect, Inspire, Support, Empower (RISE) Crisis line is also available 24/7 to provide confidential support and referrals for victims of sexual assault and partner violence.
SAFER
Sexual assault survivors that sought Safer’s resources
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six-month sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, of which he only served three months due to overcrowding. Sexual assault can be a difficult crime to prosecute due to a number of factors, including lack of evidence. Out of every 1,000 instances of rape, only 13 get referred to a prosecutor and only seven of those result in a felony conviction, according to RAINN. Cal Poly has implemented proactive measures to try and educate the community and prevent sexual assault, according to Lazier. Some of these efforts include CSU Executive Order 1095, which requires all students to complete training on sexual health, violence, drugs and alcohol, as well as mandatory programming and presentations during Week of Welcome (WOW). Advocacy and prevention work at Cal Poly has mainly focused on empowering survivors of sexual assault about their options through a state-certified sexual assault and domestic violence advocate, per Lazier.
If you need help or someone you know needs help, here are confidential resources: CAL POLY COUNSELING CENTER: 805-756-1211 building 27, room 135 RISE: 24 hour crisis line 855-886-7473 51 Zaca Ln. #100 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (off-campus) SAFER: 805-756-2282 Julian A. McPhee University Union, building 65, room 217 CRISIS ADVOCACY SERVICES: Health Center, building 27, room 184
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STUDENTS RESPOND TO NEW MEAL PLANS BY TAY LOR BARNET T
Abigail Albin’s favorite on-campus meal is the açai bowl from the 805 Cafe. However, açai bowls can only be purchased with the declining balance from her Mustang 150 plan. After checking the declining balance left on her plan, the agricultural science freshman discovered she could only buy one açai bowl a week, or she would run out of the declining balance. Unable to enjoy her favorite campus meal, Albin has decided to switch out of her dining plan. “I’m switching to All-Flex winter quarter,” Albin said. The Mustang All-Flex plan consists of more than $1,500 in declining balance funds, unlike the other two dining plan options, which incorporate both meal credits and declining balance funds. “My friends that aren’t already on All-Flex are switching to All-Flex,” Albin said. Campus Dining started offering three new dining plan options for incoming freshmen and continuing and transfer students for the 2018-19 school year. The plans were created based on student feedback to provide greater options and freedom for students, according to a Campus Dining news release. The Mustang 150 and 180 meal plans offer mostly meal credits and a supplement declining balance fund, whereas the Mustang All-Flex plan is entirely a declining balance fund. “Instead of just one declining balance plan, they had three significantly different options,” Communications Specialist for Cal Poly Corporation Aaron Lambert wrote in an email to Mustang News. “And of the three different options, two were less expensive than the prior year. This gave students the freedom to purchase the dining plan that best fit[s] their lifestyle and budget.” Student reactions have been mixed, however. Economics freshman Tinna Einarsdottir, who has the Mustang 180 plan, said she often feels compelled to solely use the meal credits because of a lack of declining balance. “I feel guilty every time I buy something without using my meal credits,” Einarsdottir said. However business administration freshman
Melissa Melton, who has the Mustang 150 plan, acknowledges the value and plans to work with the parameters of meal credits for the rest of the year. “The 150 [plan] provides me with a sufficient amount of meals and the declining balance provides the flexibility,” Melton said. Materials engineering freshman Dylan Orsolini is thinking about switching his dining plan, but said the cost of the Mustang All-Flex plan is a deciding factor. Switching from the Mustang 150 plan to the All-Flex plan would increase his dining payment by $552 for the year. “I’m not really going to the meal credit places as often as I’m going to the cash-only places,” Orsolini said. Students expressed frustration toward meals offered for meal credit as part of their dining plan. Several locations on campus offer two to three items as part of a “meal credit.” For example, at Chick-Fil-A, a meal constitutes a chicken sandwich, fries and a drink. However, students have told of different experiences with Campus Dining workers being strict or lenient with the meal credits. Poly Deli offers a meal which includes half a sandwich, two sides and a beverage. Albin asked the Campus Dining worker if she could redeem two meal credits and receive one full sandwich. The worker said yes; however she would have to take four sides and two drinks. Albin’s experiences with the meal credit have all been consistent, requiring her to take all items listed to complete the meal. Melton, however, said she has never been asked by a Campus Dining worker to add a beverage to her meal item in order to complete the meal. “There have been times where I’ve chosen not to get a drink, but I have heard of times where other people were told they need to complete their meal,” Melton said. Campus Dining reported that students are only required to have one item from a meal for that to count as a meal credit. “Students can use a meal credit to simply buy one of the items in a given meal combination. If they only want the nuggets and not the fries and drink, they can use a meal credit to buy only the nuggets,” Lambert wrote.
Campus Dining has acknowledged this as a “sticking point” for their workers and has increased training, according to Lambert. Students who switch their plan during the Nov. 1 to Dec. 6 window will have their new dining plan at the beginning of Winter 2019. If a student chooses to upgrade their plan, the new cost will be reflected during winter and spring quarters, according to Campus Dining. Similarly, if a student opts for a less expensive meal plan, their payment will be lowered or if they paid for the year in full, they will be refunded the difference. Campus Dining created a Dining Plan Budget Buddy to give students an idea of a target number of meal credits and declining balance funds for that particular point in the quarter. If a student has extra meal credits at the end of the quarter, they can donate as many as 10 meals to the Meal Share program, according to Campus Dining.
DINING PLAN
BREAKDOWN 1,733 1,459 1,238
MUSTANG
180 Plan
$175
MUSTANG
MUSTANG
150 Plan
All-Flex Plan
Declining Balance
Declining Balance
$283
$1,527
180
150
$5,537
Meal Credits
Meal Credits
$5,161
$4,985
Per Year
Declining Balance
Per Year
Per Year
SOL EN A AGU ILAR | MUSTA N G N EWS
C A RO LY N E SYSM A N S | M USTA N G N EWS
DOWNTOWN PARKING WILL CHARGE 24/7 BY C A M ILA G O N Z AL E S
New “pay on foot” machines have been added to San Luis Obispo’s three downtown parking structures. The system will now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making it no longer free for customers leaving after parking attendants have left for the evening. Parking booths will continue to be staffed by attendants who will accept cash or credit, but hours will vary by structure. If the booth is empty, parkers can pay by credit card at the exit or prior to leaving at one of the new “pay on foot” machines. Street parking meter rates will continue to be free after 6 p.m. “The new system will shorten the time to enter and exit each structure, provide additional payment options and will allow the city to dynamically link the parking availability by location to the city website and eventually to a mobile platform,” according to a City of San Luis Obispo press release. The system is now in effect at the Marsh Street structure. The two structures on Palm Street will follow in the coming days. Two new payment machines will be located at each of the three structures downtown, where users can pay for parking by cash or credit card before returning to their car and then inserting the validated ticket to exit. “It could be a learning curve for people initially, but once people get used to the system, they will know that it’s going to get them in and out a lot faster,” San Luis Obispo parking manager Scott Lee said. According to Lee, the reason for this change was because the old system had been in place for 15 years and the new system will allow them to capture occupancy data in order to make the system more efficient. Lee said they are looking into ways for customers to check how full the parking garages are with the system.
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Master’s student Megan Drap said she was “thrusted” into drag by the welcoming community in San Luis Obispo.
GHOULS MEET GLAMOUR CAL POLY DRAG CLUB’S MONSTER PROM BY C LAU DIA F E R R E R Dollar bills flew as a costume-clad crowd cheered on the Cal Poly Drag Club at their Monster Prom on Friday, Oct. 26. Held in Chumash Auditorium, the show found a balance between spooky and glamorous. The gender-bending club’s goal is to showcase performances that make the audience rethink their outlook on gender. Flash photography was encouraged by performers and tips were enthusiastically offered by the audience. In true drag fashion, the audience followed the talent around to various stage platforms along the auditorium floor, creating an interactive performance environment.
stage, said about his change of heart. Chapman chose Miss Anya Cox because of his preference for comical twists on stage names. Queens with similar humor who came before him were his inspiration in choosing this identity, he said. “A mixed bag” is how he described his experience with the San Luis Obispo community regarding drag. He said, however, the occasional awkward Uber ride is worth the feeling he gets when he performs. “I tap out of my body and it’s this person who isn’t me … it’s surreal,” Chapman said. “Magic is sleight of hand, drag is sleight of entire body.” While performing in drag is a source of fun for Chapman, he recognizes that the significance goes much further. “Gender is such a source of pain for different people for different reasons, so to get the chance to flip it on its head, it’s so fun,” Chapman said.
first-ever drag club at Cal Poly. “The best part of drag for me is that you can take people out of their reality for just a moment,” Collins said. “It is a moment to celebrate queerness and live in a fantasy world for a second.” The club facilitated a moment of silence to stand in solidarity of transgender and nonbinary people whose rights are at risk form the U.S. Department of Health’s proposal to change the definition of gender. In a call for help, they encouraged people to get to the polls to vote for those who value human rights.
Lotta Problems
Megan Drap is a Cal Poly master’s student in the education department who also got her undergraduate from Cal Poly in marine sciences. Drap is a biological queen — a cisgender woman who performs as a feminine-presenting drag queen. “My inspiration is from an older drag queen
Divine, who they based Ursula [from Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’] after,” Drap said. “Because I am a biological woman, I didn’t want to go for soft and feminine. I wanted to do something that I don’t get to usually experience.” The duality of drag does not always have to be from performing as a different gender. For Drap, it allows her to live out a professional life and a stage life. “I work with kids, I am an educator, I have to watch what I say and have a professionalism about me, but when I do drag, I can say whatever I want and it’s celebrated,” Drap said. The Cal Poly Drag Club, which has been growing steadily since its start in 2015, is a community of people with a shared passion for their art. Gathering for “paint nights” where they practice makeup on each other, they build each other up and provide a place for experimentation. Each queen interviewed touched on the welcoming environment the club gave them upon joining. For the queens, it is often their safe place to be themselves and be celebrated for it. “I like the sense of community,” Drap said. “We are all friends building each other up together to make the show really great.”
Regina Flores
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Miss Anya Cox
For art and design senior Riley Chapman, starting to perform in drag was not an easy decision. He feared the reaction from his friends and peers, but ultimately, he overcame his fears and joined the Cal Poly Drag Club. “Just do what you want, it’s your body,” Chapman, who goes by Miss Anya Cox on-
President of the Cal Poly Drag Club and biological sciences senior Jordan Collins describes themself as “not genderless, but genderful,” an outlook that aids them in the creation of an all-accepting environment. Their stage name, Regina Flores, comes from their major, of all things. “Regina” being Latin for “queen,” and “Flores” Spanish for “flower,” together makes them the queen of flowers. Collins began exploring their drag identity playing around with makeup as a freshman in the Cerro Vista Apartments. From there, with help from friends, they spearheaded the
CON N OR F R OST | MUSTA N G N EWS
Miss Nova Caine danced in Chumash as dollar bills filled the air.
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SUBSESSIONS STRIKES AGAIN
STUDENT GROUP THROWS 14-HOUR MUSIC FESTIVAL BY CA IT LIN SCOTT SubSessions turned trash from the dumps of San Luis Obispo into a stage — one of four stages blasting music for 14 hours — at their second music festival, NightLife Savings. During the first week of school, the collective of SubSessions had nothing prepared for their upcoming music and arts festival other than a permit. They were tired, low on money and unsure if they could pull it off. But after two months of sleepless nights and rigorous planning, the Cal Poly students and alumni brought together a community of music and art lovers to celebrate at Nightlife Savings. On Saturday, Nov. 3, SubSessions held their second music and arts festival at Biddle Regional Park in Arroyo Grande. The festival featured art, yoga, seminars and 14 hours of music across three different stages. Business administration senior Wes Berger is one of five founders of SubSessions. Last spring, he took time off school to help plan
their first festival, Life’s a Peach. He returned to school this quarter with a new perspective on what it takes to run a business. “I’ve never learned more in my life,” Berger said about his time off. “I think it’s what helped us make this festival so special.” SubSessions acts as a platform for artists and musicians to showcase their work. Typically, it is difficult for small artists to get booked at traditional music venues in San Luis Obispo. Subsessions provides a stage, a sound system and the opportunity for local artists to have their music heard in a unique way. “We want to be a place for people on the Central Coast to go to for local music,” Berger said. “The goal is not to make money, but [to] continue to act as a platform for local artists to grow.” Music was featured across three stages: The Clocktower, The Landfill, and The Hex. Each stage played different genres of music, making the festival inclusive to an array of sounds. San Luis Obispo artists Theoem, Trey Young, and
ZACH DONNENFIEL D | MUSTANG NEW S
.paperman were all featured on the lineup, as well as musicians from Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. A fourth stage — The Lyceum — acted as an educational space where students and speakers gave seminars on topics ranging from ecofeminism, activism and even a special tea tasting. One stage was composed almost entirely of trash and recycled materials found from the back alleys and dumps of San Luis Obispo — The Landfill. Communication studies and modern languages and literatures senior Dominic Chequer is the mastermind behind the eco-friendly stage. “I found these in the trash behind the engineering building,” Chequer said as he pointed to a towering stack of old recycling bins stamped with the Cal Poly logo. “Why would you throw away recycle bins? Is it because they’re not blue enough anymore?” The Landfill was intended to be a call for environmental awareness. “Our main focus is upcycling,” Chequer said. “Building all these brand new stages and using new equipment is just more consumption.” The festival featured paintings and sculptures
created by Cal Poly students, as well as a wall for art from the Black Student Union. “We wanted to make sure their voices are heard and that they are represented here,” Chequer said. As the sun began to set, the music was cut off for a special ceremony. Everyone gathered at The Landfill as Berger thanked everyone from the vendors and volunteers to all the attendees. After the thank-yous, the Cal Poly Ecstatic Dance and Mindfulness Club that kicked off the rest of the night of music. Their permit only allowed music until 2 a.m. But thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time, when the clock struck two, attendees were thrown in a time warp as the clock reset — granting them another full hour of music. Material engineering junior Matt Nalty had never heard of SubSessions prior to the event but was invited to attend as part of the Cal Poly Zero-Waste club. “I had no idea what to expect but it’s amazing the community of people they have brought together,” Nalty said. “There’s only positive energy here and I think we really need that right now.”
Deal of the Week
TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | ARTS | MUSTANG NEWS
Z AC H DON N EN F I ELD | MUSTA N G N EWS
The Landfill stage was made out of entirely salvaged material from dumps.
TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | NEWS | MUSTANG NEWS
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8 DAYS, 3 CANDLELIGHT VIGILS
THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER FOLLOWING RECENT TRAGEDIES BY MAUREEN McNAMARA, SABRINA PASCUA, PRIYA SODLAPUR AND CASSANDRA GARIBAY Recent tragedies around the nation have resonated with Cal Poly students and staff. In the course of eight days, three candlelight vigils were held in the community — a vigil for victims of domestic abuse, a vigil for people killed in the synagogue shooting and a vigil for the victims of the Kroger supermarket shooting. The vigils were hosted by Safer, three on-campus Jewish organizations and the Black Student Union (BSU), respectively. Although the three vigils were held separately and focused on different community groups, each provided a space for the Cal Poly community to remember the lives lost and come together as one. “It was really important to have [a] candlelight vigil just to have the space where everyone could come together and see that we had a community there to support them,” microbiology senior and Chabad at Cal Poly President Rachel Cohen said at the Synagogue shooting candlelight vigil.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VIGIL
The first of the three vigils was held on Oct. 25, nearing the end of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Safer, Cal Poly’s confidential sexual assault and domestic violence resource, partnered with Rise. Inspire. Support. Empower. (RISE) — a non-profit organization aimed at providing resources to victims of domestic violence — and Stand Strong, the San Luis Obispo women’s shelter for victims of domestic assault or violence. They hosted an annual vigil honoring the lives of those who died as a result of domestic violence. San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon spoke at the beginning of the event, followed by the testimonies from several domestic violence survivors. “Help is available and we are here to provide it,” Harmon said. “We all have a role in ending this violence [and] a more peaceful community is possible if we work together.” The vigil was one of hundreds across the country in October dedicated to both survivors and those who lost their lives to intimate partner violence. Harmon touched upon the increasing importance of supporting victims of this violence in our country’s current social climate. “It seems like we are living in a time where patriarchy is really at its worst,” Harmon said. “We are feeling the effects of this everyday and violence is a direct outcome of the patriarchal
structure that this country is really born from.” Following Harmon’s introduction, speakers from RISE, Safer and Stand Strong spoke briefly about the startling extent of the issue of intimate partner violence nationwide and the group efforts that will be required to raise awareness to and ultimately bring about an end to the issue. The vigil ended in a candlelit scene, reading off names of people who died from domestic violence.
“WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN ENDING THIS VIOLENCE, [AND] A MORE PEACEFUL COMMUNITY IS POSSIBLE IF WE WORK TOGETHER.” SYNAGOGUE VIGIL
On Sunday, Oct. 28, students and community members gathered in the University Union (UU) Plaza to honor those killed and injured in the shooting that took place at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh the day prior. The shooting has been named the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States. The vigil was hosted by Mustangs United for Israel, San Luis Obispo Hillel and Chabad at Cal Poly. Although the vigil was hosted by Jewish organizations, students and community members from all backgrounds attended. San Luis Obispo Hillel Director Jake Kaufman said the vigil gave the entire community an opportunity to come together. “I see the vigil as for the greater community, not just the Jewish students and the Jewish community members, and I think we saw that,” Kaufman said. “This is an opportunity for us to really come together as a Cal Poly community — all races, all faiths — and get to know each other better.” Cohen said the vigil was important because it showed the presence of the Jewish community and the support they can give to students. “As a group of students and as a campus, we want to remember the lives of everyone that we lost and that we don’t stand for any sort of hate or violence on our campus,” Cohen said. Environmental management and protection senior and San Luis Obispo Hillel President Davina Shoumer said she hoped participants left the vigil feeling more supported and more knowledgeable. “I think it’s important just to be knowledgeable and to be aware that things
like this still happen,” Shoumer said. “It’s not something in the past anymore, we should all strive to educate ourselves and be more aware.” Kaufman said he hopes all students will see this as a call to support each other, even though the shooting happened elsewhere. “Something terrible happens and you simply say, ‘Well, that wasn’t me, that happened in Pittsburgh,’ and you move on, then we’ve lost a great opportunity to better the world,” Kaufman said. “Whether it’s a vigil for Jewish students, an attack on Jewish students or any other marginalized group, our job as a community is to support each other.” Since the vigil, Kaufman said he has had the opportunity to meet with several administrators. He said he feels proud to be a part of this community. For students who are still healing, Cohen and Shoumer both said they hope students will reach out to the Jewish organizations in the community. “I just want students to know, especially students in the Jewish community, that we’re here for them,” Cohen said. “We are still here, we’re still strong and we support everyone,” Shoumer said. “The community always has your back.”
people,” Odusanya said during her speech. “Think about why that is, think about the history of how Black people are treated in the U.S. over time.” Odusanya said lack of media coverage of the shooting exemplified the state of the nation. “The media coverage of [the shooting] has been really ‘lax, which is concerning and problematic and worrisome that it
KROGER VIGIL
A few days later, on Thursday, Nov. 1, Cal Poly BSU held a vigil for Vickie Lee Jones and Maurice E. Stallard — victims of the Kroger shooting in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. Fifty-one-year-old Gregory Bush walked into a supermarket on Wednesday, Oct. 24 and shot and killed Vickie Lee Jones and Maur ice E. Stallard. According to The New York Times, the gunman entered the supermarket in Louisville, Kentucky after unsuccessfully attempting to enter the First Baptist Church Jeffersontown, a predominantly-Black church. Between 40 and 50 people gathered around a display of Jones’ and Stallard’s photographs surrounded by dozens of flowers and candles on the steps of the University Union Plaza. The vigil lasted 30 minutes and four students gave speeches, including BSU Vice President and mechanical engineering senior MartinaOdusanya. “Since 2017, hate crimes have increased by 12.5 percent and of those thousands of hate crimes, 50 percent are targeted towards Black
just shows how much people are unwilling to take notice or willing to care about Black lives being lost,” Odusanya said in her speach. “That in itself is very telling of what this country represents with the people who are refusing to talk about it.” Speaker and comparative ethnic studies junior Leilani Hemmings gave a call to action for everyone to engage in radical love and continue to fight, and to remember that “our lives matter, Black Lives Matter.” “In our fight to liberate ourselves from the state of social, emotional, mental, physical and spiritual violence, we must engage in radical love with each other,” Hemmings said in her speech. The vigil ended with a moment of silence and a call to remember the victims’ names. “Sometimes it feels like hate wins and it
9 TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | NEWS | MUSTANG NEWS
can be a really isolating feeling and I feel like sometimes being around other people can be really helpful in times like this,” materials engineering freshman Clarissa Drouillard said. “Especially when it’s so important for us to just stick together. Change requires everyone.”
KY L I E KO WA LSK E | M USTA N G N EWS
Students gathered on Oct. 25 to remember those who lost their lives to domestic violence.
DRUM ROLL PLEASE You voted and we listened. Student Choice will soon be featuring your top picks: Thai, Greek and Korean. These three cuisines will rotate every three weeks for the rest of the quarter.
SPECIAL HOURS Veterans Day is coming up on Sunday, Nov. 11. Campus Dining will have special hours for the threeday weekend. Find them on our website!
#CHOOSEWELL Keep it lean! Choose lean or low-fat meat and poultry when possible! When eating chicken, remove the skin to reduce your fat intake.
SAVE THE DATES! Mark your schedules! Campus Dining is hosting multiple events this week, including Chef’s Table, Cooking in the Canyon, and free superfood tasting at Red Radish! Find details on our Facebook events page.
GET THE DISH DELIVERED HOT TO YOUR INBOX WEEKLY. SUBSCRIBE AT CALPOLYDINING.COM/ THEDISH
11
CON N OR F R OST | MUSTA N G N EWS
The 20-year old campus club holds scuba certification courses and ocean clean-ups.
BY CLAU DIA F ER R ER The Central Pacific Scuba Club, despite being deemed “too risky” to be a official club on campus, continues to create a community for Cal Poly and Central Coast divers to come together and safely enjoy Pacific Ocean wonders. Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) offers scuba certification courses through the Recreation Center. Offered quarterly, these courses are open to all students with a passion for the underwater sport. The course includes classroom sessions, diving practice in the Recreation Center pool and 20 hours of ocean diving time. Once certified, students can join a wide community of Central Coast divers who explore the local beaches. Although the club was first founded for just Cal Poly students, it is now open to all divers in San Luis Obispo, creating a community of people with a shared interest. The club was created on campus 20 years ago. In 2014, the Cal Poly Scuba Club stopped re-
ceiving ASI club funding after the Dean of Students Office decided to no longer recognize the club as a student organization. “Whenever there’s a group of students who go off campus to do anything, we have to look at what they’re doing and if it’s safe. Some activities have higher risks than others,” Chip Neuenschwander, Assistant Director of Student Clubs and Organizations, said. “Once it’s a club event from a recognized student organization, there’s all these extra parameters we have to consider.” While pulled funding may seem detrimental to the club’s livelihood, industrial technology and packing junior and Scuba Club president Harrison Whitaker saw it in a positive light. “Without ASI, we have more leeway with what we can do with club funds,” Whitaker said. What does this leeway look like? Diving trips to Catalina Island are just the start. Journalism junior and Scuba Club member Kendal McKinnon said she also enjoys the freedom that comes with being disaffiliated.
“We rent two houses and we go down there and just dive all day,” McKinnon said. “The water here is sucky… it’s cold, and you’re lucky if you get five to 10 feet [of] visibility. In Catalina, we get 60 feet. It’s amazing.” Part of what makes scuba diving dangerous on the Central Coast is this short visibility. McKinnon described a time where, while diving in pairs, a girl came up having lost her partner. Unable to look further than five feet ahead, the two were separated. Luckily, the other partner found a group to tag along with until returning to the surface. Despite the dangers of scuba diving, neither Whitaker nor McKinnon ever doubted getting certified. “Life under water — it’s a whole other world,” Mckinnon said. It is what keeps them going and motivated to keep this club and community alive, they said. The club continues to host meetings every other Monday at 7 p.m. in Robert E. Kennedy Library.
As president of the club, Whitaker aims to bring a social life to the members of the Central Pacific Diving Club. Other than a love for diving, most club members are connected by a love for the ocean and a passion to preserve it. That is why the club hosts clean up dives to aid in restoring the beaches from pollution. “We got at least five or six tires, a safe, tons of glass bottles, plastic” McKinnon said about their last clean up at Avila pier. “The local aquarium scrapped off anything living and returned it to the water.” On Saturday, Oct. 27th, the central coast scuba community gathered for a festive underwater pumpkin hunt and carving competition in Morro Bay, hosted by SLO Ocean Currents. Divers submerged to hunt for pumpkins and carved them underwater to win prizes. This community, while quietly living life underwater, is ever growing and evolving to celebrate the Pacific.
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TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | STUDENT LIFE | MUSTANG NEWS
DIVING DEEP WITH SCUBA CLUB
PUZZLES Sudoku Fun by the Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!
Guess Who? I am a DJ born in Paris, France on November 7, 1967. I released my debut album in 2002. I have had a string ofhits and was voted the #1 DJ in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs fan poll in 2011. I’ve collaborated with a number of artists, including Sia, Nicki Minaj, Usher, and Rhianna.
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Word Scramble Rearrange the letters to spell something pertaining to aviation.
R M T A C A
CLUES ACROSS 1. Boat structure 5. Affirmatives 10. From end to end 14. Ancient Syrian city 15. Plant parts 16. Anatomical feature of worms 17. Invests in little enterprises 18. Cuts the skin off 19. Noted child psychiatrist 20. Satisfies 22. Take by sips 23. Matched 24. It changed the world 27. U.S. Founding Father Adams 30. Father 31. Swiss river 32. They hold music 35. Spoke 37. Used to write 38. Cold wind 39. More competent 40. Test for high schoolers 41. Mild analgesic 42. Indian industrial city 43. Fellas 44. Short-tailed martens 45. No seats available 46. Golf score 47. A way to sink 48. Type of investment account 49. Songs 52. Type of sword 55. __ King Cole, musician 56. Type of vaccine 60. Site of the Taj Mahal 61. Languished 63. Ethnic group in South China 64. Prevent from seeing 65. Word of farewell 66. Charity given to the
poor 67. Chops 68. Swiss capital 69. One point east of southeast
CLUES DOWN 1. Type of hall 2. Swedish rock group 3. Long, narrow cut 4. Indicating silence 5. Talk at length 6. Wiped away 7. Sweet substance (alt. sp.) 8. Babar is one 9. Soviet Socialist Republic 10. French avant-garde composer 11. Commoner 12. Swiss river 13. A single-minded expert 21. Passover feast and ceremony 23. Indie record label (abbr.) 25. Fellow 26. Strong tree 27. Drenches 28. Spindle 29. North Dravidian language 32. Lounges about 33. Preamble 34. Essential for nachos 36. Afternoon beverage 37. 007’s creator 38. Founder of Babism 40. Music played in open air 41. Profoundly wise men 43. Disfigure 44. Unhappy 46. Prefix denoting “in a” 47. Cotton fabric; satiny finish 49. Closes tightly
50. The lowest point 51. Semitic sun god 52. Grads wear one 53. Phil __, former CIA 54. Fermented rather than distilled 57. Aids digestion 58. Unstressed-stressed 59. Body part 61. Wonderful 62. Expected at a certain time
HOROSCOPES CAL POLY:
13
OP INION
TAURUS – April 21/May 21 Taurus, all eyes are on you and all attention is focused in your direction. Stay grounded as much as possible as you become the center of attention. GEMINI – May 22/June 21 Keep a watchful eye on your domestic responsibilities, Gemini. It’s easy for the scales to tip in other directions, but nothing is more important than life at home. CANCER – June 22/July 22 Distant shores are beckoning, Cancer. Now could be the time to start planning a getaway you have always dreamed of. Enjoy this exciting trip. LEO – July 23/Aug. 22 Romance may not be in the stars this week for you, Leo, as you are too distracted by work. Make some time to come up for air and then focus on relationships. VIRGO – Aug. 23/Sept. 22 Virgo, someone special to you may shower you with intense love and affection this week if you just find the time to connect. Clear your schedule for the rest of the week.
LIBRA – Sept. 23/Oct. 23 Libra, if you play your cards right, you will look back on this week with nothing but smiles. Things will soon get sorted out, and this week will mark a turning point. SCORPIO – Oct. 24/Nov. 22 Scorpio, things may not have been easy for you over the last couple of weeks, but your courage and stamina know no bounds. Keep forging ahead. SAGITTARIUS – Nov. 23/Dec. 21 Sagittarius, your career is in a perfect place right now, so you can devote some of your attention to personal matters — even your love life. Start focusing on your feelings. CAPRICORN – Dec. 22/Jan. 20 You notice a definite boost in your energy level and drive this week, Capricorn. It’s almost as if you’ve rediscovered a passion you tucked away for a while.
AQUARIUS – Jan. 21/Feb. 18 Cosmic dust will settle mid-week and you will feel as if you have your power back, Aquarius. If you’ve been holding off on projects, now is the time to charge ahead. PISCES – Feb. 19/March 20 Pisces, make a list of your priorities so you can focus your energy efficiently. You don’t want to waver when trying to get things done.
WHY ARE WE HERE? BY ABDULLAH SULAIMAN ABDULMALEK
Abdullah Sulaiman Abdulmalek is a general engineering senior and Mustang News columnist. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News. University is a place of knowledge and challenge, long nights and tired mornings, fun and games, self-reflection and self-discovery, and much more. University has the potential to be the best two to four years of our lives. It can empower us to be instruments of change in society— but only if we define a purpose for ourselves that will allow us to take advantage of the unique resources available on a university campus. Data indicate that some students do not attend university to increase their knowledge in a specific field. A survey by educational consultant Hobsons found that, of 62,366 students surveyed worldwide, 22% stated primary reason for attending university is to “experience university life and have a good time.” 16.6% of students answered “because it was expected of me to go to university” and 9.1% stated, “because everyone I know goes/ went to university.” Although these are low percentages, if we round Cal Poly’s enrollment to 20,000 students, these figures estimate around eight thousand students agree with at least one of these sentiments. In my experience on campus, I know I have spoken with many students who express similar feelings. The opportunity to attend a university is a privilege that many do not have. According to UNESCO, there are 207 million students enrolled in postsecondary education worldwide. Moreover, according to the United Nations there are about 1.1 billion youth between the ages of 15 and 24 and about 85 percent of the world’s youth live in developing countries. This means only 18.8 percent of global youth have the ability to pursue higher education. With this in mind we should not take our time at Cal Poly for granted and utilize the resource present here that many don’t have. At Cal Poly we have access to many resources. According to U.S.News, Cal Poly has a 19:1 student to faculty ratio. We are fortunate to have professors who are easilyaccessible. Better yet, we don’t have teaching assistants for any of our major coursework like students at other major universities have. We also have access to facilities such as a fully-equipped recreation center and multiple
sport complexes open to all students. We have a machine shop open to students of all majors, and the Innovation Sandbox makes 3D printers and other modern technologies available at our fingertips. We have a health and counseling center. We have student clubs to supplement your education. We also have many programs that help students from different disciplines and backgrounds educationally and financially, all of which you can find out about by asking your respective colleges. Needless to say, there are many resources that are available for us and that we pay for through our tuition. I understand that most of us come to college because we have some idea of what we hope to learn and achieve in college. In the same survey by Hobsons, 58.4% of students answered that they come to university “because I am passionate about the subject I study.” Indeed, many of us come to Cal Poly for educational empowerment. However, as we progress into our education, coursework gets harder. Students spend many stressful hours working to complete assignments and study for exams. As such, our goals for learning may shift to “let me just get this over with,” “I’m just trying to pass” or “I just want a good grade.” I have heard this a lot (I certainly say this sometime), but when we allow ourselves to have this mindset we miss out on effective learning. This may include loss of learning retention through cramming for exams or an overvaluing of grades. I wish it were the opposite. Of course, a student’s time at university should be balanced with a social life. I do not mean to say that all students should become bookworms with no life outside the library. We should also take this time to explore ourselves and what we enjoy doing. Academics are only one facet of self-development and discovery. However, we are at an institute of knowledge. A student should be inspired by the ability to expand his or her understanding in a chosen field of study. We should leverage the unique resources available at Cal Poly to tap into our innate potential as students. So, if you are struggling on that homework assignment or have a long night of studying ahead, remember: we are on a pursuit of knowledge. If you are uncertain about what you want to do or why you are here, take some time to reflect. Use this sanctuary of learning and the people around you to find yourself, your passion and for what you’re willing to struggle.
TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | OPINION | MUSTANG NEWS
ARIES – March 21/April 20 Aries, this is a great week to give that special someone in your life some extra love and attention. Your workloads have lightened across the board, so go the extra mile.
TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | SPORTS | MUSTANG NEWS
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B R I A N T R U ON G | MUSTA N G N EWS
MUSTANGS IN FOCUS
Q&A WITH KATIE IZZO AND PETER COTSIRILOS BY B RI A N T R U ON G , KY LE H A R & P R ERN A A NE J A Cal Poly Cross Country is headed to the NCAA West Regional Championships after both the men’s and women’s teams took first place at the Big West Conference Championships. Senior runners Katie Izzo and Peter Cotsirilos both said they hope to find further success in their final post-season of their collegiate careers. Mustang News: How have you changed from your freshman year to now? Katie Izzo: As a runner, I’ve become a lot more confident in my abilities. I’ve had a lot of injuries, so I’ve learned what works for my body and what doesn’t. Izzo’s first injury happened her sophomore year, at the 2016 NCAA West Regionals Race in Sacramento. Izzo suffered a broken tibia and fibia. MN: What injuries have you faced? KI: There was no one out there at that part of the race, so I had to scream for help. I went to
the hospital ... a week later, they put a titanium rod inside my tibia bone. Last year, I was going to come back, but I had a stress reaction in my femur and I had tendonitis, so I had to miss all of track season. I just started running again this summer, so I’ve been able to come back since that injury as well. MN: How do injuries like that affect your mindset as a runner? KI: It was probably one of the hardest points in my life. I had those doubts if I’m going to be able to run the same way again. Despite all those negative times, and those dark times, you have so many people uplifting you. MN: What were the dark times like? KI: The hardest part was simply not being able to run, which is what I love to do the most, and is a part of what makes me who I am. Running is like meditation for me. After every run I’m always in a better mood because I get to clear my head, explore the beautiful outdoors, and be with all my friends and teammates. But being injured takes that away, which was often heart-
breaking. All the injuries I’ve had and the periods I wasn’t able to run has just made me fall in love with the sport even more and has made me appreciate being healthy and able to compete. MN: What has it been like being able to come back and win the Big West Conference? KI: It’s just a dream come true. A lot of people, when they get hurt, it’s so easy to get discouraged, a lot of people quit. I want to show that if you keep pushing forward and working hard, you can come back from any injury. So just being there with all my teammates, not only having one of my best races, but doing so well at conference, is just the cherry on top. MN: What other crazy moments come along with the sport? KI: I lost my shoe at regionals my freshman year. I passed out and got hypothermia because it was in Seattle, it was freezing cold, and I ran the whole race without a shoe. Sophomore year, I thought, ‘nothing could go worse,’ and then I break my leg. This year, it’s so great because the regionals course is in Sacramento, so it’s the same course where I broke my leg. I can’t wait to get on the same spikes that I had when I broke my leg and race it and be able to redeem myself.
Mustang News: Being a senior, how have you been able to grow into a leader for the team? Peter Cotsirilos: It comes with experience. Our team has historically had the team leaders be people who have been around the longest.
JOHN FAJARDO | COURT ESY
Both Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams won the 2018 Big West Conference titles.
MN: How have you changed from your freshman year to your senior year? PC: From my freshman year, I learned to train well. Over time, you figure out what train-
ing plans work for you. That is the great thing about our program. Individuals can tailor their own training plans to what works best for them. There is a lot of flexibility to form yourself as a runner. MN: What was the most challenging obstacle you had to overcome? PC: My biggest challenge with regards to athletics here was developing into a stronger runner. I had to figure out what training plan works and being diligent with it. MN: What kind of mental preparation have you done to elevate yourself? PC: Personally what works best for me is not getting too psyched out before races. When I get too caught up with that that is when I perform the poorest. Honestly, the biggest thing I tell myself is that I need to trust my training. The sport is anywhere between 50 to 90 percent mental. MN: How does it feel to be a part of a program that is so successful? PC: It has been a wonderful experience. I have never been part of something that has grown as much as it has here. Being on a strong, competitive team and winning the conference for the last three years is really satisfying to see how it has all unfolded. MN: What was your favorite moment of your college career? PC: My favorite moment was in my junior year when we traveled to Hawai’i for conference and we got 18 points. Scoring 18 points after losing by five points the year before was the most satisfying feeling by getting that conference victory that we all strove for. MN: What advice would you give to young runners? PC: Stick with it, trust your training and do not feel the need to rush things. Although at times things may seem like they have been moving along slowly, you never know when you can break out.
A FRESH START FOR MEN’S BASKETBALL BY FRA NCISCO MA RTINEZ
BY GA RR E T T B R O W N Columnist For the second year in a row, my family made the trip down to San Luis Obispo to watch a Cal Poly Football game. Again, we found ourselves leaving at half time. The Mustangs lost to Big Sky Conference rival UC Davis 52-10. The end result did not bother me— what did bother me was the fact that I wasn’t bothered. Then I got to thinking: if I’m not bothered as a die-hard sports fan, then what about the casual fans who are not even showing up to the games as a result of poor results? “UC Davis responded and we didn’t. We got flustered overall we got out played, out coached,” head coach Tim Walsh said after the game. After that, I realized what exactly was bothering me. How has Cal Poly, a school that prides itself on innovation, out thinking and out working competition, accepted such a defeatist attitude when it comes to the football program? Cal Poly Football has not struggled for as long as many students may think. Prior to the 2017 team’s 1-10 season, the Mustangs had a winning 2016 season at 7-5 and had only one season with a losing record in 2015 at 5-7 since joining the Big Sky Conference in 2013. Also, the 2017 season was not a fair measure of the program’s effectiveness due to season-ending injuries to both quarterback Khaleel Jenkins and fullback Joe Protheroe. So, if the quality of football in recent memory is not the problem, then why is Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Saturday nights as empty as a bird’s nest in the winter? One of the first things that comes to mind is the style of football Cal Poly plays. Cal Poly’s offense is a variation of the triple option, which is why you hear people in the stands calling for the Mustangs to “throw the damn ball.” The goal of the triple option, in an extremely reductionist sense, is to almost always run the football while making it extremely difficult for the defense to identify who has the ball. It is no surprise Walsh implements this style. Prior to working at Cal Poly, Walsh was the offensive coordinator at West Point Army Academy, a program famous for using run-option based offenses such as the triple option. The strategy fits Army well, as it is all about outtoughing and wearing down the opposing defense. The problem with taking that system from Army and trying to implement it at Cal Poly is that West Point student athletes are, by definition, the toughest of the tough. I am in no way trying to be indicative of the student athletes at Cal Poly either, but trying to implement a system meant for army cadets is going to lead to some hitches. Now, let’s say Cal Poly was the model of perfection in running the triple option and ran away with the Big West Conference every year— pun fully intended. Even in that scenario, the triple option, is not fun to watch. Another issue is that in football, if your offense falters, it hurts the defense and vice-versa. This hurts the team as a whole as they fall behind, and the offense does what they’re trained to do, which is run, making the clock go by much faster. The result is that any comeback attempt is a steeper uphill battle than it already was. Even my younger brother, whose football knowledge does not extend much outside of Madden NFL, knows that if you are losing a football game you (say it with me now) — throw the damn ball.
With seven new players joining the team, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball will look to improve on last season’s seventh-place finish in the Big West Conference. After finishing the 2017-18 season with an overall record of 9-22 and a 4-12 record in conference play, the Mustangs will need to turn things around this season in order to make the NCAA Tournament come March. The team welcomed five freshmen, in addition to two new players who will redshirt this season due to transfer rules. The Mustangs’ first game is against Menlo College on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in Mott Athletics Center. “Our team has great quickness and we have great chemistry,” Men’s Basketball head coach Joe Callero said. “So I think that if we can continue to push the ball at people at the right times, share the ball at the right times and play our defense like we’ve done … that’s gonna be the key for us.” Callero’s claim that the team already has a high level of chemistry is noteworthy because of the new batch of players, who are learning the Mustangs’ playbook for the first time. Senior point guard Donovan Fields said he is ecstatic
to integrate the new players into the team and spoke highly of their capabilities. “[The freshmen] are gonna step up this year,” Fields said. “They all can do a lot of different things and when you look at the conference, they’re new guys so there’s not a lot of scouting reports on them. I really expect these guys to do big things this year.” As team captain, Fields has established himself as a leader for the Mustangs both on and off the court. After five seniors graduated last year, Callero said he saw that Fields had matured from last season and knew he was ready to lead. “This is not just his time,” Callero said about Fields’ increased role in the team. “It’s his responsibility.” One of his responsibilities will be helping the Mustangs through a month-long road trip, where the team will play seven away games, starting at the University of Arizona. With the Wildcats being one of college basketball’s perennial powerhouses, Fields hopes their game will serve as a major mental test before Big West Conference play begins Jan. 9 at UC Santa Barbara. “[Playing at Arizona] is something I’m pretty sure all the guys have dreamed about, playing in a big arena like that against a Pac-12 team,” Fields said. “For
me, it’s just a big learning experience for myself and for the team … our chemistry and getting all those things right for conference season.” Fields also noted the difficulty of mentally preparing for a month-long road trip and described it as, “just one of those things you just gotta get through.” Big West Conference play has spelled tough times for the Mustangs in recent years, as the team finished in either seventh or eighth place in each of their last four seasons. Cal Poly was defeated 75-53 in the first round of last year’s Big West Conference Tournament. While both Fields and Callero concede that the Mustangs have a deficit in their size, Fields said he believes in the team’s grit and determination to make their size an advantage with a quick playing tempo. Despite the undersized squad and their previous records in conference play, the team has its eyes set on earning the opportunity to go dancing at the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around. “We just gotta be tough,” Fields said. “Night in and night out, we gotta play each possession as hard as we can and just fight each and every night. We gotta work hard and practice every single day and just keep getting better.”
MUSTA N G N EWS | F I LE
The Cal Poly team has finished in seventh or eighth place in each of its last four seasons.
15 TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | SPORTS | MUSTANG NEWS
WHY IS ALEX G. SPANOS STADIUM EMPTY ON SATURDAYS?
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Academy of Art Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Menlo College Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
STUDENT REWARDS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
WRESTLING vs. Cal Baptist Saturday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.
FOOTBALL vs. Idaho State Saturday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m.
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