MUSTANG NEWS
Cal Poly is the most expensive Cal State campus
A fee increase plan wanted to make Cal Poly more accessible. Two years later, financial aid gets 20% of total fee revenue
Pg. 03
GREEK LIFE ISN’T THE ONLY ISSUE BEHIND CAL POLY’S PARTYING PROBLEM
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CSU’S AI MOVE FEELS LESS LIKE INNOVATION AND MORE LIKE OVERREACH
Pg. 14 FROM S’WELL TO STANLEY: WHY YOU THINK YOU ALWAYS NEED A NEW WATER BOTTLE
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Greek life isn’t the only issue behind Cal Poly’s partying problem
OPINION BY DYLAN WHITE DESIGNED BY ISA
CORDOVEZ
With an event named St. Fratty’s Day, there is an easy misconception that Greek life is deeply involved. In reality, the blame doesn’t fall so neatly onto just one group.
St. Fratty’s Day, Cal Poly’s unofficial holiday associated with St. Patrick’s Day, went viral last year. The annual tradition kicks off at 3 a.m. with an off-campus block party filled with drinking and partying for the day.
Last year, Mustang News reported that the San Luis Obispo Police Department issued 18 noise violations, five unruly gatherings, 99 open containers, nine public urinations, five drunk in publics, 24 minors in possessions, four climbing a utility pole, and three DUIs.
Much of the problems, which include on- and off-campus damages, were caused by non-fraternity-affiliated students and visitors.
Last St. Fratty’s Day, my residence hall —Trinity Hall — was vandalized. Trinity Hall was part of the Orfalea College of Business residential learning community, but due to disruptive behavior, the university shut down the living community in June 2024.
My fellow residents and I were left to foot the bill, paying more than $100 each for damages we didn’t cause.
Jack Callaghan, a sophomore architecture major who lived in the yakʔit ut u residence halls last year, shared a similar experience.
A floor in his building had its roof severely damaged, resulting in nearly
$200 in repair costs per person. The damages to yakʔit ut u buildings, considered one of Cal Poly’s nicer residence halls, were even more expensive than those in Trinity Hall.
“I wouldn’t place blame on any specific frat or anything like that,” said Owen Zach, a mathematics sophomore and former Trinity Hall resident. “Most of the time it’s rumors that start which blame frats for the problems events like these cause.”
Corbin Glebe, a business administration junior, further explained the issue.
“You just get swarms of people who don’t really know how to act,” he said. “It’s like their first event, and when you see someone doing something you aren’t accustomed to, you think that’s the norm.”
Damages in my Trinity Hall were irritating but were nowhere near as bad as the destruction in nearby Muir Hall. Because of the serious damages done by St. Fratty’s Day Festivities, about 300 residents in Muir Hall were temporarily displaced for hours.
One way to reduce the impact of student partying is to build an on-campus Greek Row or area where fraternity and sorority activities can be concentrated. This idea is not out of the realm of possibility, as it is already outlined in Cal Poly’s master plan, under the “Specialized Student Housing” section.
Centralizing fraternity houses on campus would move them away
from residential neighborhoods, significantly reducing the prevalence of illegal huh off-campus party houses.
You just get swarms of people who don’t really know how to act. It’s like their first event, and when you see someone doing something you aren’t accustomed to, you think that’s the norm.
CORBIN GLEBE
Business administration junior
Securing funding, university approval, and community support could address many of the residents’ frustrations while providing students with a safe, dedicated space to host their social events responsibly. In addition to these structural changes, increased enforcement of zoning laws is necessary. Illegal fraternity houses that operate in
family neighborhoods should be fined or penalized consistently so that their establishment is deterred. At the same time, the university can require mandatory registration for all off-campus student housing, ensuring that tenants know their responsibilities to the community.
Currently, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo does not mandate that students register their off-campus residences with the university. The university’s Off-Campus Housing Program offers resources to assist students in finding housing and understanding their responsibilities as tenants, but participation in this program is voluntary.
Concerning the Greek organizations directly, tighter accountability regulations regarding damages and behavioral issues must be balanced by such incentives as special awards or increased funding toward organizations that evidence the highest forms of community citizenship. By incorporating infrastructural solutions, stricter regulation, and open dialogue, a better balance of the community can be built in San Luis Obispo. It is time to take action before the tension between residents and students in events like St. Fratty’s Day becomes part of the city’s culture. Both groups want the same thing: to keep San Luis Obispo a friendly, safe, respectful place for all.
This problem is deeper than just St. Fratty’s Day. The 2023-24 academic
year alone tallied 3,075 incidents in Cal Poly residence halls, to the tune of $195,709 in damages: broken ceiling tiles, black mold, and unsafe water filters that compromised students’ safety.
These damages aren’t all studentcaused. A lot of the damage is from neglect by Cal Poly’s administration to fix these issues.
The impact wasn’t limited just to property damage. Adi Gottumukkala, a computer science junior, endured a Second-impact concussion when struck on the head by a detached exit sign in Poly Canyon Village last year, according to previous Mustang News reporting.
The administration must take responsibility to ensure that our campus is well-maintained, safe, and clean for everyone. This includes Greek life, other students, and the administration working together to address these issues. The solution to this ongoing tension is not straightforward.
ISA CORDOVEZ | MUSTANG NEWS
Meet the ‘adrenaline junkie’ setting Cal Poly Diving records
COURTESY OF CAL POLY ATHLETICS
I get a stupid grin when I’m doing something crazy. You’ve got to have some control of your emotions in order to become a good diver.
JUSTIN DOLEZAL
Sophmore at Cal Poly
Diving coach Laurel Abernethy said. “Last year, he worked really hard. He tried really hard. He broke a lot of records.”
To Abernathy, Dolezal’s infectious positive attitude has brought the rest of the team’s performance up with him since he arrived on campus.
They both joined Cal Poly in the fall of 2023, Dolezal coming from San Luis Obispo High School and Abernethy coming from Utah, where she had been an assistant diving coach at BYU.
Abernethy didn’t help with recruiting Dolezal’s freshmen class, so that fall was the first time she had ever interacted with him.
“Immediately, I knew he was the type of kid that you could give a hard time and joke around with, and he was serious, but not too intense,” Abernethy said.
HOW DOLEZAL WENT FROM GYMNAST TO DIVER
A lot of the mental challenges that go into being a successful gymnast translate easily to the diving board.
“It’s a lot of challenging yourself, and it’s a lot more mental than you would think,” Dolezal said. “Most people find a front flip scary. I’m doing four of those.”
The mechanics that go into a successful dive are different from a trampoline, but the air awareness that Dolezal possesses is a hard skill to teach.
He was first introduced to diving when Jerry Damron, his high school’s swimming coach at the time, coldcalled him to convince him to join the team.
The diving boards occupying the left side of the pool beckoned, but to Dolezal, they were considered off-limits this week.
Diving is a small collegiate sport; there are eight divers in the Cal Poly program.
STORY BY CHARLIE WILTSEE
DESIGNED BY JOLINA CHEN
Three weeks away from one of the biggest diving competitions of his life, Justin Dolezal was sidelined with a concussion. But you wouldn’t know it from his demeanor.
Dressed in Cal Poly gear, the biology sophomore grinned as he opened the gate to the Anderson Aquatic Center pool on Cal Poly’s campus.
Dolezal was in the midst of preparation for this year’s Big West Diving Championships when he hit his head on the board attempting a gainer flip — or a backflip going forward.
“That was a stupid one though,” Dolezal said about the dive.
A self-described “adrenaline junkie,” Dolezal got into diving for fun but ended up falling in love with the sport over time.
“Most people are scared of it,” Dolezal said. “You have to look at something hard and go: I could end up being hurt, but I’m going to try it anyway.”
Dolezal picked up diving as a 16-year-old sophomore at San Luis Obispo High School. His athletic background as an elite trampolinist helped him develop into one of the best divers in the Big West Conference.
As a freshman, he turned heads by placing third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Diving Championships. With his performance, he became the first Mustang diver to reach the podium in the championships.
Dolezal holds the program record for the highest finish in a conference championship, one of many times his name appears in the Cal Poly record books.
“I was so proud of him,” Cal Poly
“We’re all super tight-knit,” Dolezal said. “It was super cool to just walk into college and already have seven friends.”
Abernethy recalled a time in last year’s championships when he began shouting a bird call as an encouragement to divers on the board instead of a normal cheer.
“You could see every kid on the board just kind of smile, and he’s even encouraging his competition as well,” Abernethy said. “We started calling him Big Bird after that.”
The bird call caught on, and Abernethy kept hearing it after the championships.
In 2022, Damron was briefly the Cal Poly Diving coach, which made joining the Mustangs an easy choice for Dolezal.
Since choosing the program, Dolezal has been a dedicated student of the sport, often going to Abernethy with questions about his form or other divers he hopes to learn from.
“We have a lot of in-depth talks about the mechanics and stuff,” Abernethy said.
His attention to the minute details of a dive has allowed him to separate from the pack and surpass divers who have been competing for more than twice as long as him.
It’s hard to catch a moment with Dolezal where he isn’t laughing or cracking a joke, but he gets serious when describing his dedication to his diving career.
Justin Dolezal didn’t start diving competitively until he was 16 years old.
COURTESY OF CAL POLY ATHLETICS
Dolezal is one of eight divers on the Cal Poly Diving team.
“Diving is very weird, you’re trying to perfect one second of time,” Dolezal said. “It’s not like other sports where it’s a prolonged period of time, like a soccer game, where you get two hours. It’s one second six times, so it’s very precise, and it has to be mastered to do it well.”
DOLEZAL’S STANDOUT FRESHMAN SEASON
Everything went right for Dolezal in his first season with the Mustangs. He set top-five program marks in the one-meter, three-meter and platform dives and ended the year high on an MPSF Championship podium finish.
Nagging head and back injuries have slowed his progress in his second season, although he has still put together strong results over the year.
His best performance came in the Lumberjack Invite this past November, where he reset his own
personal best in the platform dive by securing a 265.20, good for second in program history.
Even though he can’t dive at the moment, Dolezal still attends every practice, looking to learn and mentally prepare for upcoming competitions.
“I think I’ve gotten a lot better,” Dolezal said. “I know I can hit the dives better, and it’s coming along awesome. Plus, my coach is working really hard on me, so I think it’s coming along.”
One of Dolezal’s goals is to catch 2022 Cal Poly graduate and former diver Max Powell in the record books.
Powell holds the program records for the one- and three-meter dives, in which Dolezal has climbed to second and fourth all-time.
“I’m less than 50 points off, and I have two years to get it,” Dolezal said.
“My inspiration is probably that I don’t like to lose. I don’t think most people do.”
COURTESY OF CAL POLY ATHLETICS
athleticism and technique when diving can be credited to his gymnastics background.
Dolezal’s
Cal State system’s AI initiative sparks faculty concerns regarding privacy, lack of prior consultation
STORY BY ABBY GORMAN DESIGNED BY LIZ RIDLEY
ChatGPT and other AI tools will soon be free for all CSU students, faculty and staff, according to a system-wide email from the CSU Office of the Chancellor on Feb. 3.
According to the announcement, OpenAI will collaborate with the Cal State campuses to deploy ChatGPT Edu, an advanced version of ChatGPT based on the latest GPT-4o model that advertises enhanced security and control for educational institutions.
The announcement sparked discourse amongst faculty, addressed in an email sent by the California Faculty Association on Feb. 5.
“Faculty should have the power to decide how and whether to use these tools and should not be subject to repercussions for using AI in responsible ways, nor for refusing to use it,” the email read.
Patrick Lin, director of Cal Poly’s Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group and a philosophy professor, raised concerns about the CSU’s shared governance policies, which require formal faculty consultation ahead of decision-making by the Chancellor’s
Office. The faculty has not been consulted about the initiative, Lin said.
“At Cal Poly, we’re internationally known for our work in AI and other technology ethics, so it’s a bit mind-boggling why the CSU wouldn’t even consult with their own in-house experts for free,” Lin said.
The faculty association said they hope to meet with Cal State management to discuss potential impacts on faculty, according to their email.
Cal State Spokesperson Hazel Kelly told Mustang News in an email Thursday that the system plans to work closely with faculty in this new initiative.
Foaad Khosmood, research director at Cal Poly’s Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy, said he felt blindsided by the announcement.
He also identified some potential uses within his department but noted that other disciplines, such as those within the College of Liberal Arts, will likely have vastly different approaches.
Leo Horwitz, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Club
president and computer science senior, said the initiative is promising for productivity and student success. However, Horwitz believes maintaining academic integrity and privacy should be the Cal State’s main priorities.
“We hope that the CSU will help students and staff learn how and when AI tools can be useful while maintaining academic integrity so that they can be used to their fullest extent,” Horwitz said.
Horwitz explained that Large Language Models (LLMs), a type of AI that can understand and create human-like text, often exclude their user data from the larger model when made for specific enterprises.
Faculty should have the power to decide how and whether to use these tools and should not be subject to repercussions for using AI in responsible ways, nor for refusing to use it.
PATRICK LIN
Director of Cal Poly’s Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group and philosophy professor
“We hope the CSU guarantees at least that privacy, at minimum, for its students,” he added.
Khosmood also voiced concerns over data privacy.
“Half a million CSU individuals, faculty and students, can be providing lots of data to these companies,” Khosmood said. “We want to be sure that there are at least good agreements that safeguard the privacy and the ethics of the situation.”
Ethical concerns stem from the potential misuse of student data, Lin explained.
“For all the talk about the importance of securing data at Cal Poly and every other modern-day organization, using ChatGPT and other LLMs
run entirely counter to that,” Lin said. Lin went on to say that Cal State using AI vendors is risky, as Cal State might not know their true motives.
“It’s not just philanthropy since they’re for-profit companies,” Lin said. “It could involve building profiles of students that can be monetized or otherwise exploited later.”
Accompanying this program is a newly established CSU AI Workforce Acceleration Board, which will identify usages for AI in the workplace, according to the press release. Board members include representatives from Amazon, LinkedIn and other tech companies involved in the development.
However, Lin expressed concern about the sole presence of AI vendors on the board.
“This is a clear conflict of interest when it comes to a highly contentious domain like LLMs in education,” Lin said.
This is a developing story, Mustang News will update as more information becomes available.
those of Mustang Media Group.
When I check my class syllabus at the start of every new quarter, I look for three things: the final exam date, the percentage I need to earn an A and, more recently, the professor’s AI policy. Each professor and course is different; I’ve had classes where AI was enthusiastically encouraged, and others where it was outright banned.
That’s why I was so surprised to see an announcement in my inbox from the CSU Chancellor’s Office on Feb. 4 detailing our new status as the “nation’s first and largest AI-powered public university system.”
To me, this reads as an unprecedented systemwide endorsement of AI tools like ChatGPT.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be taking advantage of a free ChatGPT-4o subscription as soon as everybody else. At the same time, I’m worried about the dangerous precedent of hooking students on AI tools, seemingly without input from faculty.
The Cal State system is unjustly inserting itself in what should be a classroom-to-classroom dynamic.
ence to the faculty that make our universities as great as it is. The textbook puts the answer set at the back for a reason: relying on it too much defeats the purpose of learning foundational skills.
This is a disrespectful move that undermines tens of thousands of faculty members’ abilities to implement their classroom policies. Before I dive in, I want to be clear that I understand the profound power AI tools can bring students. As an ethics, public policy, science and technology minor, I’ve spent the past three years studying AI and its impact on society. In my research with the Cal Poly Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group, I’ve contributed to reports on generative AI in entertainment and AI risk assessment frameworks. And, of course, I’m a student who’s used AI tools to help me with my assignments.
Professors deserve to make certain decisions on what is best for their class environment. Yes, some may be sticklers about new technology in general. But we can’t ignore the underlying message nearly every
If we’re all relying on AI tools for our assignments, we’re not developing key skills and our $60,000 degrees begin to lose their value in the eyes if employers.
LANDON BLOCK Political science junior
One reason I prefer using the free version of AI tools is that it will stop me from accessing premium models after a certain amount of usage. It reminds me, ‘Hey, remember you have a brain and critical thinking skills; you don’t need me for everything.’
to stop you from flipping back too many times, but a free premium subscription provides no external motivation to struggle in search of a solution.
I’m not against students using ChatGPT, Claude or NotebookLM to help them fill in the gaps between lectures. I use these tools, too. I am, however, hesitant to encourage students to rely on AI tools to finish every assignment. Moreover, I am afraid this announcement will undermine professors’ individual AI policies.
Patrick Lin, the director of the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group and a philosophy professor at Cal Poly, told Mustang News that neither his team nor seemingly faculty at large were brought into this decision.
“At Cal Poly, we’re internationally known for our work in AI and other technology ethics, so it’s a bit mind-boggling why CSU wouldn’t even consult with their own in-house experts for free,” Lin said.
An email sent out by the California Faculty Association also indicated resistance to the announcement.
There are also huge privacy and environmental concerns about introducing AI on such a large scale. These are real fears I share and could go into at length, but that isn’t my main concern today. AI developers need to focus on these issues, and the Cal State management should focus on enhancing our education. Simply put: the Cal State system is unjustly inserting itself in what should be a classroom-to-classroom dynamic. If professors want to encourage AI use for their assignments, great. If students decide on their own the benefit is worth $20 a month, great. I believe it is not the Cal State’s place to provide these tools to students without meaningfully consulting faculty.
Administration owes more deference to the faculty that make our universities as great as it is. The textbook puts the answer set at the back for a reason: relying on it too much defeats the purpose of learning foundational skills. This is a disrespectful move that undermines tens of thousands of faculty members’ abilities to implement their classroom policies.
LIZ RIDLEY | MUSTANG NEWS
Cal Poly is the most expensive Cal State university to attend
A fee increase plan wanted to make Cal Poly more accessible. Two years later, financial aid gets 20% of total fee revenue
STORY BY JEREMY GARZA
DESIGNED BY AVIV KESAR
Cal Poly has been a dream school for Jocelyn Vasquez since her freshman year of high school. But two quarters into the computer engineering program, she is rethinking following her dreams.
Vasquez had to pay $10,000 out of pocket to attend Cal Poly, and her parents are not helping her cover the costs of attendance.
“Although I have received a substantial amount of help at least for my circumstances, I feel like I still need more,” Vasquez said. “It’s on me, so I just don’t think it was enough.”
Vasquez says FAFSA helps and has found additional scholarships to cover the costs of attending Cal Poly, but they are only for one academic
year. She has to find new scholarships or reapply for next year.
Cal Poly students, like Vasquez, pay the highest student-based fees in the Cal State system. For the 202425 academic year, some students pay $6,077, according to the Cal State Committee on Finance. This year, Cal Poly student-based fees are about $2,500 higher than the next most costly university — Cal Maritime.
The Board of Trustees received a report outlining student fees at each campus during its January meeting. The system has consistent systemwide tuition costs, and each campus can determine and charge students a campus-specific fee.
In March 2022, President Jeffrey
Armstrong approved a gradual college-based fee increase through 2026-2027. Since then, Cal Poly’s college-based fees have increased by 5-8% each year, as part of The Cal Poly College Based Fee Student Aid and Learn by Doing Plan.
Some students who started this fall pay $2,592 more in fees than they would have if they started three years ago. Incoming students in the Colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; Architecture and Environmental Design; and Engineering have experienced the highest increase in fees.
The fee cost is individual to each incoming class. Students pay the same fee amount for the entire
time they are enrolled. The fee was approved by a student body vote and only affects the newest class of students each year.
The plan provides additional financial aid to lower-income, middleclass and first-generation students who might not be able to attend Cal Poly otherwise, according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.
The entire college-based fees generated a $31 million budget during the 2023-2024 year, according to Cal Poly Administration and Finance. 42% of the budget goes to academic salaries, 24% to bonuses and 22% to financial aid.
A presentation given to students in 2022 said 60% of the revenue
generated from the fee was intended to fund financial aid and 40% would fund other academic areas, according to previous Mustang News coverage. Only 60% of the raised portion of the fee is approved to support financial aid, according to Lazier.
The campus-based fee increase raised Cal Poly’s total in-state cost by nearly 20% for students enrolled after the 2025-26 school year. Low-income out-of-state students and California residents who make above $150,000 are not eligible for financial aid from the college-based fees.
Along with tuition and the collegebased fee, Cal Poly students pay Student Success, ASI and other fees to attend the university.
Some students who started this fall pay $2,592 more in fees than they would have if they started three years ago.
Olivia Watts, Cal Poly’s CalFresh outreach coordinator, says there has been a large increase in applications for CalFresh, California’s supplemental nutrition assistance program, over the past four years.
It’s on me, so I just don’t think it was enough.
JOCELYN VASQUEZ
Computer engineering freshman
“We’re seeing the cost of living, groceries, rent, and utilities all increasing, and that’s hard for somebody that’s working full time,” Watts said. “That’s even harder for somebody who’s a college student and is definitely scraping by. It makes me sad that the fees for students are increasing.”
CalFresh eligibility requirements started to include undergraduate students with the passage of legislation in 2021. Watts says the increase in students enrolling in CalFresh is due to more awareness of the
program and the rising cost of living, but she also thinks the increasing fees is not helping the situation.
“I do think that it’s becoming much more difficult for students from non-traditional backgrounds to pursue an education or pursue a degree at Cal Poly,” Watts said.
“We see it time and time again that students are sharing how hard of a time they’re having financially, and it breaks my heart.”
Vasquez has felt support from the Education Opportunity Program (EOP) at Cal Poly. She was able to take courses at Cal Poly before she started this fall for free with support from the program.
Beyond financial support, Vasquez has made connections with people who have similar backgrounds as her, which motivates her to stay at Cal Poly despite the financial burden.
“Honestly, because of the EOP program, I have a lot of people like me from underfunded schools,”
Vasquez said. “I feel like I built a community, and I feel like it would be kind of hard to leave them.”
Cal Poly has the highest cost of attendance amongst all the institutions in the Cal State System – an estimated $36,579 this year for in-state students who live on campus, according to Cal State calculations.
SAM ARRIGONI | MUSTANG NEWS Students walking in the University Union on Feb. 13.
SAM ARRIGONI | MUSTANG NEWS
Cal Poly to host on-campus St. Patrick’s Day event in place of St. Fratty’s block party
This is an ongoing story. Read the original version at mustangnews.net.
STORY BY ARCHANA PISUPATI DESIGNED BY JULIA HAZEMOTO
After the city reported record-high criminal offenses at last year’s St. Fratty’s Day block party, Cal Poly is moving the notorious event off the streets and onto campus.
A free music festival is planned at the Lower Sports Complex with police enforcement and city supervision in the early hours of March 15.
‘Morning On the Green – A Mustang Music Festival,’ will be free for students. It will be open to anyone 18 and older, with food and drinks available. Alcohol will be served at a beer garden to students 21 and older, according to the SLO Tribune.
The event intends to discourage neighborhood partying and disruption while keeping students on campus, instead of in the nearby neighborhoods.
According to records obtained by Mustang News, headliner options include The Kid Laroi, John Summit, Ice Spice and Sexyy Red. The supporting artists considered were Rico Nasty, Subtronics, Doechii, Ski Mask the Slump God, Big Sean, A Boogie, NLE Choppa and Denzel Curry.
The music festival will feature a headliner and support artist, according to a form sent to Inter Housing Council and RAs on Jan. 28. The form asked the RAs to rank their favorite artists for each category to gauge student interest.
San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott mentioned during a Goal Setting workshop Saturday that their first artist fell through and there is a 60 percent chance of the event happening.
WHAT OTHER PRECAUTIONS ARE CAL POLY AND SAN LUIS OBISPO TAKING?
To combat concerns of property damages on campus, University Housing announced guests will not be allowed in all University Housing from March 13-18. Charges for on-campus damages incurred
during the six days will be doubled from the usual rates.
The official St. Patrick’s Day event site states, “Out-of-town guests should not plan to come here,” as no overnight visitor parking will be available on campus.
By the City of San Luis Obispo, St. Fratty’s Day will remain under a Safety Enhancement Zone, resulting in doubled fines for public urination, open container, unruly gatherings, and noise. This means any individual who receives a first-offense fine will be charged $700. The Safety Enhancement Zone will take place on March 7-9 and March 14-17.
Additionally, the university and city presented to Greek life organizations, the Inter Housing Council, and ASI to create state-wide paid social media ads and contact other universities to discourage student attendance. Starting Feb. 15, neigh-
will begin, according to the presentation given at City Council.
TASK FORCE TO SHUT DOWN ST. FRATTY’S
It is currently unclear if the university will solely be funding this concert, however, many of the proposed headliners are out of that affordability range.
When asked about the budget and funding for the event, Cal Poly Spokesperson Matt Lazier stated in an email to Mustang News, “We’ll be able to talk further about budgetary questions after St. Patrick’s Day.”
According to the 2024-2025 ASI Fiscal Operating Budget, ASI proposed $160,000 in funding for concerts, a 33.5% increase from the year before.
In addition to musicians, the
Unruly Gathering
Possession or consumption of alcohol in public Noise Control Public Urination
MUSTANG NEWS FILE PHOTO
Breakdown of reported crimes in 2024
borhood canvassing
university will provide special programming for harm reduction.
Cal Poly is setting up hydration boxes and will present drug overdose education via PULSE.
On March 13, PULSE will host a booth on the Health Center Lawn to instruct students in detecting alcohol poisoning and when to call for help.
Fraternities and sororities can also request hydration boxes and pick them up from PULSE.
After the event, the Fraternity and Sorority Life Center for Service in Action will host a neighborhood cleanup.
Since then, Cal Poly developed a St. Patrick’s Day Task Force in Oct. 2024, according to Mayor Erica Stewart. While the city and university’s end goal is to completely cancel the event, San Luis Obispo Deputy Chief Fred Mickel said this event plan reflects a realistic timeline to shut the event down in a few years.
RECORD DAMAGES ACCUMULATED DURING ST. FRATTY’S 2024
Last year, the university faced nearly $24,000 worth of damages in Tenaya Hall and Muir Hall alone. Lazier confirmed the damages included broken fire suppression and alarm systems, smashed ceiling tiles leaving debris and a need
for deep cleaning and air quality restoration throughout both residence halls. While there were ongoing investigations to find responsible parties, damages gone unidentified became the collective responsibility of student residents. Each resident in each respective hall was asked to pay a sum of the total damage fine.
HISTORY OF ST. FRATTY’S
St. Fratty’s is Cal Poly’s most recent student event to draw national attention due to destructive behavior.
In May 1990, a nearly 60-yearold tradition called Poly Royal was canceled after a weekend of rioting.
A record 110 arrests created mass disruption in the community, hauling more than 100 students to be treated at local hospitals, according to past Mustang News coverage.
With the cancellation of Poly Royal, a new event emerged to entice large gatherings of students in the streets.
Over the next 14 years, Cal Poly became accustomed to the annual Mardi Gras celebrations; which are now left with one headline: The 2004 Mardi Gras riot.
University Housing discontinued the Orfalea College of Business Residential Learning Community for the 2024-25 academic year in response to these damages. Due to an influx in damages from the start of the pandemic until the culminating event, last St. Fratty’s.
Following Mardi Gras, St. Fratty’s celebrations debuted in 2009, becoming the replacement event and garnering national attention for the destructive aftermath. Over the years, the amount of neighborhood damages increased, according to public records data from the San Luis Obispo City Clerk.
This is an ongoing story. Mustang News will publish updates as more information becomes available.
Jeremy Garza contributed to the reporting of this story and requested the public records data for the graphs.
Nature’s Hollywood species needs help
STORY BY KAYLIN O’CONNELL DESIGNED BY KENNEDY RAY
When Danielle Bronson was a little girl, Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove was home to about 250,000 monarchs. Now the state park interpreter at Pismo Beach, Bronson’s grove only welcomed 500 butterflies this year.
Western monarch butterflies experienced their second-lowest population count in history this season, according to Bronson. The all-time low occurred in 2021.
The Hollywood species, a term coined by Bronson due to their immense popularity, are famous for their annual migration that spans North America. Once northern conditions become too cold, they retreat south towards locations with warmer climates, including much of the California coast.
The population’s downward trend can be attributed to many factors. Despite being one of the most-studied vertebrates, it is difficult for researchers to pinpoint an exact cause for this year’s population dip, Bronson said.
Record-high late summer temperatures along with drought in the Western United States are among the potential factors in this year’s monarch butterfly population decrease, said biological sciences master’s student.
Droughts heavily affect the monarch butterflies overwintering sites, as they create unfavorable environments for the sites’ eucalyptus trees.
However, California is composed mostly of grassland and shrubs, so the density of eucalyptus trees heavily appealed to the monarch butterflies, according to Nessen.
“The drought, particularly in 2016,
Monarch butterfly population in Pismo on a decline
terminally hurt these eucalyptus trees,” Nessen said. “Almost all of our groves are in really poor condition.”
Pismo Beach Monarch Grove is working to combat the drought effects by planting new trees and implementing irrigation. These efforts help boost tree growth and contribute to the health of eucalyptus trees, Bronson said.
The more positive messages that we get out, the more people will truly understand the state that [monarch butterflies] are in and be more inclined to find ways that they themselves can help.
DANIELLE BRONSON State park interpreter
“Pismo is actually doing quite well compared to other groves I’ve seen,” Nessen said. “But, it still has a number of trees that were all planted around the same time a little too close, and they’re vulnerable to being knocked down in these strong wind events.
CA STATE PARKS | COURTESY The butterfly population has potential for large population swings due to how many eggs they can lay.
Along with drought, low numbers are likely caused by fertilizers, pesticides or lack of native milkweed, Bronson explained.
“The more positive messages that we get out, the more people will truly understand the state that [monarch butterflies] are in and be more inclined to find ways that they themselves can help,” Bronson said.
Monarch butterflies were recently proposed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, which
would help protect the species, Nessen said. Destroying a monarch butterfly habitat would become a felony, in contrast to smaller fines.
Although monarch numbers are low this year, their sensitivity grants them the ability to fluctuate greatly based on the quality of their conditions. They can lay up to a few hundred eggs depending on the quality of their environment.
“You can have these huge [population] swings because of this ability
of the butterflies to reproduce very fast,” Nessen said. “Every time they reproduce, they can potentially have hundreds of viable offspring that can then go on to make hundreds more.”
Nessen encouraged everyone to visit the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove if possible.
“We live in a very special place to see this,” Nessen said. “The monarch migration is one of the most famous examples of animal migration that we have.”
We live in a very special place to see this, The monarch migration is one of the most famous examples of animal migration that we have.
CA STATE PARKS | COURTESY
Monarch butterflies were recently proposed to fall under the Endangered Species Act.
KYLE NESSEN
Biological sciences
masters student
CA STATE PARKS | COURTESY
The amount of monarch butterflies has declined to 500 in recent months.
From S’well to Stanley:
Why you think you always need a new water bottle
OPINION BY ERIN YARWOOD DESIGNED BY AUDREY WALCH
Erin Yarwood is a journalism senior and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
I remember bringing a CamelBak water bottle with me to third grade alongside pretty much every other kid in my class. Throughout the years, there has been a definitive group of reusable water bottles that have risen above the rest. Each time a new one takes reign, it is eventually overthrown: Nalgene, S’well, Yeti, Hydro Flask, Stanley, Owala, the list goes on.
While the “emotional support water bottle” trend signifies the uptick in personal eco-friendly practices, it’s also an explicit reflection of modern consumerism and overconsumption. The rise of reusable water bottles was initially tied to sustainability, but along the way, it has become focused on aesthetics, profit and social status.
Like many other types of products, this type of overconsumption leaves perfectly functional older water bottles cast to the side or thrown away.
Nalgene is considered to be the first reusable water bottle that kick started this market. In the 1960s and 1970s, Nalegene — which is still widely sold and used today — was targeted towards a niche group of concerned consumers.
While many of these products are marketed as eco-friendly, the rise of water bottle culture reflects another culture of excessive consumerism. This goes against the very reason why reusable water bottles were pushed in the first place.
ERIN YARWOOD Journalism senior
People worried about single-use plastic and their impact on our planet became Nalgene’s biggest buyers. This stapled Nalgene as the original “granola” water bottle for outdoorsy folk.
As reusable water bottles and eco-friendly choices heightened in popularity, other trendy water bottles entered the spotlight. Social media aided significantly in these shifts.
The “VSCO-girl” trend sent Hydro Flask sales skyrocketing around 2020, and in 2024 a viral TikTok of a Stanley Cup surviving a car fire showcased the newest trendy bottle. Today, water bottle culture is hard to ignore. Owning the trendiest new bottle has become a status symbol as a result.
Now, I’m an avid user of my own reusable water bottle, and I take it basically everywhere I go. Reusable water bottles are a very simple way for people to save money and resources over time.
The illusion of sustainability is at the core of this cycle. Bottle marketing affirms buyers’ choices, yet consumers are constantly persuaded to replace their
Frequently purchasing a new reusable bottle fuels overproduction and unnecessary waste, contradicting the very reasons these products exist.
As soon as a shiny, bright new product comes along, it replaces the prior one. Even when your Hydro Flask still works perfectly fine, you need the newest Owala. And while you’re at it, you may as well get the two-pack. Water bottle culture has transformed the use of a sustainable product into a status symbol focused on trends and profits, not on hydration and eco-friendly habits.
To break this cycle, consumers need to shop for longevity rather than aesthetics. It is hard to resist what’s being marketed towards you,
that’s the point. Reshifting our focus to the real reasons these types of products exist is a start.
If your bottle is really your emotional support water bottle, then don’t replace it, no matter the trend. Before replacing your bottle, ask yourself: “Am I replacing it because it’s broken or just because I want the newest trend?” Will this new bottle actually improve your hydration or lifestyle in a meaningful way? The same principles can and should be applied to other products as well. Water bottle culture is just one example of countless products that are driving excessive consumption globally. Before making any new purchase, consider whether you will benefit from it or if you are falling under the influence of clever marketing.
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