WHY CAL POLY’S TRANSITION TO SEMESTERS IS WORTH THE GROWING PAINS
TABOOS: ENGLISH SEMINAR SPARKS CONVERSATIONS ON PORNOGRAPHY AND AMERICAN LITERATURE
STORY BY Jolina Chen DESIGNED BY Syd Spencer
STORY BY John Washington DESIGNED BY Aviv Kesar LOSING FREE WEEKEND PARKING WILL DRIVE STUDENTS AWAY FROM CAMPUS
STORY BY Ash Pickett DESIGNED BY Aviv Kesar
TRUMP COULD IMPACT CALIFORNIA’S STUDENT FINANCIAL AID AND CURRICULUM
STORY BY Kennedy Ray DESIGNED BY Archana Pisupati, Angel Corzo
IN KINESIOLOGY 307, STUDENTS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. BUT THEY SAY IT CHANGED THEIR LIVES, TOO. STORY BY Julia Hazemoto DESIGNED BY Cole Pressler
ADVISERS
Patti
QUARTERS SEMESTERS
Why Cal Poly’s transition to semesters is worth the growing pains
STORY BY JOHN WASHINGTON DESIGNED BY AVIV KESAR
Walking into class one day last quarter, I heard my professor make a bold declaration in casual conversation before beginning the lecture.
“After it becomes semesters, I’m done. That’s it for me,” he said, seemingly announcing his planned retirement date.
Since coming to Cal Poly in 2023, all I have heard about the advent of the semester system at our school is dismissive or contemptuous comments from students and professors alike.
Often, they come from professors offering their sympathy to students who will undergo this big change. Other times, it’s upperclassmen expressing relief because they are graduating in time to avoid the transition.
But, as one of the many transfer students who previously attended schools on the semester system, I feel the urge to say–get over it. You can afford to be a little more like everybody else.
Set to take place at the start of the 2026-27 school year, the change will impact this year’s freshman and sophomore classes, along with all future incoming classes.
Since 2022, each department has been working to reshape class curriculums and overall degree requirements to properly adjust to the California State University Chancellor’s request for Cal Poly to become a semester-based school.
Of the 23 California State University campuses statewide, Cal Poly is the only one left on the quarter system.
The unpopularity of the switch to semesters among students, faculty and even alumni is reasonable.
I’m willing to concede the quarter system has its merits.
A standard full-time quarter schedule allows for 12 quarter-long classes instead of 10 semester-long classes each year. Focusing your efforts on each class is generally easier on the quarter system because students take four classes on average instead of five planned out with semesters. That being said, a quarter lasts about two-thirds as long as a semester. Aside from classes, spring break landing between the winter and spring quarters gives students a real chance to regroup without work hanging over their heads (as students often experience over Thanksgiving break).
This is not to say people aren’t allowed their frustration. The actual transition will be confusing and
bring up problems, with professors installing entirely reworked curriculums and students figuring out their converted units. But, the decision to make the switch is the best long-term solution for students.
Incoming transfers will be able to step onto campus with their completed course requirements nearer to the level of an average third-year student.
JOHN WASHINGTON Journalism Senior
Everything, bar the actual classes, will automatically improve solely because of timing. Not only will the new timing allow for easier access to internships coinciding with a term in
school, but it will also allow for easier access to an immediate job post graduation.
It also makes studying abroad more realistic outside of fall quarter, as winter and spring study abroad students won’t have to miss out on an entire extra term at Cal Poly. For transfer students, it will be a better opportunity to acclimate to their new environment. The shift to quarters is frantic and unpleasant for many transfers, especially considering the likely scenario of many credits being lost in the shuffle with no place for their application.
Worried I wouldn’t graduate on time, I squeezed 20 units into each of my first two quarters at Cal Poly. Although I ended up passing those classes, I was left exhausted and without much room for extracurriculars or social life.
Implementing the semester system at Cal Poly will line up the school’s calendar with all but three community colleges in California. This, in turn, will alleviate that struggle to settle in, as the school would be more able and eager to set course equivalents with community colleges. Course equivalency is a department I found Cal Poly to be lacking in compared to the other California State universities during
my transfer application process. But soon, incoming transfers will be able to step onto campus with their completed course requirements nearer to the level of an average third-year student.
As a student previously at multiple colleges using semesters, I found the longer term length and increased number of classes to better suit my learning style; the 10-week sessions can feel like a race, one where I discover at the finish line that I do not recall as much of what just happened as I’d like. Semesters will do more to ensure we truly process course material, not just regurgitate enough of it to survive a final exam.
The disdain towards change is understandable to a curmudgeon like me, but behavior that falls under the category of panic is a bridge too far in this scenario.
This change will provide great relief to the future students of Cal Poly, and I can’t help but guess that the current underclassmen being wished sympathy will have their needs addressed with enough grace by the university, out of understanding—and maybe, fear of backlash.
How Big West Coach of the Year Oige Kennedy turned Cal Poly Men’s Soccer into regular season champions
STORY BY MATTHEW MUREN DESIGNED BY LIZ RIDLEY
There are two signs hanging in the Cal Poly Men’s Soccer locker room inside Spanos Stadium. One reads “intensity,” and the other, “hard work.”
The Mustangs lived by those words in 2024 and an all-in approach to the game of soccer that left no other option but success.
These principles are head coach Oige Kennedy’s north star. When he entered the program just after the 2022 season, Kennedy quickly began making changes to the Mustangs’ roster and the team’s mentality.
These changes have resulted in a turnaround so quick that just two years after going 2-11-4 in the worst season in program history, Cal Poly
won the Big West regular-season title and had one of the best defenses in the nation.
STARTING FROM THE BASICS
Following Kennedy’s philosophy, Cal Poly players, both on and off the field, are a cohesive unit, working together to score, defend and do anything they can to win.
“He came in with the mindset, saying everyone’s gonna defend, no matter what, everyone’s gonna attack, do everything together,” junior forward Connor Lisenbee said.
When he arrived at Cal Poly, Kennedy brought in many young players and recruits. Lisenbee remains one of only seven players on this year’s roster from before
Kennedy’s tenure.
Kennedy’s goal with the renewed roster was to bring in skilled players committed to the program’s goals.
“What we’ve done here is character-based recruitment,” Kennedy said. “We always want guys who are going to add to that culture and fit into what we do here.”
What we’ve done here is character-based recruitment. We always want guys who are going to add to that culture and fit into what we do here.
Focusing on the fundamentals built up a formidable defense, which includes sophomore defender Joaquin Torres, reigning Big West Defender of the Year sophomore Parker Owens and Big West Honorable Mention and junior defender Nico Baltazar, all joining the program in the last two years.
Kennedy also brought in Big West Freshman of the Year Quinn Mahoney, who led the Mustangs in four goals and five assists this year.
These additions and the existing talent in Big West Goalkeeper of the Year Nicky McCune and graduate defender Jack Muoio were the basis of the Mustangs’ dominant defensive season. They only gave up four goals throughout nine Big West regular-season matches and were second nationally in goals against average.
Other long-time players, like senior midfielder and captain Nate Colley and senior forward Ashton Alonge, provided a much-needed veteran
presence through the transition to his new system.
“Everything about this program has changed, from the players, the way we train, the way we act off the field, the way we warm up for games; it’s been pretty incredible to see,” Alonge said.
THE KENNEDY METHOD
Fast-paced practices meant to prepare players for success reinforce Kennedy’s culture of hard work.
Every practice starts with dynamic warmups, laps around Mustang Memorial Field and high-intensity drills, all before getting into hours of game-speed preparation and tactics.
“When we’re on the field, I know the guy next to me has done just the same amount of work, and I can’t let him down, so we all fight for each
other,” Lisenbee said.
His culture has stuck with his players, and players like junior forward Oren Stuppel have fully committed to the team and the Kennedy method.
Stuppel says all 30 players on the roster have a crucial role to play in the team’s success.
“Success comes from the guys on the bench, it comes from the guys who don’t get rostered,” Stuppel said. “It’s really a mentality that’s set from the beginning.”
Even after a 0-3-1 start to the season, Kennedy’s motivating force created a team culture set for success. They went undefeated for the following nine games, propelling them to first in the conference and revitalizing their season.
Throughout their unbeaten streak, which included a win and a draw
CHLOE BRIOTE-JOHNSON | MUSTANG NEWS Head coach Oige Kennedy celebrates senior night, sending off veterans following their final regular season matchup.
against UC Santa Barbara in the Blue-Green rivalry games, Kennedy and the team solely focused on the next opponent and how to stop them from finding the back of the net.
Starters were not the only ones making a difference, as Kennedy brought on as many as 11 substitutes in these matches.
Kennedy has reiterated throughout the season the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity and being ready to make a difference both on and off the field as the next man up.
His method, however, goes beyond soccer. Kennedy believes that soccer is one of the many things that prepare student-athletes for their futures.
“Wherever you go and be a student athlete, it’s not a four year decision, it’s a 40-year decision,” Kennedy said. “It gives each one of these guys a unique insight into life and a bunch of different skills that you don’t get unless you’re competing as a sportsman and as a soccer player.”
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
Kennedy has a history of success that primed him to take over at Cal Poly, previously working at national championship programs.
Before coming to Cal Poly, Kennedy spent seven seasons as head coach at Division II Fort Lewis College and another seven years as associate head coach at Stanford University. He helped lead both programs to national championships, and one of
his two Division II titles at Fort Lewis College came in his first year as head coach.
When we’re on the field, I know the guy next to me has done the same amount of work, and I can’t let him down, so we all fight for each other.
CONNOR LISENBEE
Junior, Cal Poly Soccer forward
When he joined Stanford, an incredible defense was a core aspect of the teams that would win him back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017.
In 2017, the Cardinal held opponents to 0.382 goals per game, a Pac-12 record and set a program record with only nine goals against, resulting in a record-tying 16 shutouts that season.
“He took some of the standards from Stanford, and they’ve won five or six national championships, so it goes to show that those standards are working,” Stuppel said.
In his first year at Cal Poly, Kennedy’s leadership helped the
That number continued to drop to elite levels in his sophomore season as coach, totaling just 13 goals by opponents, with only six given up in
their last 14 games of the season.
“I think the experiences in the last 18 years have really kind of fortified what I think about the game and how to run the program,” Kennedy said. “That’s what we’ve tried to bring here.”
Mustangs significantly reduce their goals against total, from 48 in 2022 to 23 in 2023.
CHLOE BRIOTE-JOHNSON | MUSTANG NEWS
Junior defender Nico Baltazar and head coach Oige Kennedy hug following the regular season championship victory.
CHLOE BRIOTE-JOHNSON | MUSTANG NEWS
Freshman forward Quinn Mahoney, head coach Oige Kennedy, and freshman defender Liam Murdin celebrate winning the Big West regular season.
Breaking Taboos: English seminar sparks conversations on pornography and American literature
STORY BY SYD SPENCER DESIGNED BY JOLINA CHEN
On the whiteboard in Steven Ruszczycky’s class, Anastasia Steele, Christian Grey and other character names from pornographic literature were written on the whiteboard. The question the class pondered was: Is Anastasia Steele a pick-me girl?
While more light-hearted than most discussions in the class, this is an example of how the course aims to study pornography through an academic lens.
Over the ten weeks, students in ENGL 449 read and discussed the pornographic writings of Patrick
Califia, Samuel R. Delany and E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“You tell people you’re taking this class and they’re like, ‘Oh God, they let you read that in school and they’re teaching that,’” English senior Olivia Dinis said. “But it’s an art form, and you have a community of people that are writing about it and it’s interesting to learn about.”
The goal of the course is not to say pornography is either good or bad. Rather, it aims to create an academic language to talk about sex and representation within the media.
It’s an art form, and you have a community of people that are writing about it and it’s interesting to learn about.
OLIVIA DINIS
Senior English Major
“It’s not like any other English class,” Dinis said. “Not just because of the subject matter and what we are reading, but it just feels more intimate as a class because we trust each other to talk about this stuff.”
American culture, Ruszczycky said, is sexually explicit yet lacks a language to talk about it. He believes it’s important “to develop alternative frameworks to think about pornography because it’s everywhere,” Ruszczycky said.
People have approached him with questions about his course,
but mostly, they come from a place of curiosity. His takeaway is that the topic “makes people uneasy or uncomfortable.”
With that being said, this course is not a new concept. Other universities, such as Temple University and University of California, Berkeley, offer similar courses.
Ruszczycky was hired several years ago as a part of a diversity cluster hire through the College of Liberal Arts, where a department hires several faculty who do not have overlapping interests. Rather, they aim
to add different perspectives and areas of specialization within the department.
According to English Department Chair Dustin Stegner, Ruszczycky’s specialty in queer literature and theory was something the department wanted to add when making its decisions.
HOW RUSZCZYCKY FOUND HIS PASSION
During graduate school, Ruszczycky combined his interests in literature and culture, which drove him to explore forms of sexual culture within the arts, he said. When it comes to sex and sexuality, Ruszczycky believes “it’s something that people hide behind their bedroom doors.”
He went on to describe how this can be a misleading belief.
“In terms of representation in movies, in novels, in public displays on social media, there is this intense publicness to sex and sexuality,”
Ruszczycky said.
This curiosity led him to research and think about pornography as a form of culture.
Due to its association with sex and sexuality, a lot of pornography’s history has been difficult to recognize, he explained.
“Just imagine the kind of things people say about pornography and switch out pornography with a term like comedy or the novel. There is something about that association to sex that makes it difficult to think about,” Ruszczycky said.
His research led him to publish
Pornography is usually thought of as a form of violence, as a form of public health problem, but if we talk about it as a form of culture it opens up a set of questions and makes it possible to think about pornography as a genre.
STEVEN RUSZCZYCKY Cal Poly Associate Professor
two books. “Porn Archives” explores how the meaning of pornography has been tied to the ways people collect pornography. In his more recent publication, “Vuglar Genres,” he explores the history behind the role pornographic writing has played in helping to develop forms of gay public life in the 20th century.
Ruszczycky’s course “is not like an amateur fan club or let’s get together and talk the way we would if we were hanging out with friends,” Stegner said. “The design is to bring a kind of serious intellectual focus to try to understand not just a particular area of aesthetic or material, but how it works in a larger cultural sense.”
Ruszczycky is currently working on approving a course called Porn Studies within the Women, Gender & Queer Studies department to be
taught post-semester conversion. This will be a 300-level upper-division general education course aiming to introduce porn studies as academic fields.
As for critics who find little value in such courses, “I think it’s important to be offering these classes though. I think students are fascinated by them. I think the people who react strongly to them are secretly fascinated by them and wish they could take them,” Ruszczycky said.
JOLINA CHEN | MUSTANG NEWS
Yerba Mates are everywhere. Why do students love this drink?
STORY BY KAYLIE WANG
DESIGNED BY LIZ RIDLEY
I never heard of Yerba Mates before coming to Cal Poly. Once school started, the yellow cans surrounded me everywhere: in students’ hands, stacked on shelves in the Market at Grand Avenue and overflowing out of recycling bins. With its ubiquitous presence on campus, I needed to know: What attracts so many students to these drinks?
Mate drinks originate from Indigenous communities in South American countries, and it is mostly enjoyed in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The drink is a stimulant, like coffee or tea, made from water and the leaves of yerba
I need energy to keep me through the day. I don’t wanna really wanna fill my body with harmful things. I feel like Yerba Mate is a good in-between.
QUINCY WINKLER Freshman, RPTA major, Cal Poly baseball pitcher
mate tree. The company Guayaki creates the yellow cans of yerba mate-based drinks. It was founded by Cal Poly alums, who started selling the drinks as part of a senior project.
The craze over Guayaki’s Yerba Mate drinks extends beyond Cal Poly, as these drinks are popular at the Claremont Colleges, UC San Diego, UC Davis and Occidental College.
Athletes enjoy Guayaki Yerba Mates because the drinks provide an energy boost.
“I need energy to keep me through the day,” said Quincy Winkler, a pitcher on the baseball team and a Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration freshman. “I don’t really want to fill my body with harmful things. I feel like Yerba Mate is a good in-between.”
Winker’s father introduced him to the drink when he was 13. Now, he drinks a Yerba Mate every morning after lifting weights with his team, and keeps his baseball clubhouse stocked with cans.
“We get up really early, so it’s easy to want to go back to bed,” Winkler said. “But I have 8 a.m. classes, so the drink helps me push through and get to all my classes.”
He also explained that drinking Yerba Mates with his teammates after practice is a way he bonds with his team.
Winkler isn’t alone in coming together with his community to enjoy the drink. Author of Yerba Mate: The Drink That Shaped a Nation, Julia Sarreal found that in South America, drinking mates are considered a social practice that brings people together.
QUINCY WINKLER | COURTESY (Left to right) Teammates Construction Management freshman Troy Cooper and Quincy Winkler drink Yerba Mates after baseball practice.
more energy when in high school. She found Yerba Mates at a store and was drawn in by the “organic” label on the can.
The idea of sharing Mate is really important. In South America, a gourd is typically filled with yerba mate, and there’s the bombabilla, or special straw. Then you pass it around; or special straw. Then you pass it around; it’s a shared drink.
WINKLER
Freshman, RPTA major, Cal Poly baseball pitcher
Similar to Winkler, other students also started drinking Yerba Mates before they came to Cal Poly. Faith Seddon, an industrial engineering freshman, started drinking them when she was 14 and wanted
Yerba Mates are generally seen as a healthy caffeine alternative, Argentinian dietitian and nutritionist Eva De Angelis told National Geographic, but consuming too much of the tea can cause problems such as heartburn and anxiety.
“I started drinking it during quarantine, during 2020, and that was a really transitional time in my life,” Seddon said. “I was going through a lot of big changes. It reminds me of that.”
She even tried all the different flavors during quarantine for fun.
Seddon moved from Washington, where she felt few people knew about Yerba Mates. She was surprised that many people enjoy the drink here at Cal Poly. Now, she often visits the Vista Grande or Poly Canyon Village market to pick up a can for the nostalgia.
While Yerba Mate has been a historical herb used in South America, the Guayaki beverage has quickly cemented its place in Cal Poly’s culture.
QUINCY
KAYLIE WANG | MUSTANG NEWS
Large supply of Guayaki Yerba Mates alongside other energy drinks, like Monster, in the Vista Grande Market.
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Losing free weekend parking will drive students away from campus
STORY BY ASH PICKETT
DESIGNED BY AVIV KESAR
Ash Pickett is a business administration junior and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
Cal Poly announced that seven-day paid parking on-campus will begin on Feb. 1, 2025. The revenue from this new policy will directly fund the maintenance of Cal Poly parking facilities, which, by California Law, must be funded by the campus without the help of state or tuition funding.
On the surface, this might seem like a few extra dollars for students to shell out occasionally. But, when we look closer, we see that this policy has many upsetting implications. Students with various involvements will be less inclined to attend weekend events. This can decrease club participation, motivation and attendance to campus-wide events. It also impacts the ability for student leaders to be at crucial events like Open House.
“This is just another barrier for our engagement,” said Justin Chan, the President of Cal Poly’s Chinese Student’s Association– one of the largest cultural clubs on campus.
I attend meetings and events almost every weekend on campus, and I cannot imagine paying $6 for a two-hour maximum or having to walk home in the dark alone after a late meeting.
however, is a disincentive for students to visit campus and stay engaged with the community. It is another barrier for getting off-campus students coming to campus and paying extra for parking when they can live off-campus and save themselves that expense.
This is just another barrier for our engagement
JUSTIN CHAN President of Cal Poly’s Chinese Student’s Association
In a September 2024 interview, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong told Mustang News about the academic and social benefits of students spending more time on campus. He said that, in order to succeed, students “need to want to live on campus” and that “it’s about taking pressure off of the community.”
This seven-day parking policy,
Cal Poly remains the most expensive Cal State university. Students already pay absurd amounts in tuition, questionably high fees, and put up with ridiculous existing parking rules and congestion on and around campus.
I understand the parking services budget is separate from tuition, but this ends up as another fiscal burden to tack on top of the rest of student expenses and obstacles.
Not to mention the limited public transit schedule on weekends. Buses only run one way and operate with fewer hours. A common rationale for limiting parking is to encourage the use of public transit and thus reduce congestion and environmental impact.
Still, the bus schedule is reduced on weekends. My bus home would take 45 minutes instead of a five-minute drive.
This is even more difficult for students with office hours or weekend finals. It might’ve been my final straw if I had to pay extra money to take my Accounting final last year –the same day as the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, where the bus only ran one way and the roads were blocked by hordes of college students.
The same goes for students who work on-campus jobs, which don’t receive free or even discounted parking. Student employees working over the weekend will have to pay more for individual day parking passes, buy an expensive quarter-long parking permit (which is never guaranteed due to the lottery system), or park far away and walk to campus.
On top of all that, non-Cal-Poly-residents will now have limited access to nature around Cal Poly.
Think the P hike, Poly Canyon trails, architecture graveyard, the outdoor track—all of this will especially affect accessibility for students and locals alike.
What about supporters: family, friends, loved ones? Guests must face this extra barrier to visit their students, especially first-years seeing supporters for the first time in a while or on-campus residents moving in and out of housing.
To a certain extent, I can understand why Cal Poly wants to implement the seven-day policy. For one, they’ll be joining the majority of CSU campuses that have seven-day paid parking policies.
Transportation and Parking Services stated that in recent years, “the number of parking lots and spaces throughout campus has been reduced in support of the Cal Poly Master Plan,” leading to “decreased funding for parking facilities
maintenance and operation.” Money to fund those operations needs to come from somewhere, so Cal Poly is turning to seven-day parking. This solution, however, is not community-friendly. It will drive people away from campus on the weekends, reduce student involvement and overall campus life, and negatively impact the lives of campus employees.
WATCH STUDENT REACTIONS
DIJIA WANG | MUSTANG NEWS
Weekends will require a permit or payment for on-campus parking, starting Feb. 1.
DIJIA WANG | MUSTANG NEWS A car parked in the H-lots.
How Trump Could Impact California’s Student Financial Aid and Curriculum
STORY BY ARCHANA PISUPATI, ANGEL CORZO
DESIGNED BY
KENNEDY RAY
Kendall Taylor will graduate this June at Cal Poly with an English degree.
His dream is to work in education as a high school teacher.
However, Taylor believes the recent presidential election poses a risk to the privilege of education in America.
When the Associated Press called the results early Nov. 6, a wave of powerlessness engulfed Taylor.
“I turned off my phone, playing out a million worst case scenarios out in my head,” he said.
Troubled about the uncertainty of the new administration, Taylor considered how policy changes will affect future educators.
“In liberal arts classes, policy decisions affect—and in most cases limit—whose stories are told,” he said.
In his Agenda47 platform, President Donald Trump created a 20-part list outlining specific political actions that could significantly change existing federal policies. One action is to cut federal funding for any school or program “pushing critical race
theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
Trump also indicated plans for dismantling the Department of Education (DOE), a federal institution that promotes “ensuring equal access for students of all ages.” His plan will return educational decisions to the states.
Reducing the department’s influence may result in public schools facing a financial deficit from their respective state government. The deconstruction of the DOE presents potential threats to financial aid for college students.
FINANCIAL AID AT CAL POLY
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, provides students grants, loans and work study. As an office in the DOE, the FAFSA is the largest provider of financial aid for students in the country.
To be eligible for FAFSA benefits, a student must indicate financial need, enrollment in college and other considerations, according to their website.
During the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Cal Poly received roughly $220 million
in student financial aid. Of this total, 42%, or about $91 million, came from the federal government.
Meanwhile, the state provided 20% of the total financial aid for Cal Poly students.
Aside from federal and state aid, students also received money from the university in the form of grants, scholarships and athletic awards. Others received financial aid from outside and private sources, according to
Gerrie Hatten, Cal Poly director of financial aid and scholarships.
Cameron Jones, vice president of the California Faculty Association Cal Poly San Luis Obispo chapter also teaches at Cal Poly, specializing in Latin American history.
He predicts without financial aid, students who cannot meet tuition costs could potentially drop out, resulting in reduced classes and inevitably, faculty layoffs.
AGENDA47’S IMPACT ON CRITICAL RACE CURRICULUM
When President Trump proposed the exclusion of topics like critical race theory and gender ideology at schools in his Agenda47, some Cal Poly faculty reflected on the possibility of a curriculum change on campus.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump responded to questions
ANGEL CORZO | MUSTANG NEWS
For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Cal Poly received financial aid from the federal government in the form of grants, loans and work study money. In total, Cal Poly received $91.4 million in financial aid from the federal government
ANGEL CORZO | MUSTANG NEWS
For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Cal Poly received financial aid from the state government in the form of grants, scholarships and work study money. In total, Cal Poly received $43.9 million in financial aid from the state.
and inclusive educational experiences in the state.
However, Jared Van Ramshorst, a Cal Poly political science professor, speculated that the Trump administration could limit the capabilities of California universities to push for diversity and inclusion within their campuses.
“[The Trump administration] could pass some type of provision through the Department of Education guidelines that really curtails DEI initiatives for example,” Van Ramshorst said.
He relates this idea with Florida and Texas, who have both passed rules at the state level that limit practices of DEI initiatives at schools.
Van Ramshorst added that it’s easier for the Trump presidency to influence a state like Texas, under the conservative leadership of Gov. Greg Abbott, than it would be in California.
about schools in Los Angeles and San Diego maintaining history classes discussing “slavery” and “stolen land” to which he replied, “Then we don’t send them money.”
Jones sees these proposals from the Trump administration as a roadblock to social justice.
“It really is a misunderstanding of what is actually taught in universities and what is actually being talked about when we look at race and how to improve social justice,” Jones said.
Critical race theory refers to “an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society — from education and housing to employment and healthcare,” according to the Legal Defense Fund.
As a student, Taylor anticipates that if funding is cut for critical race theory and other studies alike, access to essential knowledge could be lost.
“If DEI and critical race theory are cut from curriculums, our schools will engage in the practice of dispossessing disenfranchised communities
from our history,” he said.
Jerusha Greenwood, Cal Poly’s Academic Senate chair, said any changes within a department’s curriculum is proposed to the Academic Senate, the voice of the faculty body at the university.
According to Greenwood, these proposals have only come as far as the state government in recent years.
“That’s really where that impact has happened,” she added. “It’s been driven, not by federal demands, but by state demands.”
A full-Senate vote is required for any resolution to be passed, curriculum-based or not.
Randall Jordan, San Luis Obispo County Chairman of the Republican Party, believes the change will be an invaluable resource for states to rebuild their systems to their own liking. Jordan’s biggest goal for San Luis Obispo’s school board is to return parental rights in K-12 schools.
“I don’t think that they need to be taught conservatism,” Jordan said. “I
California has a long history of stepping up and stepping forward to think about the needs of particularly marginalized populations in schools, and has a commitment to providing kind of more than the minimum that federal law might expect in certain ways.
AMANDA FRYE Liberal Studies Professor
also don’t think that they need to be taught liberalism. I don’t think that politics should be involved at all in education.”
Jordan worked on a school board for eight years and said his goal was to always promote learning in children, not try to change the values of children.
Jordan said he wants to return to the “three R’s,” which he explained were “reading, writing and arithmetic.” He expressed concern about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s propositions to implement “the opposite.”
On the other hand, Liberal Studies Professor Amanda Frye argues that education and policy are far more intertwined than anticipated.
“It’s the individual choices and the awareness of educators and policymakers in relationship with our wider public discourse on what schools should be doing in American society that really creates the environments we have now,” she said. She added that laws such as the Safety Act and FAIR Act ensure fair
“I’m happier to be living in California and in the Cal State system than I am in Texas under the Texas system of public education,” Van Ramshorst said.
TRUMP V. CALIFORNIA
Despite other states like Texas, facing consequential policy changes, some remain hopeful about the future of California.
Frye said states like California often go beyond the federal government’s expectations in offering more protection to their citizens, emphasizing, “California has a long history of stepping up and stepping forward to think about the needs of particularly marginalized populations in schools.”
According to Frye, California has a commitment to providing, “more than the minimum that federal law might expect.”
“California has some of the strongest laws in the country to protect and support students’ rights in schools,” she added.
Leaders of California’s Public Higher Education released a statement following the election to campuses across the state, anticipating uncertainty and anxiety within its community.
“The University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges remain steadfast and committed to our values of diversity and inclusivity,” the statement read.
Despite this response from California’s Public Higher Education leaders, Taylor said she still fears that the lack of a federal DOE may result in the removal of what he deems significant topics such as critical race theory.
Taylor believes the California public education system will face unique challenges with varying responses throughout the state.
However, Jordan of the San Luis Obispo Republican Party, believes these changes could be positive, and credits the shift of power to the states as what the Constitution had originally intended for the country.
“Every Republican president since [Carter] has threatened and promised to dismantle and abolish the Department of Education,” he said. He believes Trump will be the first to follow through and deconstruct it.
In an email to Mustang News, Amy Bentley-Smith, Cal State University director for strategic communications and public affairs, further addressed its commitment to student success.
I was going to wake up a Black woman in America, regardless of who was the winner of the election.
AMANDA FRYE
Liberal Studies Professor
“Our institution has a long and proud history of graduating students who reflect the rich tapestry of our country, and who go on to become drivers of our economies and civically engaged leaders in their communities,” Bentley-Smith wrote. While the dismantling of the DOE
identity.Frye adds that the election represents the values, fears and needs of the current society and whether or not they are expressed by the next administration.
The dismantlement of the DOE could have many severe impacts on student federal aid, along with a complete restructure of the institution’s values and goals.
English senior Taylor believes students can reinforce the importance of liberal arts by taking elective classes in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
“Liberal arts classes allow people to get a better sense of the systemic inequalities that plague those fields so that they can handle their future work with care and cultural sensitivity,” he said.
Taylor believes liberal arts are fundamental to every profession, and liberal arts classes allow people to get a better sense of the “systemic inequalities that plague those fields so that they can handle their
future work with care and cultural sensitivity.”
Academic Senate Chair Greenwood took pride in living and working in California, though she believes people of the state should not be complacent.
“I don’t think we should ever feel comfortable in environments like this,” Greenwood said.
As Californians, she thinks residents should not rest on their “laurels” and advocate for political change instead of remaining idle.
“I think we have to take a mindset that we are cautious about any kind of activity that might impact education,” Greenwood said, adding, “I’m grateful we live here, but I do know that that doesn’t mean we should become complacent.”
may return power fully to the states, California’s outlook could be significantly different than that of right-leaning states.
Following the election results, Gov. Newsom began the process of “safeguarding” California from any imposing future legislation that could affect the rights of the demo cratic state from Trump.
Newsom tweeted calling lawmakers into an emergency special session to “help bolster our legal resources and protect [California] against any unlawful actions by the incoming Trump Administration.”
In the aftermath of the election, many left-leaning states addressed precautions for the administration as a whole; however, with California’s 39 million residents, the state will take a harder hit than most others. While primary concerns in California regard mass deportation and trans gender policies, California schools will equally set up defense to protect its students.
THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
While the future of California’s education is still unknown, Frye said the election results were just a continuation of America’s complex relationship with race, power and
The tipping point: How proposed tax cuts could reshape service jobs
STORY BY QUINN SOUTHALL
DESIGNED BY AVIV KESAR
One of the key promises of the 2024 Presidential Election from both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris was to end federal income tax on tips — an idea that resonated with many middle-class workers.
While there is no universal tax rate on tips, the average in California is about 8.25%.
The tax cut would mean a slight increase in gross income for millions of Americans working in the service industry including bartenders and delivery drivers.
“Tips are the whole reason I have this restaurant job,” said Kaden Anderson, a bartender at Rod & Hammer Rock and an environmental management protection senior at Cal Poly. “I get paid pretty much minimum wage, and the tips are
what makes it competitive. Without the tax, I would have to work one less day and make the same amount of money.”
Trump has not specified when he would initiate the policy.
According to a 2023 report from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, food preparation and serving-related occupations make up the largest occupational group in San Luis Obispo county, with 15,380 workers
Depending on how policies are implemented, tax cuts on tips would decrease government spending ability by $6-10 trillion, impacting programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
“For those hotel workers and people that get tips - you’re going to be very happy because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on
Student Ombuds Services is a safe place where students can seek confidential guidance on university related concerns or complaints.
An Ombuds is a neutral person who listens to a student’s issues or conflicts off the record and helps them to explore different solutions.
LOCATION: Building 26 Room 111
HOURS: Monday – Friday | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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I get paid pretty much minimum wage, and the tips are what makes it competitive. Without the tax, I would have to work one less day and make the same amount of money.
KADEN ANDERSON Environmental Management & Protection Senior
tips, people making tips,” Trump said in a Las Vegas rally in June.
There are potential caveats which include the tax cut only marginally affecting relatively few workers and fears of tax cuts digging the U.S. further into economic debt ratio.
Still, just four million Americans make tips as a significant portion of their income – only 2.5% of national employment – and the tax cut could hurt them in the long run by reducing their social security.
Before working at Woodstock’s Pizza SLO, environmental management & protection senior Carver Tunnell worked at a cash-only
bakery where he believed under-thetable tips were normal.
“I kind of just thought that was how it was supposed to be,” Tunnell said. “I didn’t even realize it was a lot until I started working at Woodstock’s, and I didn’t question it until this recent election.”
While he makes a flat rate of $17 an hour, an additional $4 an hour in tips when working in-house and about $8 just front-of-house.
“As someone who works in the service industry, you feel like you’re earning that tip,” Tunnell said. “You’re getting taxed on your wage, so is that not enough?”
QUINN SOUTHALL | MUSTANG NEWS The option to tip presented to customers at Field Day Coffee.
San Luis Obispo’s Historic Chinatown is down to
its last block.
Original signs remain, fighting to keep its spirit alive.
STORY BY AMELIA WU
DESIGNED BY ISA CORDOVEZ
Mee Heng Low is one of the last original buildings in San Luis Obipso’s Chinatown.
Nearly 75% of the street was once dedicated to businesses and homes for the Chinese, Japanese and Filipino people. Now, 1.5% of its structures survive, with much of its history physically reduced to a few buildings.
One of those buildings is Mee Heng Low, a Chop Suey restaurant
that Paul Kwong bought in 2009. In 2020, his son Russell Kwong took over the business, becoming responsible for taking orders, cooking and managing the place situated on Palm Street near downtown.
However, older buildings present challenges, especially as modern development and codes are enforced. Kwong took notice of the construction of Hotel San
It feels nice, holding like the torch for Chinatown, And I am proud to do it.
PAUL KWONG
Owner
of
Mee Heng Low
Luis Obispo a few years ago, paces
down from his restaurant.
“This hotel destroyed one of four Chinatown buildings,” he said. “They actually took this sign that says ‘Chop Suey’ and it’s now on the hotel—which is weird to me. I’m like, that’s not what they do. It’s almost insulting.”
The restaurant first opened in 1927. However, the architecture of the building itself has undergone multiple transformations to preserve the structure, according
to local architectural historian James Papp.
The building was renovated again a few decades later. Papp believes there are still original parts of the wooden building embedded in the current one, but between him and Kwong, they have yet to find and confirm that. The city is trying to keep some of its history alive, Kwong noted. They are working to provide information with the signs downtown,
AMELIA WU | MUSTANG NEWS
Richard Chong’s candy shop sign is expected
but Kwong said it’s “too little, too late.”
One of the most recent efforts is a restored neon sign reading “Chong’s homemade candies” adorned on the parking garage across the street. The sign was taken down from the original shop in February 1979.
Today, the sign is half a block away from where Richard Chong’s candy shop once stood, where a real estate company now occupies the space. A plaque with information is anticipated to be installed by February, according to Natalie Harnett, the City of San Luis Obispo policy and project manager.
“I think most people are probably to some degree unaware of the history there,” Harnett said.
quantities of ceramics.”
Most of the current understanding of Chinatown’s history relies on records from more prominent, wealthy figures like Wong On, known as Ah Louis. Louis recruited labor, made a brickyard and owned a shop.
The Ah Louis store at the corner of Palm Street and Chorro Street stands strong as one of the few tangible links to Chinatown’s past. Built with bricks made by Ah Louis himself, the store is the only structure in San Luis Obispo County listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Inside, the building retains many of the original features, from its poles down to the central gas fixture on the ceiling. The Ah Louis store operates primarily as a wine shop, except for the holiday season where it sells ornaments, Christmas foliage and nutcrackers.
The store tries to spread awareness about Chinatown’s history, despite the inside business not being original to the location’s past.
“This hotel destroyed one of four Chinatown buildings,” he said.
“They actually took this sign that says ‘Chop Suey’ and it’s now on the hotel—which is weird to me. I’m like, that’s not what they do. It’s almost insulting.”
PAUL KWONG Owner of Mee Heng Low
The current Palm Street parking lot was a historical central site, showing artifacts from Chinatown’s trash pits and Native American history, archaeologist Terry Jones said.
The parking lot went through its fair share of reconstructing, most notably in September 2012, when the San Luis Obispo City Hall wanted to start its vision of a multi-storied parking garage, prompting an emergency excavation.
The excavation was so rushed that they bagged dirt from the area for volunteers to sift through for artifacts.
“The size of the collection became an enormous problem,” Jones said. “It’s just tremendous
In February 2024, the Ah Louis store held a Lunar New Year block celebration for its 150th anniversary. It was the busiest and most profitable day Mee Heng Low had seen in years. Kwong recounted cooking for nearly 11 consecutive hours for the celebration day.
“Wow, that was kind of miserable,” Russell said, laughing.
He’s leaning on a glass casing filled with restaurant memorabilia: from awards to porcelain statues and dishes. According to Kwong, it’s there for people interested in Chinatown’s history.
With 15 years of living in the city and working in the restaurant industry, he noted 2024 has been one of the slowest years he’s ever seen.
The sense of isolation as one of the last remnants of Chinatown never fully fades, he said, especially during difficult times. However, Kwong still feels pride in representing the little presence that still stands.
“It feels nice, holding like the torch for Chinatown,” Kwong said.
“And I am proud to do it.”
AMELIA WU | MUSTANG NEWS
The Ah Louis store is busiest during the holiday season, opened as a shop selling nutcrackers and ornaments.
AMELIA WU | MUSTANG NEWS
The Chong’s candies sign was installed on the parking garage..
In KINE 307, students give back to the community.
But they say it changed their lives, too.
STORY BY COLE PRESSLER DESIGNED BY JULIA HAZEMOTO
Paige Rightmire thought that she was in charge of directions. Her partner was blind, after all.
But on the front half of the tandem bicycle, Rightmire was lost. She had led them both onto Los Osos Valley Road, as cars whizzed past them.
As she panicked, her partner stayed calm and encouraged her.
“I was struggling and he was helping me through it, and I thought the entire time that I would be helping him through it,” Rightmire said. “He was so positive and was such an inspiring individual.”
The nine-mile ride helped her understand how much her partner could really see.
Rightmire was on the bike as part of Adapted Physical Activity (KINE 307). In the class, dozens of
kinesiology students spend their time with community members with disabilities, playing sports or exercising with them.
Students choose their quarter-long lab from a variety of options ranging from kayaking with community members in Morro Bay to teaching sports to school-aged kids with disabilities.
It’s a rare service-based class at Cal Poly where students give back to the community.
But students said it changes their lives, too.
“I’m always bragging about [the class] at the end of the day,” said Alyssa Michaelis, a 2024 kinesiology alum. “It’s had such a positive impact on my life, and on how I view myself and others.”
It may not be the most technical or scientific course, but Darren Avrit, a professor in the Kinesiology and Public Health Department, said it is the most “transformational.”
“Students repeatedly say that of all our courses, it’s changed their outlook and philosophy on their tenure here—and really their life,” Avrit said. “They become richly aware of their surroundings and the people around them…this is an eye-opener for a lot of students.”
Students repeatedly say that of all our courses, it’s changed their outlook and philosophy on their tenure here—and really their life.
DARREN AVRIT
Cal Poly Professor
Avrit took the class himself as a kinesiology student in 1991. It has evolved substantially since then but remains a required course for all kinesiology students.
He says it benefits everyone, regardless of students’ future careers.
“We’re always going to be working with someone with a special need,” Avrit said. “It’s being able to identify, adapt and treat them just like you’d treat everyone else.”
“EVERYTHING BALL” AT THE BULLDOGS LAB
Thursday night is Atascadero resident Katie Moore’s favorite night of the week.
Moore, 28, heads to the Colony Park Community Center for the Bulldogs lab, where students plan exercise routines and games for
Kinesiology
participants with disabilities from ages 14 to 60.
On a typical Thursday, students lead an activity like volleyball and teach basic techniques so participants can hold a scrimmage at the end.
“We do line dancing, basketball, volleyball, softball, broomball— everything ball,” Moore joked, grinning.
For many participants, it’s their only physical activity of the week.
“Everyone’s so excited when they walk into the gym,” Alyssa Michaelis said. “And we have a ball. We turn on the music, dance around a little bit… we make sure they’re benefitting
from it as well as having fun.” Moore, who has a learning disability, has been in Bulldogs since middle school. She’s met dozens of Cal Poly students who she says “grow and learn” throughout their quarter of volunteering.
“They seem kinder and know a little bit more about how to help with special needs people,” Moore said. In middle school, Moore’s classmates ignored and outcasted her for being different. She said she sat alone at lunch for all of sixth grade.
But the Cal Poly students immediately accepted her at Bulldogs. She remembers “feeling loved” the first time her dad took her to the program.
ALYSSA MICHAELIS | COURTESY
A community member named Orin swings a club during the First Tee program at Dairy Creek Golf Course during spring quarter 2024.
ALYSSA MICHAELIS | COURTESY
student Michael Briscoe, left, plays dodgeball with a community member, Trevor, right, during a Thursday night “Bulldogs” session at Atascadero’s Colony Park Community Center.
“It’s amazing to have a place where you can escape the world,” Moore said. “When I’m really depressed, I go to Bulldogs and they put a smile on my face.”
She keeps coming back to help others smile, too.
“I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did,” Moore said. “Not wanted. Not listened to. Invisible. Like I did my entire life.”
Michaelis finished her Bulldogs lab two years ago. She still goes to the weekly meetings.
“I just ended up hanging out with some great friends every Thursday night,” Michaelis said.
Before the class, Michaelis rarely interacted with people with disabilities. And Bulldogs wasn’t her first choice—she expected to be like a “glorified P.E. teacher,” making up drills on the fly.
“I’m guilty of that,” she said. “I did not want to give up my Thursday nights.”
But Michaelis was shocked at how much she enjoyed the challenge of curating the program for such a wide age range.
She also had more in common with the athletes than she expected.
“People have this already made-up opinion about people with disabilities,” she said. “But they’re not any different than all of us. They want the same things, they want to push themselves and do well and be healthy.”
Some participants still text Michaelis if she ever misses a week.
Katie Moore is getting married later this year—and invited Michaelis to her wedding.
“They’re all my best friends,” Michaelis said about the Bulldogs participants. “They’ve all added to my life, and I thank [Professor] Avrit every day for that.”
“SEE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE”
In the Eye-Cycle lab, students go tandem cycling with a community member who’s blind or visually impaired.
Kinesiology professor Christie O’Hara, the Eye Cycle coordinator, makes students meet their partners before going out on their first ride. Some duos do activities together like pottery at the ASI Craft Center, gardening and grocery shopping.
Building trust before the ride is important—some students have never ridden a bike before the quarter.
“It’s scary going with students who went from not knowing how to ride a bike to being able to trust them,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara trains students by having them close their eyes on the tandem bike. She says it builds up their confidence when they put someone else in that same position.
She used to make them wear full blindfolds.
“But that’s even scarier,” O’Hara said. “They freak out a little bit.”
Although not everyone has cycling experience, O’Hara said communication is by far the students’ biggest challenge—saying every command out loud when they think of something, from turning to breaking to shifting.
Not only that, but students have to cold-call their partners over the phone to set up a first meeting.
Kinesiology junior Paige Rightmire, who did Eye-Cycle last year, knows how scary that first call is.
O’Hara paired Rightmire, a Colorado native who grew up mountain biking, with an experienced tandem cyclist who once planned a ride across the U.S.
Rightmire said she felt nervous to meet her partner and didn’t know how to ask him about his disability.
But a classmate gave her some advice.
“She said, ‘Just ask him about himself,’” Rightmire said. “That kind of was an eye-opening moment for me, that this is just a person, just like anyone else.”
After their nine-mile ordeal on Los Osos Valley Road, they stuck to four and five-mile rides for the rest of the quarter.
Rightmire said the best part of the lab was getting to know her partner and looking past his disability.
“A main part of the class is seeing people not for what they can’t do, but what they can do,” Rightmire said.
“You can find ways to do everything for every individual.”
MOVING FORWARD
Avrit will add two new labs to the class this spring: a movement program for adults with memory loss conditions like Alzheimer’s and an equine therapy lab for children with disabilities like autism and cerebral palsy.
In January, Avrit will share the blueprint for the class at the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education conference in Puerto Rico.
He hopes other communities can adopt the class’ service-based model.
“They want to hear about it, and we want to share it,” Avrit said.
Rightmire thinks every Cal Poly student should have to take Adapted Physical Activity.
“It’s so much more broad than just kinesiology,” Rightmire said. “Even if it wasn’t people with disabilities, there should just be more interaction with people from different backgrounds.”
Michaelis expected to get credit for her lab. She didn’t expect to make best friends.
“I don’t need to do this for a class anymore—my attendance doesn’t matter,” Michaelis said. “But in the end, it does matter to the athletes that I’m there because they’re all my friends now.”
CHRISTIE O’HARA | COURTESY
Students in KINE 307’s Eye-Cycle lab practice tandem cycling. Professor Christie O’Hara makes the students on the back of the bike close their eyes to simulate what the other Eye-Cycle participants will experience.
Community and calm: SLO County’s first cat cafe opens in Grover Beach
STORY BY SAM KOHN DESIGNED BY JULIA HAZEMOTO
Pumpkin adores the attention he gets as the only orange tabby cat at The Caffeinated Cat Cafe. The 8-month-old cat is noticeably more hyper than the rest of the cafe cats and always greets customers with a meow, according to cafe owner Jaime Pierce. She emphasized that Pumpkin is much more than your run-of-the-mill cat. He is a natural-born leader.
“Pumpkin loves to run on the play wheel we have in the center of the room,” Pierce said. “He was the first cat to figure out how to run full speed on it. He’s taught many of the other cats too.”
Pumpkin and at least nine other cats reside at the cafe, which, after two years of tedious work with San Luis Obispo County, opened for business on Dec. 14.
Located in Grover Beach on the corner of West Grand Avenue and South 16th Street, Pierce aims to cultivate a stress-free environment where customers can play with cats and eventually adopt them.
The Caffeinated Cat Cafe is open every day of the week except
It has already helped several of our cats that have been with us for a while finally find their forever homes.
Tuesdays and reservations can be booked online. Patrons can stay for 25- or 50-minute sessions. The cafe also offers monthly memberships and more information can be found on its website.
CAROLINE THOMSEN
Adoption Coordinator for the Cal Poly Cat Program
The cafe has two distinct rooms, where the cats spend their days traversing through a maze of play structures, couches and food bowls.
The cafe’s front room is a retail shop where patrons can buy stickers, clothing and other cat-related merchandise. This is also where drinks can be purchased through a self-serving machine.
The back room, littered with toys and blankets, is where customers relax and hang out with the cats.
Pierce, the owner of the cafe and a 2001 Cal Poly alum, noted it has sold out every event and facilitated twelve cat adoptions as of Jan. 13.
“It feels really exciting,” Pierce said. “It’s humbling, it’s amazing, our community has been so supportive and they are just showing up. The door opens constantly.”
All rescued cats at the cafe come from the business’ two partners—the Feline Network of the Central Coast and the Cal Poly Cat Program.
Founded in 2002, the Feline Network of the Central Coast is a nonprofit dedicated to the medical care and adoption of kittens and cats
SAM KOHN | MUSTANG NEWS
SAM KOHN | MUSTANG NEWS
The Caffeinated Cat Cafe hats.
in the southern cities and towns of San Luis Obispo County, according to their website. They do not have a shelter and rely on a network of over 100 volunteers, including Pierce, to foster kittens for adoption.
The Cal Poly Cat Program is a nonprofit adoption shelter located on campus. Initially a senior project in 1992 by animal science senior Garrett Quindimil to trap feral cats, the organization has since expanded their mission to medical care and adoption.
“[The cafe] has been absolutely
amazing for our kitties,” said Caroline Thomsen, an adoption coordinator for the Cal Poly Cat Program.
Both organizations follow the trap-neuter-release (TNR) method for managing and rehabilitating feral cats that are not comfortable around humans. TNR programs will capture cats, spay or neuter them, and then release them back into the wild or into suitable barn homes.
Pumpkin and other kittens that are comfortable around humans are brought to the Caffeinated Cat Cafe after receiving all their vaccines and
being tested for common feline viruses.
“If we know that a cat is more shy and nervous, we would ensure that they go to a calm and quiet home where they would be most comfortable,” Thomsen said. “We make sure to accommodate to each individual cat’s needs when adopting them out.”
The cafe hosts events like cookie decoration days, children’s storytime readings and community crochet nights. Pierce’s dreams of hosting events like these in a cat cafe began when she came across Hawaiian cat cafes in 2022.
HOW THE CAFE CAME TO LIFE
Pierce’s initial excitement was quickly quelled by the strenuous process of obtaining the proper permits and insurance from the county.
“Finding a location that would take cats; that was hard,” Pierce said. “Many owners just said no way. This whole county had never heard of [a cat cafe].”
The cafe’s initial success can be attributed in part to its community outreach efforts. Pierce accrued 168 supporters and $16,513 through a fundraising service called Kickstarter to support the cafe beyond its opening.
The first cat cafe ever in the United States, “Cat Town,” opened 11 years ago in Oakland, California.
Pierce’s cafe marks the 17th cat cafe to open in California. San Luis Obispo County is the 11th out of the 58 California counties to open a cat cafe. Today, there are over 250 cat cafes across the country according to Nancy Taylor, a blogger who researches cat cafes across America.
Launa Stettmeier is a patron who attended the cafe’s “Cookies, Cocoa, and Cats” event last month. Despite not being as much of a cat lover as her granddaughter Claire, Stettmeier still acknowledged the important role of a place like the Caffeinated Cat Cafe in a cat’s adoption.
“I think it is just really important to socialize them,” Stettmeier said, adding, “There’s nothing worse than a skittish cat that doesn’t want to come near you, or is afraid. Just
giving them love is really important.”
When asked where she sees the cafe going next, Pierce said they might expand at some point. For now, just getting here was Pierce’s goal.
“I’m so over the top excited with how well it’s going and how positive everybody has been,” Pierce said.
“There’s really been no negativity and I’m so grateful for that.”
TO MEET THE CATS
SCAN
SAM KOHN | MUSTANG NEWS
The Caffeinated Cat Cafe mugs
SAM KOHN | MUSTANG NEWS Grey and White Cat for adoption.
CREATIVE COAST CO | COURTESY Pumpkin on a cat wheel.
FUTURE OF GRAZING RESEARCH AT CAL POLY
STORY BY JOHN MACEDO DESIGNED BY AUDREY WALCH
Five miles northwest of Cal Poly, cows equipped with tiny GPS trackers are munching away in a golden field.
In this quiet scientific revolution on Cal Poly’s pastures, GPS collars transform livestock into high-tech data gatherers, revealing their every step and bite. Researchers and cattle managers then analyze the data to understand their behaviors.
Simply, these GPS collars show how the cattle are using the space they graze.
Cal Poly is currently expanding its research into new areas like Escuela Ranch near Cuesta College on Highway 1. Here, they plan to monitor cattle feeding behavior during the breeding season.
Under the guidance of professors Zach McFarlane and Julie Huzzey, the studies are an effective way to see which parts of the land the livestock prefer and which they tend to avoid; a project inspired by the long-term progression of rangeland management.
The goal is “to see what makes the cows happy,” McFarlane said.
This information helps researchers understand why certain areas might be less attractive for grazing, pointing to issues like undesirable plants or reseeding needs.
It is also important to identify animals that don’t graze as efficiently as the rest of the cattle, according to
Cal Poly’s Beef Operations Manager Aaron Lazanoff.
Unlike traditional GPS devices that only track an animal’s location, these collars are outfitted with an accelerometer, which captures movements in three dimensions; like a Fitbit for cows.
The X and Y-axes measure vertical and horizontal movement, while the Z-axis detects when animals lower their heads to graze or drink.
Graduate students Jason Dubowsky and Amelia Katz from the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences are conducting research involving the collars.
Dubowsky studied herd grazing
patterns during the breeding season at Cal Poly’s Escuela Ranch, while Katz focused on feeding behaviors at the Cal Poly Bull Test Program. The collars ping locations every 10 minutes throughout the day. These points are connected using the Pythagorean theorem to create a timeline of the animals’ movements.
Accelerometers also help to monitor the health of livestock. If the sensors mark one that has been lying down for too long, it alerts the livestock manager.
“Just like when you or I are sick, we tend to rest more than when we are healthy,” Katz said. “Accelerometers exploit this to help with early disease detection.”
Cal Poly’s research team has found a more cost-effective solution using the HOBO Data Logger Accelerometer.
“There is much crazier tech out there, but some of the nice GPS collars can come out to $2,000 a piece, which we just don’t have the funding for,” McFarlane said.
These collars are designed to be both durable and affordable, making them ideal for long-term field studies. In a recent partnership, UC Davis borrowed Cal Poly’s HOBO GPS collars to conduct a similar monitoring project inspired by Cal Poly’s studies.
Aside from keeping cows happy, there is a strong call for
A MELIA KATZ | COURTESY Cows are equipped with GPS trackers and accelerometers to collect data for grazing research.
If cattle are more feed efficient, then ranchers and feedlot owners can spend less on feed, driving down production cost. From an environmental perspective, driving down inputs like feed helps reduce the carbon footprint of the beef industry as a whole.
understanding eating habits due to cost benefits and environmental reasons. Katz explained feed is the number one cost in beef cattle production.
This research goes far beyond just goats and cows.
“Many endangered species in California, such as the California tiger salamander, peacefully coexist with cattle and need cattle grazing to maintain their habitat,” McFarlane said.
In the future, they plan to publish their studies and abstracts in academic journals. They have a published abstract in the Journal of Animal Science about range land cow behavior.
Information on some of their other projects can be found on Katz’s website.
AMELIA KATZ Graduate Student
AMELIA KATZ | COURTESY Feed is the number one cost in beef cattle production, according to Katz.
AMELIA KATZ | COURTESY
Cal Poly Beef Operations Manager Aaron Lazanoff said it’s important to identify animals that don’t graze as effectively.
