Fall grad Dec 12, 2016

Monday, December 12, 2016

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FALL

GRAD

2016

The future belongs to the curious.

GRAD EDITION 2

MUSTANG NEWS

VIVIEN BECK | COURTESY PHOTO PROUD

T YLER DICKINSON | COURTESY PHOTO

| Cal Poly students Vivien Beck (left photo, young girl on the right) and Divine Godinez (right) are the first in their families to graduate college. As commencement approaches, they reminisce on their time in college.

First-generation college students make their mark on family history Rebecca Ezrin @ Ezrinrebecca

Some students take attending college for granted; their parents received bachelor’s degrees and perhaps even their grandparents did. Growing up, attending college was a given.

For others, the privilege of attending a university was long contemplated and not guaranteed. This fall, these students prepare to receive their degrees with the unique pride of being a first-generation graduate.

Vivien Beck When mathematics senior Vivien Beck was six-years-old, her mother wanted to start over, so the two of them relocated to San Francisco.

“She worked all kinds of jobs to support us: babysitting, house cleaning, massaging people and heavy lifting of machinery,” Beck said. “Now she works as a realtor. You just have to pass the exam and then you can practice real estate without a bachelor’s [degree].”

Since middle school, Beck knew she wanted to attend college. She felt it was naturally expected of her and she later attended a highly competitive high school.

“My mom finances my way through college,” Beck said.

“That’s why I’m graduating in three years and a quarter, because I don’t want to waste any of her money.”

Beck thinks that she blended in with Cal Poly students during her time here, regardless of her first-generation status.

“Physically speaking, I’ve fit in with everyone else here,” Beck said. “Because I have blonde hair, I think that people don’t naturally assume I’m first-generation.”

Beck has plenty of supporters planning on attending her graduation, including her grandmother who will be visiting from Germany.

Following commencement, Beck wants to jump straight into the work force.

“I’m interviewing with companies in San Francisco and actually just got my first job offer, from Motive Power,” Beck said. “I want to build a career as fast as I can. I have big aspirations, so I want to get started right away.”

For Beck, attending college will be the defining factor in the differences between her own life and her mother’s.

“I think attending college will give me more opportunities in life. My mom made the best out of everything that she had and she’s more street smart than I will ever be,” Beck said. “It’s hard to say that I’ll have a better

life because of a college degree, but I’ll definitely have a different one.”

Divine Godinez For environmental management and protection senior Divine Godinez, college was the answer to avoiding the struggles her family experienced.

Her Mexican-American parents were more focused on making

take care of them like they took care of me.”

In high school, Godinez was set on going to college. She took every AP class offered and due to the high pressure, she often experienced anxiety.

When Godinez was accepted into Cal Poly, her parents were thrilled, although they tried to get her to continue living with them in Santa Maria. Godinez originally wanted to move further from home, so she remained firm that she wanted to live in the residence halls.

Godinez noted that she didn’t feel like she stood out at all as a first-generation college student during her time at Cal Poly. Godinez received financial support through the school but the remainder of her education will be paid off in student loans.

The upcoming fall graduation is a huge event for the Godinez family.

“They are beyond excited and haven’t stopped talking about it,” Godinez said. “I have such a big family, so 10 tickets isn’t enough. I’m first in the family to ever graduate.”

After graduation, Godinez wants to move to Seattle or San Diego and do stream restoration work.

“I wanted to go to college since I first knew what college was when I was young,” NICK SINAI

money to provide better opportunities for their children than going to school.

“My mom told me and my siblings that if I wanted a better life than what they had, I needed to go to college,” Godinez said. “That way, I could

“It will be extremely important for my kids to go to school one day,” Godinez said. “I’d like them to familiarize themselves with different topics while remembering who they are and where they came from without judging others. College helped a lot with that for me.”

Nick Sinai While he is not a first-generation American, business administration senior Nick Sinai is the first in his family to have the opportunity to attend college.

“I wanted to go to college since I first knew what college was when I was young,” Sinai said. “That started with my mom and dad talking about smart people and the colleges they went to.”

Sinai worked rigorously in high school. In some ways, he felt like a first generation high school student as well because his parents focused on work while in high school. Because of this, studying for the SAT and applying to colleges were extra challenging tasks.

“I wanted to make my dad happy and live up to the ideal that I had understood success to be,” Sinai said. “A lot of it was pretty ego-driven. I wanted to go to a prestigious college and make a lot of money.”

Though Cal Poly was a safety school for Sinai, he says that he wouldn’t want it any other way.

For his parents, the main purpose of Sinai attending college was to

get into the business world and make money.

“They stuck to that ideal for a while. I wanted to change majors to computer science and my dad told me he wouldn’t pay for college,” Sinai said. “Later, he told me to do what I wanted, but at that point I didn’t want to add more time, so I took the comp-sci minor instead.”

Throughout his time at Cal Poly, Sinai’s understanding of college continued to evolve.

“College allows you to experience different skill sets and learn from different backgrounds. You can be around people who have a similar standard of thinking,” Sinai said. “It’s a time to grow and become an independent person.”

Sinai hopes to earn an internship focusing on product management this summer.

“I think my parents will be sad if I move to New York or something, but I think they’ll realize that it’s an amazing thing that they successfully gave me an opportunity they didn’t have,” Sinai said.

Down the line, Sinai hopes to start his own company.

“I would love to be a founder of some sort of new technology or program or system that operates in the industry of alternative education,” Sinai said. “I think online courses are a cool way to go about that.”

Regardless of his views on alternative education, Sinai has no regrets on his college experience.

“College is dope. Glad I came, it’s been a fun ride,” Sinai said.

Cal Poly grads to join successful alumni Beth Strutz @ bethstrutz

Students from all six Cal Poly colleges will receive degrees in a three-part commencement ceremony on Dec. 17. After graduation, these students join a wide array of notable and successful Cal Poly-educated professionals.

They will become a few of the thousands of Cal Poly baccalaureates who made significant contributions to their respective workplaces and fields since the first graduating class of 1906.

Class of 2015: A case study The graduating class of Spring 2015, the latest class for which data is available, reported find-

ing significant success and employment after leaving Cal Poly.

Of these alumni, 91 percent reported being positively engaged after graduation, whether that be in graduate school, professional training or employment.

Of those employed, 94 percent reported successfully finding work in a field directly related to their major. Top employers include Amazon, Apple, Chevron, Microsoft and Tesla Motors. Other well-known companies employing alumni are Facebook, Oracle, DreamWorks Animation and The Walt Disney Company.

Many graduates also choose to remain at Cal Poly and join the significant proportion of alum-

ni who work for the university.

A majority of university offices currently employ at least one Cal Poly alumnus, including Career Services, Alumni Outreach, the Mustang Success Center, Admissions and the Office of the Registrar amongst many others.

A look at other alumni Multiple Cal Poly alumni went on to become renowned in the general public as well. One particularly well-known example is musician and parody artist Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic, who graduated with a degree in landscape architecture in 1979.

ALUMNI continued on page 9

GRAD EDITION 3

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Cal Poly grads reminisce

CHRIS GATELEY | MUSTANG NE WS SHOW YOUR GR AD-ITUDE

| As graduating seniors prepare to leave Cal Poly, some thank yous are in order — such as visiting old residence halls, thanking professors and reminiscing on old freshman year memories.

Hannah Benson @ CPMustangNews

On Dec. 17, Cal Poly will send another class of graduates into the world to begin their futures.

But before these soon-to-be graduates throw on their caps and gowns, some thank yous to their past are in order.

It’s necessar y to thank your younger self, the one who showed up on campus a few years ago and persevered in the face of major change. It’s the least a graduate can do.

Show “grad-itude” to your professors Gratitude can be expressed in various ways, such as a visit to a beloved professor.

“The first [lecturer] I’ve ever had at Cal Poly [history lecturer Jason Linn] will be my last professor, as his Thursday afternoon class is my last. So it’s kind of a circle effect,” graduating history senior Keegan Koberl said.

Whether it was a professor who pushed students to their limits, a professor of a GE course who inspired students to pursue a certain subject or even a profes-

sor who made students laugh during a 7 a.m. lecture, professors and lecturers can be immensely influential in students’ college careers. “[Linn] is very energetic and fun in his lectures,” Koberl said.

“You can tell he really cares and he was always able to tie things back to big ideas to see the importance of what we’d been talking about.”

Remembering your freshman year residence hall Another important stop is a visit to your residence halls. For many

Entering the workforce: Pros and cons of being a fall grad

Aidan McGloin @ CPMustangNews

Graduating in the fall puts students in an interesting situation: they enter the job search well before the rest of their peers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey indicates that hiring rates go up in January. Gallup’s weekly job market survey shows that companies hire more in the first month of the year.

Meanwhile, with millions of college students graduating in June, it seems as though the market would be flooded with job searchers.

Many think that fall graduation, at the beginning of the fiscal year and with little competition, is the smartest choice for college students.

The truth is more complex. Depending on each student’s industry, career choice and personal preference, graduating in the fall is a multifaceted experience.

According to Eileen Buecher, executive director of career services, many companies accommodate for the large influx of

students entering the workforce in June, so market flooding is not an issue. Many large companies in STEM fields such as Amazon, Apple and Boeing, work in conjunction with Cal Poly Career Services to hire graduates in July.

There is no difference between fall graduation and graduating

graduates still have full access to use Career Services so they can still meet with their career counselors,” Amie Hammond, interim assistant director of career services, said. “If they moved home, they can set up a phone appointment, they can come to career fairs, they can come to workshops.”

Buecher, a College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) career counselor, also said that other companies hire at the beginning of the fiscal year when they have the most money and are projecting the immediate future of the company. This means more hiring in January and February, in which case students will benefit from fall graduation and will be able to get jobs when other students are unavailable. This applies to the majority of smaller companies, but not all.

For students from CAFES, the best time for graduation is dependent upon the industry they want to get into. For example, the pecan industry reaches its

For one year after graduation, graduates still have full access to use Career Services.

AMIE HAMMOND

at any other time if students are looking for jobs with these companies, as long as the students take advantage of career fairs and programs that Career Services offers.

“For one year after graduation,

students, it was the first time living on their own, a milestone that can’t go unnoticed.

“Every time I drive through that part of campus I’m immediately overwhelmed by nostalgia.

While I hated living in a Petri dish, I met my closest friends there,” graduating psychology senior Shelby Lozada said. “I remember all the little things, like running into my friend in the bathroom or walking to VG’s.”

Take a photo in front just like your parents made you do that very first day of move-in. Only this time, it’s not embarrassing.

This new photo is proof of your time here at Cal Poly.

Freshman perspective on graduation December graduates are not the only ones who can feel sentimental about this moment in time. Many current freshmen look ahead to their graduating selves in awe, imagining what it will be like to have their present be their past.

“I would walk past it and try to ‘relive’ the memories, like all the late night talks among all the third floor girls,” history

freshman McKenzie Leeds said about how she imagines visiting the residence halls as a senior.

While it’s bittersweet for graduating seniors to get ready to leave Cal Poly and begin a new chapter, the memories they’ve made from freshman year and their entire college experience will last them a lifetime.

Commencement is a day for family, friends and graduating seniors to celebrate their accomplishments. Graduating seniors, reminisce on your times at Cal Poly by thanking your freshman self.

Graduate in Fall 2016?

Cp

Pros...

Improve resume

Better chance of being hired Grads not flooding job market

Yes! GR APHIC BY GURPREET BHOOT | MUSTANG NE WS

peak in fall, but wine grapes are harvested in late July. Therefore, those wanting to get involved in the pecan industry have a better chance at reaching the job they want if they graduate in fall, while those looking at viticulture will find their job either way.

Students can also graduate in winter, go to the southern hemisphere and work seasonal summer jobs.

Other sectors of the job market seem to be unaffected by the

time of year. The U.S. government hires throughout the year, so graduation term does not make a large difference in job opportunities with the government.

Beyond increasing chances of getting a job, many students have other reasons to graduate in fall. Some may want to take a gap quarter in the winter, exploring the world while keeping in contact with employers and lining up a job for when they return. Others may want to take

on a winter internship to make themselves more attractive to employers or work full time to pay off student debt.

With fall commencement approaching, graduating seniors will have their own unique set of circumstances to face.

Though the default graduation time is in spring, Cal Poly students should first consider their course load and choose their best graduation date based upon that.

GRAD EDITION 4

MUSTANG NEWS

From grads to grapes: Cal Poly alumni impact the local wine industry Katelyn Piziali Special to Mustang News

Acidic aromas fill the air, fruit flies flit around faces and massive machines whir. Welcome to the life of a San Luis Obispo winery employee.

According to The Tribune, the local wine industry raked in $1.9 billion in 2015. Cal Poly graduates embrace their Learn by Doing mentalities as they play an integral role in the field.

“I think it’s the hands-on experience,” alumnus David Beress said. “I’ve actually had employers tell people that they

prefer Cal Poly grads. Not to say that Davis and Fresno aren’t as good, but their focus is more on statistical stuff as opposed to actual hands-on practical learning.”

Here are some stories of Cal Poly graduates in the industry, from the fairly new to those wise with age.

Alejandra Alvarez: Graduate intern Cal Poly graduate Alejandra Alvarez currently interns for Treasury Wine Estates in Paso Robles. Alvarez graduated in Spring 2016 with a degree in

wine and viticulture.

“I originally wanted to study biology, but I also had an interest in business and I couldn’t really decide what I wanted to do,” Alvarez said. “When I was applying for schools my senior year of high school, I actually had my counselor recommend wine business.”

Being both a Cal Poly graduate and a local raised in Arroyo Grande, Alvarez grew to appreciate the opportunities that Cal Poly and the Central Coast have to offer.

“It’s amazing that we have vineyards we can visit on field

trips that also have really good relations with Cal Poly. All of our teachers have such a passion for what they’re doing and they don’t just teach it, but are also involved and have a lot of experience,” she said. “On top of that, the school alone carries so much weight with its name.”

Cal Poly’s wine and viticulture program was ranked fourth in the nation in 2016 for best colleges offering viticulture and enology degrees by StartClass.

In 2011, the program won the California Exposition and State Fair’s 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award for its contributions

GR APHIC BY A ARON MATSUDA | MUSTANG NE WS NO WINE-ING

| Wine and viticulture alumni graduate Cal Poly with on-hands experience that prepares them for work in the wine industry.

to the California wine industry, according to Cal Poly university news and information.

Alvarez’s internship has her driving up and down the Central Coast working with different vineyards.

“As the SLO Relations intern, I get to work with a lot of different people and lands because we’re contracting all up and down the Central Coast from Santa Barbara County all the way up to Monterey County,” Alvarez said. “So I drive a lot and I’m exposed to a lot of different vineyard processes and a lot of different qualities of grapes.”

Coby Parker-Garcia: Winemaker Cal Poly graduates’ influence in the San Luis Obispo wine industry is significant and spreading, according to Claiborne and Churchill winemaker Coby Parker-Garcia.

“You see it outside of the area now. You see it up in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara count[ies]. Cal Poly alumni are definitely becoming a force within the wine industry,” Parker-Garcia said.

Parker-Garcia shared his knowledge gained from making wine for 16 years. The born-andraised San Luis Obispo native never imagined he would stay on the Central Coast.

“As the industry kind of developed and started taking off, I thought it was a good opportunity to ride that wave,” Parker-Garcia said. “Now I’ve been making wine since 2000.

I graduated from Cal Poly in 2002 and have been working commercial harvest since then.”

As the resident winemaker, Parker-Garcia deals with vineyard operations, contracts and relations. Aside from his primary duties, day-to-day tasks vary depending on the season.

For Parker-Garcia, fall consists of picking grapes, then processing and fermenting the product and getting it into barrels or tanks. Spring is mostly bottling the white wines and getting a head start on prepping the vineyards for the next growing season. Red wines are bottled at the end of summer and sold along with white wines during the summer months.

Claiborne and Churchill’s en-

tire full-time staff is made up of Cal Poly graduates. According to Parker-Garcia, Cal Poly’s Learn

by Doing motto gives graduates a leg up on others.

“I’m a firm believer of [the Learn by Doing method],” he said. “I think that you get a sense of people who have actually gotten their hands dirty, dived into something and actually performed a task rather than just read about it on the book end of things.”

David Beress: Winemaker Beress graduated in Winter 2015 with a degree in wine and viticulture. However, he began working at Still Waters Vineyards in Paso Robles six years ago before he started attending Cal Poly.

“Once I started working here, I realized that this was my passion and that Cal Poly had a program so I decided to go for that,” Beress said.

According to Beress, employees at smaller wineries do more than just work in the tasting room and out in the vineyard; the winery holds events such as concerts and weddings where employees help out.

“Day-to-day is different during harvest, but I pretty much focus on being in the winery as much as I can,” Beress said.

Being a Cal Poly alumni is something many Still Waters employees have in common. In addition to Beress, Still Waters owners Paul and Patty Hoover also graduated from Cal Poly with degrees in agriculture and child development, respectively.

“There’s a lot of hard work and cleaning that goes into winemaking, so it’s not as glamorous as it looks,” Beress said.

For example, anything that touches a finished wine, from the equipment outside of the winery to the fruits that are processed, must be sanitized before being put to use. Still Waters uses hot water and a pressure steam cleaner to sanitize their equipment.

Despite the physical labor involved in the job, winemaking has its rewards.

“Being able to taste a finished product when it’s going into bottle that you’ve made and seen go through the whole process is my favorite part of the job,” Beress said.

Startup creates one-stop-shop for professsor and class info Sydney Harder @ CPMustangNews

Polyratings may no longer be the only place to get the scoop on Cal Poly professors and courses.

A team of nine Cal Poly students created an online onestop-shop for Cal Poly course and professor information. The site aggregates content from sites such as Polyratings - a preexisting site used by students to rate and review professors - while also providing their own native content like class ratings.

Sponsored by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneur-

ship, their product, Sqzee, offers an all-in-one source of information to aid students as they plan future classes and navigate the registration process.

“We made [Sqzee] because we saw something we wanted in our academic career and we thought we could provide that to students at Cal Poly,” Sqzee team member and software engineering junior Andrew Cofano said.

Sqzee provides students with peer reviews of classes and professors as well as class discussion forums and the ability to see classes that their friends are enrolled in. Additionally, infor-

mation such as the number of hours typically devoted toward the class and the difficulty level will be available on Sqzee.

According to aerospace engineering junior and Sqzee team member Sean Reilly, the website will offer “more metrics that define a class than what is currently provided to the public.”

Rather than replicate the critical tone of Polyratings, Sqzee creators aim to foster a more helpful educational environment.

“Our product is focused on having constructive reviews that reflect Cal Poly and the students

that go here,” Cofano said.

Comments will ultimately be moderated by Sqzee users: a feature currently in the works will allow students to up-vote or down-vote reviews.

“If it’s a disputed review, we’ll let students know that it’s unhelpful,” Cofano said. “It creates a lot of transparency.”

Reilly added that the goal was to preserve free speech “without feeling like you’re going to be harassed by the school for speaking your mind, but at the same time [having] a platform that’s actually helpful.”

Sqzee officially launched on Nov. 14 and garnered a total of

4,000 to 5,000 views throughout its first week. The product has been in development since October 2015.

Development for the mobile app version is underway. The team also plans to implement two new features in the longterm, including a streamlined display of registration information and a marketplace for buying and selling textbooks.

“A lot of people will have the windows side-by-side, like Polyratings and PASS, to see what classes are open and what teachers they can take,” Cofano said. “We want to combine that into one spot.”

The name Sqzee comes from the team wanting to “squeeze” all the information from these different sources into one location. Sqzee will consolidate a multitude of academic logistics and platforms to facilitate the selection and planning of classes, while providing forums for class discussion and collaboration throughout the quarter.

Reilly hopes Sqzee will gather a consistent user base as the product continues to circulate.

“We’re hoping students take to it because you get what you give in terms of the product,” Reilly said. “We want it to be a community that will develop.”

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Next steps for former mayor Jan Marx Austin Linthicum @ austinlinthicum

In one of the tightest mayoral races in San Luis Obispo history, former mayor Jan Marx lost to Heidi Harmon by 47 votes.

After leaving her seat as leader of the council, Marx reflected on her time in office, her hopes for the future of the city and her plans outside of government in the coming years.

Marx was first elected to the San Luis Obispo city council in 1998. After a six-year gap, she was re-elected to the council in 2008. In 2010, Marx won the mayoral seat and served in that position until Friday, when Harmon was officially sworn in as mayor.

Opening up land and roads Since moving to San Luis Obispo in 1988, Marx has had a passion for preserving open space. Along with the council, she steadily secured easements to build up a collection of open land, with 7,000 acres protected.

As she leaves office, the council is in the process of negotiating another 1,200 acres to add to that. Marx wants to preserve an area next to Cal Poly called Cuesta Ranch to maintain the beauty of the communiy surrounding the school.

“It’s something I’m really proud of,” Marx said.

Last year, Marx was president of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, the agency that distributes state and federal

money to all cities in the county.

She acquired $16 million from the Council of Governments to double the size of the Los Osos Valley Road interchange, along with a matching amount from the city.

“The interchange used to be very impacted so people were lining up in their cars on the freeway trying to get off. It was really dangerous,” Marx said.

Making housing more affordable Prior to Marx’s tenure in city council, buying a house in San Luis Obispo was more difficult than it is today.

“People were working and had a good credit rating, but just were not earning enough to get housing in the city,” Marx said.

Marx and the council worked with non-profit partners to revitalize the housing fund. Now, if developers build residential projects, they must build units that are affordable or contribute to the housing fund. In turn, the housing fund contributes money to organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, that help make housing more affordable.

“San Luis Obispo is a very expensive place to live, but we do have the most affordable housing in the county,” Marx said.

Student and community relations As mayor, Marx also helped renew relations between Cal Poly and the community with help from University President

Jeffrey Armstrong. Marx was a strong proponent of on-campus housing, including Student Housing South, which is currently under construction.

She supported creating a Greek Row on campus, as well.

In addition, she and the council worked to open communications between students living in neighborhoods and their neighbors.

Marx was excited to work with Cal Poly to restore the Lofts downtown for student housing and strongly supported the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s HotHouse in the business district.

Marx was also responsible for other projects and plans, including the county’s first climate action plan, a $2 million skate park and centralizing the homeless center.

Looking back When reflecting on what she enjoyed most about serving on city council, Marx said, “I really enjoyed communicating with residents and students problem solving.”

At the inauguration on Friday, Marx bid farewell to the city government she had worked in for nearly 20 years.

“Frankly, I wish the results had gone the other way,” Marx said while laughing during her closing remarks. “It’s true - I thought I’d just get it out there!”

MARX continued on page 9

Plastic is forever.

Don’t let it be your legacy.

Shop non-plastic and reduced packaging products to do your part.

ARTS 6

MUSTANG NEWS

HIRIE shines at SLO Brew

COURTESY PHOTO | JAME Y JET INSPIRED | HIRIE’s lead singer and guitarist was so inspired by the messages of warmth and positivity associated with the reggae term “Irie” that she made the namesake part of her identity, renaming herself Hirie.

Nicole Horton @ CPMustangNews

“Irie” is a reggae term that embodies sensations of warmth and positivity. It is seen as a mindset to strive toward, and it is the inspiration behind the San Diego-based band HIRIE. The “H” in the name pays homage to the Hawaiian roots of the band’s front woman. Inspired by the spirituality surrounding irie,

the lead vocalist and guitarist made the namesake part of her identity: she renamed herself Hirie.

Promoting their new album, “Wandering Soul,” the seven-piece band made their debut in San Luis Obispo on Friday at SLO Brew.

The band’s morale was high and their energy on stage was apparent and contagious. They also recently claimed a spot on iTunes’ Best Reggae Album List of 2016.

Their set started with one of

HIRIE’s mellow tunes, “Queen,” drawing out the song’s intro before their front woman took to the stage. The band created a mystical scene, introducing their talented flute and saxophone players. The combination of the subtle drum buildup meshed effortlessly with the melodic wind instruments, generating a raw sound that enchanted the crowd. After a few minutes, the tribal beat

was paired with some island-inspired riffs and HIRIE’s classic sound was in full swing.

Soon after, Hirie walked on stage. For a woman of such small stature, Hirie boasts a powerful voice with a slight rasp and noteworthy vibrato. With her beaming and expressive face, it seemed the performance was as much fun for her as it was for the audience.

After one song, the crowd was

sucked into the music. Not one person was seated. The atmosphere transitioned from groups of chatty Friday night bar crawlers to a sea of live music enthusiasts grooving in unison to the band’s melodies.

By the time HIRIE was deep into their most popular track, “You Won’t Be Alone,” concert-goers were breaking out original dance moves, some even brave enough to show off their skills on barstools,

much to the displeasure of the SLO Brew staff.

Throughout the night, Hirie shared short anecdotes with the crowd between sets, reminding everyone to stay positive and love themselves. The crowd not only walked away with fun Friday night memories, but perhaps some food for thought.

To learn more about HIRIE, visit their website and listen to their music on iTunes and Spotify.

COURTESY PHOTO | JAME Y JET RISING

| HIRIE is on iTunes’ Best Reggae Album List of 2016.

ARTS 8

MUSTANG NEWS

‘The Emma Peel Game’ explores the darkness of gender-based violence Sabrina Thompson @ sabrinaswriting

In the underground punk rock world, women no longer sit in the wings but command center stage. However, the spotlight can be dangerously blinding. Cuesta College’s production of “The Emma Peel Game” explores this world and the lives of the women living in it.

Directed by bree valle* and written by Cal Poly theatre professor Phillip Valle, “The Emma Peel Game” is a show unlike any other. In what started as a screenplay, Valle’s newest piece retains

its cinematic quality while introducing a new type of play to the stage.

“The Emma Peel Game” is a haunting story, based on real events. The plot centers on searching for the killer of a young female punk rocker named Mia, who was murdered after returning from her band’s world tour.

The play switches between present-day and the events leading up to the night of the murder.

Through the investigation of Mia’s death, the play exposes many dangers that women face, in some cases on a daily basis.

Topics like gender-based vio-

lence, rape and harassment are all tackled in “The Emma Peel Game” as the female characters fight perverted men with ferocity and power.

The title refers to a game the women play that involves running through town at night trying not to be seen by anyone. The game becomes an integral part of the plot, where a loss results in devastating consequences.

“The Emma Peel Game” is inspired by the original punk movement, which promoted feminism and offered young women a chance to have their voices heard the way they wanted. Punk mu-

sic is heavily incorporated in the piece. One might assume the play is set in the 1990s, if not for the iPhones and topical references sprinkled throughout.

Three original songs in the play mimick punk chord progressions, tone and balance.

The fast-paced songs heightened the suspense of the action onstage. A heavy drumbeat, the tampering of symbols and baseline also gave the show some of its cinematic quality.

Cuesta student Emily Franklin plays 17-year-old Mia, a character

The Emma Peel Game is a haunting story, based on real events.

based off Mia Zapata, lead singer of ’90s punk band “The Gits.”

Franklin plays the innocent and damaged Mia in a captivating way, commanding a largerthan-life presence despite her small frame.

In striking opposition to Franklin, Cuesta student Lauren Josephs portrays Mia’s bandmate Luce as confident and hottempered.

EMMA PEEL GAME continued on page 9

PHILIP VALLE | COURTESY PHOTO PUNKS | “The Emma Peel Game” tells the story of Mia, a punk rock singer, played by Emily Franklin (far right).

NEWS 9

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016 MARX continued from page 5

However, Marx continued on to congratulate Harmon and said that she will continue to closely follow the work of the new council.

Marx called her time on city council “an honor of a lifetime” and feels confident as she leaves her po-

sition as mayor that the city will be left in “excellent shape.”

However, Marx noted that during campaign there was a lot of talk about “new things and changing what was previously put in place.”

The city council updated the general plan for San Luis Obispo in 2014. Marx describes the general plan as a “road map for our future

and our constitution.”

Written in 1992, the plan is said to represent San Luis Obispo’s collective vision with goals to progressively and collectively move towards the vision. Marx notes that many of the city’s triumphs would not have been possible without the collective effort that has gone on for decades.

“No one knows what this in-

coming council will face, but I’m hoping that the council will remember that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and also work hard to uphold the general plan,” Marx said at the council meeting.

The future As Marx leaves her seat on the council, she is moving into a

new position as a professor at the Monterey College of Law in San Luis Obispo.

While at the law school, she plans to set up a clinic for tenant’s rights law. Given the city is made up of 65 percent renters, Marx feels that protecting this majority is important to the city’s prosperity.

“There is understandable reluc-

tance to report hazards if the landlord is not doing the kind of repairs that is required by law,” Marx said.

In addition, Marx wants to have “more adventures and fun.” She hopes to spend more time with her family, including her husband of almost 50 years, two grown children, four grandsons and her tiger-striped rescue cat.

I really enjoyed communicating with residents and students.

JAN MARX

KATIE STARK | COURTESY PHOTO HONOR OF A LIFETIME

| As Marx finishes out her mayoral duties in San Luis Obispo, she feels confident that the city will be left in “excellent shape” under the new leadership of Heidi Harmon.

JASON HUNG | MUSTANG NE WS ALFRED ‘WEIRD AL’ YANKOVIC | COURTESY PHOTO

ALUMNI continued from page 2

Yankovic went on to win four Grammys and released multiple gold and platinum albums, including “Running with Scissors” and “Straight Outta Lynwood.”

Yankovic recently returned to campus for the celebration of the EMMA PEEL GAME continued from page 8

Josephs’ punk voice is striking in nature, capturing the essence of the genre. It is pleading yet soulful and begging to be heard.

The mix of gripping characters and Valle’s use of heavy symbolism keeps the audience engaged and provides a keen depth to telling Mia’s story and that of other young women in a dangerous and violent world.

“The Emma Peel Game” takes audience members out of the world for its duration and brings them to a warehouse with a rich, dark story. *bree valle does not capitalize her first or last name

journalism department’s centennial, “100 Years of Delivering the News,” and was inducted into the Mustang Media Hall of Fame.

Another well-known pop culture phenomenon originating from Cal Poly is Urban Dictionary, which was started by computer science freshman Aaron Peckham in 1999. This innovative comedic

JUICED

| Business administration alumnus Kirk Perron opened the first Jamba Juice. The franchise started out as a Cal Poly senior project.

website, consists of user-submitted definitions of words, most often including slang terms and popular phrases.

Famed NFL player, coach and commentator John Madden earned both his Bachelor of Science and master’s degree in education from Cal Poly, graduating with the class of 1961. In 2006,

Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for “outstanding contributions to professional football” through his coaching career.

In 1990, business administration student Kirk Perron opened a small store called Juice Club in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Working with four other Cal

Poly students, this single store eventually grew into the Jamba Juice Company, which now operates hundreds of stores across the U.S. There are three locations in San Luis Obispo, including the original Jamba Juice located on Chorro Street.

This year’s graduates are in excellent company as they transition

from this stage of their education to the next phases of their lives. Whether it be continuing upper education, full-time employment, or other pursuits, the graduating class of Fall 2016 has already left an indelible mark on the university and now moves on to impact and improve the world beyond.

OPINION 10

MUSTANG NEWS

Letter to the editor: Dear Keith Humphrey

MUSTANG NEWS Graphic Arts Building 26, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

CONTACT EDITORIAL (805) 756-1796 ADVERTISING (805) 756-1143 CLASSIFIED (805) 756-1143 FAX (805) 756-6784

Matt Hunt Special to Mustang News

Matt Hunt is a business administration freshman. Letters to the editor do not reflect the viewpoints or editorial coverage of Mustang News.

Hi Dean Humphrey, My name is Matt Hunt and I am a business administration freshman on the Cal Poly track and field team. So far, Cal Poly is wonderful. I find tremendous pride in this school and feel like the staff here serve as a strong backstop when things go sideways (injury, a drinking incident, counseling, you name it).

However, on Nov. 29 a series of bizarre events were met with a strange indifference to a student’s needs. After I talked to my dad about it, both he and I thought you would want to hear about it.

Biking back to Yosemite Hall from practice on Nov. 29, I saw the girl in front of me on her bike take a nasty fall and badly hurt her ankle just as we arrived at the bike racks behind Tower 7. She screamed in pain and told me she thought she sprained or even broke her ankle. It was clear she needed help.

I was fine with helping her, but the rest of the services on campus were not. She couldn’t walk, so I locked up her bike and helped her to her room on the second floor, put ice on her ankle and gave her ibuprofen. I immediately called the Disability Resource Center (DRC) figuring they could send over a golf cart to take her to the Health Center. Their response was this; “We’re not an on-demand shuttle service. Without medical paperwork, we cannot just pick up a student. Sorry.”

Disappointed, I next tried the resident advisor (RA) on call — three times actually — and got no response. To my understanding, this is supposed to be a safe and secure service readily available to all students when someone needs help.

Finally, I called The University Police Department figuring this was a student safety issue. Again, I was met with, “We’re not a shuttle service for kids with sprained ankles. We can only send a fire truck, ambulance and police squad car all at once and that doesn’t seem necessary for a sprained ankle.”

I paid for an Uber and another student and I took her to the emergency room in town. When she was X-rayed, the doctors told her she badly fractured her ankle. She is now in a full cast.

The part where my dad’s words come in is this: “What the hell were they thinking? During orientation week, we [parents] get this series of presentations about underage drinking, about blue lights on campus, about the UPD, etc., about all the services on campus to assist students and keep them out of harm. If this kid was drinking, she’d stand a better chance of getting help than breaking her ankle in broad daylight.”

He is absolutely right. I found it mind-boggling that such an excellent school offering such excellent services undoubtedly failed all of us today in a quite serious event. Both she and I thought someone would be able to pull through and lend us a hand. After all, the Cal Poly mission statement reads: “The Cal Poly Dean of Students Office promotes student development and leadership; enhances student success and retention; and facilitates a respectful, diverse, and inclusive campus. We provide educational programs, direct support, advocacy, and resources for successful navigation of campus and community life.”

To be quite frank, we did not feel as though this mission statement was in full effect today. We did not receive “direct support” and were not provided with “resources for successful navigation of campus and community life.” It worries me that in the future, this statement may not entirely hold up its end to students seeking help in times of turmoil and panic.

Again, I absolutely love this school for so many reasons. This is why I was so surprised to see a student left to fend for herself after seeking a helping hand. I hope that students of Tower 7, and any other residence hall for that matter, will regain a little faith in the “safety net” this wonderful school claims to offer.

Thank you for your time.

Matt Hunt To submit a letter to the editor, review Mustang News’ submission policy and guidelines online.

Send your letters to editor@mustangnews.net.

EDITORS & STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Celina Oseguera MANAGING EDITORS Gurpreet Bhoot, Olivia Proffit BROADCAST NEWS DIRECTOR Chloe Carlson DIRECTORS OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT Cara Benson, Hannah Avdalovic NEWS EDITOR Naba Ahmed ARTS EDITOR Gina Randazzo SPORTS EDITOR Ayrton Ostly BROADCAST SPORT PRODUCER Clara Knapp BROADCAST SPORTS DIRECTOR Allison Edmonds SPECIAL SECTIONS COORDINATORS Suha Saya, Kristine Xu PHOTO EDITOR Chris Gateley OPINION EDITOR Neil Sandhu HEAD DESIGNER Zack Spanier OUTREACH COORDINATORS Hayley Sakae, Claire Blachowski WEB DEVELOPER Jon Staryuk STAFF REPORTERS Sydney Harder, Megan Schellong, James Hayes, Connor McCarthy, Elena Wasserman, Allison Royal, Cecilia Seiter, Brendan Matsuyama, Austin Linthicum, Sabrina Thompson, Nicole Horton, Carly Quinn, Greg Llamas, Olivia Doty, Frances Mylod-Vargas, Mikaela Duhs, Francois Rucki, Tyler Schilling, Erik Engle, Michael Frank, Tommy Tran COPY EDITORS Quinn Fish, Bryce Aston, Andi DiMatteo DESIGNERS Kylie Everitt, Aaron Matsuda, Tanner Layton OPINION COLUMNISTS Elias Atienza, Brendan Abrams, Brandon Bartlett PHOTOGRAPHERS Matthew Lalanne, Sophia O’Keefe, Hanna Crowley, Samantha Mulhern, Andrew Epperson, Christa Lam, Kara Douds, Iliana Arroyos ILLUSTRATOR Roston Johnson ADVERTISING MANAGERS Maddie Spivek, Kristen Corey ART DIRECTOR Erica Patstone PRODUCTION MANAGER Ellen Fabini MARKETING MANAGER Ross Pfeifer ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Clara Howley, Levi Adissi, Trevor Murchison, Carryn Powers ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Jacqui Luis, Habib Placencia, Kelly Chiu DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Ring FACULTY ADVISOR Pat Howe GENERAL MANAGER Paul Bittick

WRITE A LETTER Mustang News reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, profanities and length. Letters, commentaries and cartoons do not represent the views of Mustang News. Please limit length to 700 words. Letters should include the writer’s full name, phone number, major and class standing. Letters must come from a Cal Poly email account. Do not send letters as an attachment. Please send the text in the body of the email.

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SPORTS 12

MUSTANG NEWS

Former Cal Poly guard David Nwaba joins Los Angeles D-Fenders general manager Nick Mazella telling him they had acquired Nwaba’s rights in a trade.

Nwaba, a Los Angeles native, is now back home and making an impact for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers.

He currently averages 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, making him what Cal Poly men’s basketball head coach Joe Callero thinks is one of the best defenders in the Development League.

“D efensively, he re a lly puts up a stand against

Naba Ahmed @ nabaahmed

After graduating in Spring 2016 with a sociology degree, former Cal Poly guard David Nwaba headed to Reno, Nevada to tryout for the NBA. The Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League were awarded his rights and he was given a chance to make it on the Sacramento Kings’ D-League affiliate. But, according to SB Nation, an acclaimed sports website, while he was en-route, Nwaba received a call from Los Angeles D-Fenders

guys. He’s just showing that he belongs,” D-Fenders head coach Coby Karl said in an interview with SB Nation.

On Thursday, Nwaba faced off against his original D-League team, the Bighorns, and led the team in minutes played and tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Nwaba’s 6-foot-4 frame and 6-foot-11 wingspan combined with his athleticism makes him highlight reel-worthy on a nightly basis. Eric Rothaman, the D-Fenders’ play-by-play announcer, has awarded him

with the nickname “Mr. Dunk” based on the emphatic dunks he’s slammed down game after game.

Transferring to Cal Poly after a brief stint at Hawaii Pacific University and Santa Monica Junior College, Nwaba steadily improved throughout his three years as a Mustang to be more than a long, acrobatic guard, according to Callero.

Despite a wrist injury that put him in a cast his junior year, Nwaba led the team his senior year.

“The injury really set him back; his shot was inconsistent,” Callero said. “But, he started getting back

and feeling more comfortable his senior year.”

Nwaba led the Mustangs in scoring during the 2015-16 season and was also a 2016 All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention. He finished his final season with an average of 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

At the end of his Cal Poly career, Nwaba ranked 15th in program history in rebounds with a total of 465 and was one of 23 players to score more than 1,000 career points.

No matter the size of the oppo-

nent, Callero always had Nwaba guard the best player on the opposing team.

“By the end of his senior year, I was so impressed and I thought he had a good chance to play pro ball in Europe,” Callero said.

With the abilities he has combined with a drive to succeed, Nwaba could have a shot in the NBA or other professional leagues worldwide.

“If he continues to improve in the next three years as much as he did in his three years at Cal Poly, he could become a pro,” Callero said.

LOS ANGELES D-FENDERS | COURTESY PHOTO ‘MR. DUNK’

| Former Cal Poly guard David Nwaba dunked his way to 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game throughout his first 12 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders. He also had high rankings at Poly.

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