Wheeling to health and wellness. ARTS, pg. 4
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Volume LXXVI, Number 93
www.mustangdaily.net
Student death determined to be suicide
Emergency crews responded to a report of hazardous chemicals in the R2 parking lot on March 16 while a student observes from afar. VICTORIA BILLINGS
victoriabillings.md@gmail.com
Police identified the body of Cal Poly physics freshman Osvaldo Ponce in his car March 16 on the last day of finals before spring break, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD). A coroner’s examination later determined that Ponce’s death was a suicide. Interim vice president of student affairs Preston Allen sent an email to students on Monday expressing the university’s sadness over Ponce’s death and urged students affected by the loss or depression to seek help at the Counseling Center or from resources such as the Mayo Clinic or National Suicide
Hotline. “As we re-open the campus, it is important as a community that we continue on but never forget what a difference each person makes in the lives of others,” Allen wrote in the email. Ponce was first found by a construction worker who noticed handmade hazardous chemical warning signs in the window of the car, parked in lot R2, University Police Department (UPD) chief Bill Watton said. The worker saw that someone was unresponsive inside the vehicle, Watton told reporters at the scene. The individual then called UPD, who dispatched an officer, Watton said. When the officer determined the person inside
We backed up from that point with the hazardous gasses that may be present with the owner and the signs. BILL WATTON UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF
was deceased, UPD called in the San Luis Obispo Fire Department, County of San Luis Obispo Environmental Health Services and the San Luis Obispo County Hazardous Materials Team. “We backed up from that point with the hazardous gases that may be present with the owner and the
signs,” Watton said on scene. The different departments then tested the scene and discovered a small container of hydrogen sulfide in the car. The gas is “colorless, flammable, extremely hazardous gas with a ‘rotten egg’ smell,” according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website.
VICTORIA BILLINGS/MUSTANG DAILY
Hydrogen sulfide, known as swamp gas, occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, hot springs and from the bacterial breakdown of wastes and can be extremely hazardous in high levels, according to the OSHA website. The parking lot itself was closed off for several hours, along with parking lots G1, G2 and G4 and parts of Slack Street, which borders the campus. Authorities then determined the threat to students, who had to their trips home for spring break postponed. During this time, authorities told students only that there may be hazardous chemicals on the scene and that they could not have access to their cars, biological sciences freshman Cayla
Clark said. Clark took her suitcase to her friend’s car after her last Friday final, and was soon asked to leave by an officer who was clearing the lot, she said. “They were like, ‘Get in your car or else you’re going to be trapped here for hours,’” Clark said. Clark, who didn’t have the keys to her friend’s vehicle, took her suitcase to the sidewalk bordering parking lot R2 and waited there for several hours before the parking lot was cleared for students again. A memorial program is planned for Ponce on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Yosemite residence hall, followed by a candlelight awareness vigil at 7:30 p.m.
Student Success Fee approved, committee plan finalized SEAN MCMINN
seanmcminn.md@gmail.com
The California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office approved Cal Poly’s request to enact the Student Success Fee on March 16, ending months of planning and outreach over the tuition increase. Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong announced the approval of the quarterly fee in a campus-wide email to students. On March 5, he submitted a fee proposal to CSU Chancellor Charles Reed, who then sent the necessary documents to move forward with the fee to Armstrong’s office the morning of March 16. “(The chancellor) complimented the campus on the wide discussions we had,”
Armstrong said. “And the fact we did the referendum and the consultative process.” The chancellor’s letter to Armstrong’s office called the Student Success Fee a “commendable plan consistent with the CSU’s graduation initiative.” The Student Success Fee, which will take effect this fall, will add $260 to Cal Poly tuition by Fall 2014. It will be phased in over two years, beginning at $160 per quarter before increasing to $210 in Fall 2013. Students approved the fee in an advisory vote to the president late last month. Of the 7,600 students who voted, 57 percent favored implementing the fee. Armstrong said he was see FEES, pg. 2
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MDnews 2
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Cal Poly alumnus arrested on assault allegations Lima approached the officer with his car near the intersection of Nipomo and Dana street the evening of St. Patrick’s Day.
GRAPHIC BY ANDREW ROSS
The incident with Lima and the officers took place near Nipomo and Dana street in Downtown San Luis Obispo. VICTORIA BILLINGS
victoriabillings.md@gmail.com
A Cal Poly alumnus was arrested for allegedly attempting to hit a police officer with his vehicle during spring break, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD). Twenty-four-year-old Brian Lima, a resident of King City
was arrested the evening of St. Patrick’s Day, after he allegedly drove his car toward a bicycle officer, SLOPD lieutenant Keith Storton said. Two officers noticed Lima spinning his tires at the intersection of Dana and Nipomo streets and approached him, Storton said. Lima then drove down Dana Street before turning
around and backing toward the officers, Storton said. “He actually veered his vehicle toward one of the officers where the officer had to get out of the way,” Storton said. The officers put out a citywide alert with Lima’s vehicle’s description, and he was later arrested that night and booked at San Luis Obispo County Jail on numer-
ous charges; assault with a deadly weapon, refusal to obey a peace officer, reckless driving and driving under the inf luence. The first charge he received was a felony which, if Lima is found guilty, could mean prison time, Storton said. But members of Lima’s family say he was falsely accused. Lima was not trying to hit an officer, but trying to avoid the officer who was standing in the street, a family member who wished to re-
main anonymous said. Blood tests were taken after Lima’s arrest to determine whether or not he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and the family and police are still waiting for results, the source said. The main pre-preliminary hearing to Lima’s trial is scheduled to be held in San Luis Obispo on Wednesday. “Hopefully, it won’t be anything negative, and I hope everything will stay positive,” the source said.
He actually veered his vehicle toward one of the officers where the officer had to get out of the way. KEITH STORTON SAN LUIS POLICE LIEUTENANT
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FEES continued from page 1
supportive of the tuition increase before the vote, but his views were confirmed by the student referendum. “If I thought it was fundamentally a bad idea, I wouldn’t have let all the discussion go on,” he said. In his email, Armstrong called the students’ approval of the fee a “statement of (students’) trust in Cal Poly.” He said he plans to keep students’ confidence by working to ensure the money brought in by the fee is targeted to areas that need funding most. “What really hangs on me is the importance of trust,” he said. “I feel like we’ve earned the trust, and now I plan to keep it.” Armstrong and other administrators concluded meetings Monday afternoon to decide on a plan to determine who will be on the committee that decides exactly where the money from the Student Success Fee will go. Armstrong said the committee will be made up of 11 representatives; seven of which are students. Six of those individuals will be student-elected members of the ASI Board of Directors, one from each college. According to Armstrong, members will be selected later this quarter and will be approved by him to serve on the committee. “Whatever we do, it will be done very openly and transparently,” Armstrong said. In a vote conducted through the Cal Poly portal alongside the advisory referendum, students indicated their thoughts on where the Student Success Fee money should be spent. The vote found the top priorities are access to classes and labs and additional focus on Learn By Doing programs. Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) president and political science senior Kiyana Tabrizi will co-chair the committee with Vice President of Administration and Finance Larry Kelley. Tabrizi said student members of the committee will be ASI representatives and will reach out to student groups in order to determine financial priorities. “I’m excited for ASI to see outreach to students and learn about different priorities and new problems we can work on in the future,” she said. Cal Poly administrators expect the money to be allocated by the end of spring quarter for the next academic year. Tabrizi said the new ASI president, who students will elect in late April, will take an active role on the Student Success Fee committee, and will be the next co-chair after Tabrizi graduates. “They (the student representatives) are representing students, so I am going to expect them to think for the broader student population.” Armstrong said. Tabrizi said the incoming ASI president will be caught up with what has already been done when he or she takes office. “It’s always this natural transition process we do every year so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Tabrizi said. Armstrong said he wants to begin work quickly to select members for the committee that will will establish a budget for the Student Success Fee. “We want this committee to be like a biological organism: living,” Armstrong said.
MDnews 3
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
WORD ON THE STREET What are your hopes or expectations for the new quarter?
“To not be distracted by the great weather, and finish the year strong.” • Irene Hasen animal science sophomore
“Connect with people I haven’t seen in a while.” • Brett Vergara agriculture senior
“I hope I can make it to my 8 a.m. class.” • Tony Colias earth science freshman
STATE
NATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
LOS ANGELES —
FLORIDA —
NORTH KOREA —
Jeffrey Stenroos, the former Los Angeles school police officer who staged his own shooting last year in a bizarre hoax that caused three schools to be locked down and forced closure of streets across the western San Fernando Valley, will pay the city a lump sum of $309,000 in restitution, authorities said Monday. In exchange for the restitution, Judge Richard Kirschner agreed to let Stenroos post bail from Los Angeles County jail pending the outcome of an appeal.
Thousands converged on Sanford, Fla., on Monday for an afternoon rally to protest the killing of Trayvon Martin, who died one month ago. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, the Rev. Al Sharpton and comedian Sinbad spoke at a 5 p.m. special city commission meeting. The rally comes a day after an attorney in the case, Craig Sonner, took to the television networks to argue George Zimmerman’s case.
Pope Benedict XVI arrived Monday in this sweltering city along Cuba’s southeastern coast, the first stop in a whirlwind tour of this communist island aimed at building on the spiritual gains that his predecessor, John Paul II, made during a historic visit 14 years ago. Cuban President Raul Castro, who wore a business suit and sported a red tie, met Pope Benedict, warmly clasping the pope’s hand in his at the bottom of the airplane’s stairs.
Health care case continues MICHAEL DOYLE
McClatchy Newspapers
Supreme Court justices on Tuesday will enter the second and most crucial day of historic, closely watched arguments that could determine whether most Americans will have to buy health care coverage or pay penalties. The legal and political world will be watching closely. Monday was a preview — while justices heard arguments on a tax-related case in chambers, lawyers, politicians and protesters gathered outside, arguing their own cases. And to add punctuation, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum stopped by, using the forum to tout his staunch opposition to the health care mandate. Inside, Chief Justice John Roberts offered a signal of his own. “We cannot avoid a decision simply because the case has political implications,” he said on Monday morning, while summarizing an unrelated decision. The 90-minute argument Monday morning had little to do with the merits or even the substance of the 2,700page health care law passed by congressional Democrats in 2010. Instead, opening-day arguments centered on whether lawsuits challenging the case are premature. The two-hour arguments Tuesday, by contrast, will strike at the heart of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by challenging the law’s requirement that U.S. residents either buy insurance or pay a tax penalty. “Day Two is where the action is,” said Ohio Attorney
General Mike DeWine, an opponent of the law. Tuesday deals with the power of Congress under the Constitution, one of the issues, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., told the court, that is “of great moment.” Monday dealt more with a 19th century law and the meaning of the word “tax.” The Anti-Injunction Act, first written in 1867, states that legal action cannot be taken to block a tax until the tax itself has been imposed. The health care law imposes a fee, to be collected by the Internal Revenue Service at tax time, on U.S. residents who fail to purchase health insurance. This so-called individual mandate starts in 2014, and the first fees would be collected by April 15, 2015. If the penalty imposed on those who don’t buy insurance isn’t a tax, then the AntiInjunction Act doesn’t apply and the lawsuits can proceed. “Congress has nowhere used the term ‘tax,’” said Justice Stephen Breyer during Monday’s argument. “What it says is ‘penalty.’” Justice Sonia Sotomayor agreed that “Congress is not denominating it as a tax; it’s denominating it as a penalty.” Justice Antonin Scalia said that “there’s at least some doubt about the issue,” and other justices likewise sounded similar themes. “This is not a revenue-raising measure,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. “If it’s successful, nobody will pay the penalty, and there will be no revenue to raise.” The Obama administration had initially deployed the tax argument in an effort to block the lawsuits, but after losing in one trial officials changed
course and now agree with the bill’s opponents that lawsuits can proceed. The Supreme Court assigned attorney Robert Long to make the case that the lawsuits are premature. “Congress directed that the penalty shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as taxes,” Long said, adding that “you must pay the tax first, and then litigate.” The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the fees will produce between $5 billion and $6 billion annually. Before, during and after the arguments, about 400 people gathered below the steps outside the Supreme Court; most appeared to be supporting the law. About 75 people marched in a parabolic circle holding red, white and blue signs that said “Protect the Law” and chanting, “Care for you, care for me, care for every family.” The supporters were largely organized by a coalition of labor and activist groups. Across the street from the court, 27 supportive talk-show hosts formed a “Radio Row” featuring sympathetic guests. Nearby stood Katherine Prather, a medical student from Kansas City, Mo., with her dog Ellie. “If she has health insurance, so should everyone else,” Prather said. Ken Campbell flew to Washington from Lincoln, Calif., where he has a ranch. He spent $640 on a roundtrip ticket so he could spread his message critiquing the individual mandate that’s at the heart of Tuesday’s arguments. Ken Campbell f lew to Washington from Lincoln, Calif., where he currently owns a ranch.
MDarts 4
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
COURTESY PHOTO
Wheelmen cycle to health and wellness SAMANTHA SULLIVAN
samanthasullivan.md@gmail.com
This April marks the 24th annual Criterium bike race — a race which notoriously blocks roads and sidewalks around campus. After 24 years of racing through campus, the Wheelman cycling club is turning the race into a whole weekend with the first ever Criterium Health and Wellness Fair. The fair, which will be held Thursday during UU Hour, was University Housing’s idea, Wheelmen president and architecture senior Kathryn Hicks said. In the past, there was tension between the club and residents because the racers are right outside the red brick residence halls early Sunday morning, Hicks said. The fair will be a way to get the whole campus involved, Student Life and Leadership assistant coordinator for student clubs and organization Layla Zare said. Zare, a business administration junior, said because the race is located on campus, Student Life and Leadership wanted to make it a university event focusing on bike safety and overall health and wellness. The race went well with the opening of the Recreation Center and allows students to focus on what their future looks like related to health, she said. “The race is so impactful on the residents, we wanted to make it something fun they could be a part of
rather than something that changes their usual Sunday routine,” Zare said. Students can expect to see 10 to 12 different clubs promoting awareness for health, including Safer, Stride, Peers Understanding Listening Speaking Educating and club sports and representatives from San Luis Obispo Health and Fitness, Zare said. The Wheelmen invited its sponsors and other bicyclists in the community to be a part of the event as well, according to Hicks, and will also have a stationary bike trainer for people to use. “It makes it a treadmill, if you will,” Hicks said. “There’ll be a contest for how much power you can put out.” The club will also be running a bike-fix for students. If you need to fix a flat, tighten breaks or have other maintenance issues, the club will help for free. “We promote cycling because we enjoy riding and the lifestyle as a whole, for the commuter or someone who rides for fun,” Hicks said. “We race some but it’s not mandatory for being in the club.” A Wellness Expo will also be held on the same day as the race. Zare said there will be bike companies, massage therapists from SLO Wellness giving out free massages, food and music. Students who come to watch the race will see a familiar face amongst the riders. Cal Poly President Jeffrey Arm-
strong has been invited to be the Grand Marshal, Zare said. He’ll ride in a casual lap to start off the upper division collegiate races, she said. “We wanted to thank him for being supportive throughout the year,” Zare said. “It’s this interaction that makes being involved worthwhile.” The lap will also have professionals from the racing community, including San Luis Obispo local Menso DeJong, who graduated last year and is now racing for team Jelly Belly. According to Hicks, the team is one step below the Tour de France, but is at the top level for the United States. The race is divided into categories based on experience and skill level, with “D” denoting a beginner and “A” being the fastest and most experienced riders. Armstong’s lap will be held before the men’s “A” race. The Criterium race is a sixmile loop around the red brick dorms, road race director and mechanical engineering sophomore Justin Russo said. There are approximately a dozen races a day and they go for about 25 minutes around this loop, he said. According to Hick, Criterium is fun to watch because it’s a small course and you see riders every two minutes or so. “Cycling racing has been going on longer than I’ve been alive,” Russo said. “People are welcome to come out and watch. We want people to come and check it out.”
MDarts 5
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Fling into spring with dairy in your diet Heather Rockwood is a food science junior and Mustang Daily food columnist. There are few things in this world I love as much as I love dairy. My meals always consist of some sort of creamy addition, and it is almost always full-fat with no remorse. This may seem decadent to some, but for me, a life without dairy just isn’t worth living. Now, I have an extreme case of
dairy-dedication, but benefits of consuming dairy can still be found with a lower level of commitment: aka a normal person’s consumption rate. The MyPlate icon (the new government-established daily nutrition recommendations) suggests three cups of dairy per day as part of a healthy and well-balanced diet. I, of course, fulfill this requirement no questions asked, but some people (especially the lactose-
“Back to school” • PHOTO CREDIT Krisha Agatep •
intolerant community) may be wondering how in the world they will reach that goal. Well, have I got news for you: Yogurt. Yes, yogurt. Yogurt has all the benefits (and then some) of solid milk while remaining perfectly digestible to those who cannot process lactose. The key is that the bacteria (in this case, these are good bacteria that should be in your food) added to yogurt to help develop its texture and flavor actually digest the lactose present into lactic acid, and thus make it suitable for the lactose-intolerant community. Two of the most common bacteria found in commercial yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles. Along with the good-for-you bacteria, yogurt is also an awesome source of health-promoting nutrients. Calcium is suggested to boost your body’s fat-burning capabilities after a meal — this is one of the reasons so many studies link weight loss to the daily consumption of low-fat yogurt. Calcium is also recognized as an important player in bone health. The iron-binding protein, lactoferrin, found in yogurt is another key contributor to bone health. Yogurt also has a good source of potassium that helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels. The health benefits seem endless. Although, yogurt seems so and familiar, it actually is part of quite the well-traveled cuisine, making its presence daily in a number of societies around the globe. Americans
are more familiar with sweet flavored yogurts, but many other countries serve it with a different twist. Mediterranean cultures often serve yogurt plain with cooked vegetables or mixed with cucumber and mint. Middle Eastern countries often serve plain yogurt with spicy rice dishes which helps to mild out the spice. Then there is the Greek yogurt that has become all the rage in health nut circles. Greek yogurt has been strained to remove more whey, and as a result is much thicker than a typical yogurt. This process also removes more of the sugar present, and the yogurt is left with a tangier flavor. Another benefit to going Greek is a protein punch. The amount of protein in a serving
of Greek yogurt, as compared to regular yogurt, is much higher and sometimes as much as 100 percent increase. This makes a 6 oz. serving of Greek yogurt about the protein equivalent of a 3 oz. serving of lean meat; as well as an excellent protein alternative for vegetarians. Not to mention it may keep you satiated for longer than the less pro-
tein dense regular yogurt. Yogurt is a versatile power food that is perfect for both sweet and savory dishes alike. It adds to almost every meal, yet still remains valuable enough to be a standalone breakfast champion. I have already fallen head over heels for yogurt in my dairy craze. The question now is, why haven’t you?
MD op/ed 6 MUSTANG DAILY Graphic Arts Building Building 26, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Enough with Kony
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Volume LXXVI, Number 93
©2012 Mustang Daily “‘Most people follow their hearts. Cate follows her stomach.’ ‘I tried other organs. It didn’t work out so well.’”
To whom it may concern at Mustang Daily, Your article titled “Connecting to the (Res)Net” regarding students watching porn and inferences to having sexual intercourse in the dorms is, at best, very poor taste. Not only is this article poorly written, its subject is downright stupid. We have a child who has just graduated from Cal Poly (Dec. 11), and we are offended that this is the type of article you consider “newsworthy.” Really? Does this University not have a higher standard than this? Do you personally have no morals? We are ashamed, and you should be as well. We think it is time to grow up, and quit acting like 12-year-old boys. We also find it a horrible coincidence that this article is under the news of the poor student who committed suicide. How very tacky and unprofessional.
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Letter to the Editor
Bill Oketch is a reporter in Uganda who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. The people of northern Uganda generally, and my own Lango ethnic tribal group in particular, would be very happy if they never heard the name Joseph Kony again. So it was with a sense of dismay when I learned that Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) were once again thrust into the public eye by a 30-minute video produced by a San Diego-based advocacy group, Invisible Children. Within a matter of days, the YouTube video, produced by filmmaker Jason Russell, had been viewed more than 80 million times and had become an Internet sensation. Invisible Children calls on people to lobby U.S. lawmakers to maintain military advisers for the Ugandan military, and to wear bracelets to publicize Kony’s name and ensure he is captured by the end of the year. I am dismayed that it is only now that the world has shown an interest in Kony. To my mind, this campaign reflects the self-interest of a Western-
based advocacy group. I should have thought Kony would have become famous when he killed dozens of innocent civilians in Burcoro, Gulu district, in 1987, or after the Atiak massacre in April 1995. Wasn’t the LRA invasion of Teso in eastern Uganda in June 2003 and the abduction of hundreds of people enough to make him famous? How about the murder of hundreds of people in Barlonyo, Lira district, in February 2004? Twenty years of these intense attacks against a government incapable of protecting the lives and property of ordinary Ugandans was more than enough to make Kony well known to all of us. If there is anybody longing for justice for the atrocities committed against northern Ugandans, it’s me. I lost two brothers who were abducted in LRA attacks in 1998. I also want to see justice done for the dozens of other relatives killed during the war. But is an anti-Kony media campaign really what we need right now? While the world’s attention is focused on Kony, the issues of greatest concern to Ugandans right now — disease and displacement — are being ignored. We don’t see anything about them in the foreign media.
The biggest and most immediate issues are how to stop our children dying of malaria, HIV/ AIDS-related infections and other diseases. For example, children in northern Uganda are currently falling victim to a mysterious illness known as “nodding disease,” a fatal, mentally and physically disabling disease. The first cases were reported in 2008, but little was done to prevent the disease escalating from spreading. Today, northern Uganda faces with a fullscale epidemic. While treatment centers have opened in several northern districts, there is growing concern that the government is devoting insufficient resources to battle the disease. Meanwhile, the world is talking about Kony — six years after he left Uganda. Should the hunt for Kony and his few remaining followers continue? Of course. Should every effort be made to bring him to justice? Absolutely. But the truth is there are greater issues facing Uganda today than Joseph Kony. We need to concentrate on peace-building, redevelopment, reconciliation, and educating our children. Now at last we are in a position to start improving the lives of our people.
Webcam clouding online privacy Barbara Shelly is a columnist for the Kansas City Star. The jury has spoken, and everything about the Rutgers University webcam spying case is still wrong. Tyler Clementi is dead, a suicide victim three weeks into his freshman year. Dharun Ravi, Clementi’s roommate, faces up to 10 years in prison and possible deportation because of a verdict that many legal experts say was wildly off target. The definition of a hate crime, meant to protect minorities from acts of overt violence, has been stretched to include Peeping Tom behavior in a college dormitory. Ravi turned on his computer’s webcam to capture images of Clementi kissing another man and told the world about it on Twitter. The webcam verdict lends no clarity or advice for navigating the uncharted frontier of digital protocol. If anything, it leads further into the murk. Ravi showed signs of being uncomfortable with having a gay roommate, but nothing indicates that he wanted to drive Clementi to harm because of his homosexuality. The jurors acknowledged that but found Ravi guilty on a bias intimidation charge, among other things, meaning he created circumstances that caused Clementi to be intimidated, even if he didn’t realize he was doing anything wrong. In other words, Ravi stands to be severely punished not so much for his actions but for the reaction they caused. And al-
though Clementi was troubled by Ravi’s boorish insensitivity — he requested a room change and checked Ravi’s Twitter account repeatedly — no one knows why he took his life. Clementi, a shy, 18-year-old violinist who had recently told his parents he was gay, spoke to no one and left only a cursory Facebook message before he jumped off New York’s George Washington Bridge. In September 2010, when he spied on his roommate, Ravi was an 18-year-old high school graduate who knew a lot about the digital world and not enough about respecting another person’s privacy. “I didn’t realize it was anything so private,” Ravi told police in an interview later heard by jurors, in which he acknowledged viewing his roommate in an intimate moment. “It was my room, too.” The erosion of privacy is perhaps the one clear element in this sorry mess. Ravi, an intelligent young man in many respects, clearly had no understanding of what privacy is or means. He is far from alone in that deficit. According to an exhaustive New Yorker magazine profile, Ravi viewed his college admission scores, a photo of his fake New York driver’s license, and his routine comings and goings as Internet fodder. He posted on multiple social media sites and was prolific on Twitter, reporting at one point being “stoned out of my mind.” If you’re willing to sacrifice your own privacy to the gods of cyberspace, it stands to reason that you may not value
someone else’s. “Found out my roommate is gay,” Ravi announced on Twitter in the run-up to starting college, after some online snooping turned up a part of Clementi’s email address on a gay chat forum. Apparently it didn’t cross Ravi’s mind that Clementi should be the one to decide if, when and how to disseminate that information. Forget the locked diary. Technology today encourages users to leave an online trail that can be picked up by just about anyone. Cyberspace has a boundless hunger for your thoughts, your photos, your good and bad moments, your convictions, your prejudices. But the Internet beast is also indiscreet. After Clementi’s death and the eruption of outrage it provoked, investigators turned up a trail of tweets, instant messages, text messages and other communications that found their way into the public record. It is too late to stuff this beast back into the bottle. But I think it falls to those of us who remember a time when communications were privileged to tell upcoming generations that privacy matters. A closed door in a college dorm means you don’t intrude. Your roommate’s romantic life is not your business or your friends’. You don’t need to reveal everything about yourself. And once you put information into cyberspace, you cannot control where it goes or what it might provoke. That’s the sort of information we should be sharing.
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your roommates at 2 a.m. or something. Next. — Melissa In response to “Connecting to the (Res)Net” Storton says we have a problem with Drunk In Publics … I think we have more of a problem with SLOPD arresting people who know they are too inebriated to drive and try to walk home instead. What is the logical decision for people when they get arrested for driving and arrested for walking? Obviously people are not going to stop drinking. Good one, SLOPD, just another way to generate revenue for your over-inflated salaries. — William In response to “Grad arrested for alleged assault with deadly weapon” Why if we know what the media is really like do we judge them before they go to court? It should be outlawed to print before the facts are straight. — Anonymous In response to “Grad arrested for alleged assault with deadly weapon” It was a bad choice on Mustang Daily’s part in publishing this article, but I would not be so hard on the author. Clearly she made a mistake and is, I assume, well aware of it by now. My condolences to the family of Osvaldo Ponce, and may he rest in peace. — anonymous In response to “Dead body found in campus parking lot” I went to high school with him, he’s a good guy! He would never maliciously hurt anyone! It’s disgusting how the media is talking about him. This whole thing is a huge misunderstanding. He’s a good person. — bee In response to “Grad arrested for alleged assault with deadly weapon” This article is clunky and sounds like it was written when “the Internet” was a new thing. As in the 90s. What the heck is with the weird punctuation, the sentences that repeat themselves and the complete and utter lack of actual information in this article? I don’t even get what the point of it is? I mean what? You had finals week, couldn’t think of anything interesting, so you submitted this “article” for publication so that your editor wouldn’t get pissed off? That’s what this reads like. A last minute procrastination writing project formed solely from Wikipedia, your memory and “quotes” from
I know its a tragedy and all, but let’s not vilify students that have worked their asses off for the last 11 weeks, had to stay on campus until Friday, then after all the time waiting to go home to family and friends, they are stuck on campus for an indefinite amount of time. Remember, these students just took three to six hours of tests, after studying for them the last two weeks, and then were put in a situation where they didn’t know when they could go home for their short nine-day break. Imagine you’re stuck in terrible traffic. If you are asked how you feel, you will say you are annoyed, not that you are concerned about the safety of an unknown driver that may or may not be hurt or dead miles down the road. On top of that, later that day if you find out somebody died, it won’t change your opinion all that much, you will still be annoyed at being stuck in two-plus hours of traffic. I’m sorry this kid died, I feel bad for all the friends and family members. I hope the mystery surrounding the manner of their death is solved and public safety is ensured. The Mustang Daily never should have asked the students these questions, and really shouldn’t have published them. In her defense though, she probably rushed it on here to get us news as soon as possible. — Rusty Shackleford In response to “Dead body found in campus parking lot” I think it’s worth noting that that quote was “before the police released the information about the deceased person.” I’d be kind of annoyed if I wanted to go home and the police had told me I couldn’t without any reason. I’m sure he feels terrible now that he knows it was because a fellow student died. — Anonymous In response to “Dead body found in campus parking lot” NOTE: The Mustang Daily features select comments that are written in response to articles posted online. Though not all the responses are printed, the Mustang Daily prints comments that are coherent and foster intelligent discussion on a given subject. No overcapitalization, please.
MDsports 7
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Softball slides through difficult spring break, lose seven straight MUSTANG DAILY STAFF REPORT
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The Mustang softball team played 20 games on the road to kick off its 2012 campaign — and rain washed out six more — before Cal Poly returned to San Luis Obispo last weekend. The team owns a 7-18 record after it dropped five games in the Mustang Classic from Friday to Sunday, moving its losing streak to seven in a row. The team starts Big West play Saturday against Cal State Fullerton. Cal Poly opened the home part of its schedule in a doubleheader against Lipscomb and Ball State on Friday where the Mustangs dropped one-run affairs. The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth when Lipscomb’s Haley Elliot drove a pitch over the left field fence. The Mustangs responded with a run of their own with a basesloaded walk in the bottom of the sixth. Lipscomb scored the winning run in the final frame with a one out single that bounced through the gap between shortstop and second base.
Against Ball State, Cal Poly jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Celina Lafradas that brought Madi Vogelsang home. The lead was short lived as Ball State tied the game in the second and went ahead for good in the fourth on an RBI single that raced through the left side of the infield. Cal Poly eventually fell 4-3. Pitchers Jordan Yates and Chloe Wurst, both freshmen, tossed back-to-back complete games in the two losses. The Mustangs dropped two games to Ball State and Lipscomb again on Saturday but managed to score seven runs in the double-header. Junior center fielder Whitley Gerhart hit her first career home run against Ball State, a solo-shot to left field. However, it wasn’t enough as the Cardinals scored seven runs in the first two innings then tacked on runs in the third and fourth frames. The team concluded the Mustang Classic with a 4-1 loss to UNLV (17-14) on Sunday afternoon. Wurst shut down the Rebels for four innings, allow-
ing just one hit, but yielded runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings before Yates relieved her. Wurst now owns a 2-9 record on the season. Kim Westlund drove in Nora Sobczak with a two-out single for Cal Poly’s only run of the day. The Mustangs return to Bob Janssen Field for two games this afternoon against UCLA. First pitch comes at 1 p.m., and the second game will start shortly after the first game concludes. Cal Poly begins its conference schedule with a double-header against Cal State Fullerton starting at noon on Saturday.
Cal Poly was outhit 53 to 26 during the Mustang Classic MUSTANG DAILY FILE PHOTO
Junior Shea Williams went hitless over the weekend while Cal Poly scored 11 runs in five games.
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MDsports 8
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Baseball takes three games from Aztecs CONOR MULVANEY
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Cal Poly starting pitcher Kyle Brueggeman went eight scoreless innings, gave up two hits and allowed base runners in only the third inning as the Mustangs defeated San Diego State 7-0 in the second half of a doubleheader on Saturday. “The last few weeks I’ve been struggling a bit,” Brueggeman said. “Today, I went back to the basics: committing on every pitch and going right at them. This team has a lot of potential; we have barely begun to scratch that potential. When we begin to play well at all facets of the game, we can really be a dangerous team.” It was the third win against the Aztecs in two days for the Mustangs as the team split a double-header on Friday, and a complete game by pitcher Kyle Anderson secured a victory on Saturday afternoon. With three straight wins under their belt, the Mustangs moved to 16-8 overall and begin conference play on Friday. Offensively, Cal Poly started the game with a double down the third base line by shortstop Mike Miller. Mitch Haniger extended his hit streak to nine games when he drove in Miller with a
MAX ZERONIAN/MUSTANG DAILY
Sophomore David Armendariz is batting .299 this season with 10 RBI and a home run. He went two for four on Saturday night against the Aztecs. The Mustangs start conference play on Friday night against Long Beach State at 6 p.m. single to left field. In the second frame, David Armendariz doubled with a blooper down the first base line putting himself into scoring position. Tommy Pluschkell drove a ball to center for a single to score Armendariz. Brueggeman had nine strikeouts on the night and only had
When we begin to play well at all facets of the game, we can really be a dangerous team. KYLE BRUEGGEMAN CAL POLY PITCHER
runners in scoring position once throughout his eight innings pitched. In the third, he gave up back-to-back singles to Matt Munoz and Greg Allen. Head coach Larry Lee was extremely happy with Brueggeman’s performance. “I’m very happy with the way we performed this weekend,” he said. “We haven’t performed well over the past few weeks. We have found a lineup that we like. Brueggeman threw extremely well.” Cal Poly broke the game open in the fifth with the help of Tommy Pluschkell who doubled down the left field line against San Diego State’s
starting pitcher Travis Pitcher. True freshmen Alex Michaels singled on a hit-and-run to drive in Pluschkell. San Diego State put in reliever TJ Kendzora in the sixth and was greeted by singles from Chris Hoo and Armendariz. Pluschkell drove in Hoo and a sacrifice fly to center by Miller drove in Armendariz. “It’s good to see younger guys like Pluschkell succeed; they are really hard workers,” Haniger said. “Everyone is pulling for each other; we really like to see each other succeed.” Closer Nick Grim, a Monterey Peninsula transfer,
pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one. “Grim needed innings,” Lee said. “He hadn’t thrown since last week. We needed to keep him fresh; he is a valuable part of our bullpen.” Though Brueggeman would have preferred to finish the ninth inning for a complete game, he was happy for his teammate to get more game experience. “As a competitor you always want to go the distance, that’s what your mindset is,” he said. “But I’m also a teammate, and Grim needed some work.” The game was original-
ly scheduled for Sunday, but due to expected poor weather conditions, it was rescheduled for Saturday. Lee said how demanding doubleheaders can be physically and mentally but also how satisfied he was with his team. “It’s a grind, you rarely if ever play that much,” Lee said. “It shows you how fragile the game of baseball is. ... It was a good shot in the arm for us and some really good performances.” Cal Poly starts conference play on Friday when they face Long Beach State with first pitch coming at 6 p.m.