June 2, 2016

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A taste of Cal Poly’s political climate Alexa Bruington Special to Mustang News

With approximately 15,000 eligible voters attending Cal Poly, students make up nearly one-third of the total voting population in San Luis Obispo. The upcoming primary and general election features out-of-the-ordinary candidates: a self-proclaimed socialist, a business man with no political experience and a preceding first lady. With such a diverse group of candidates, many students are still unsure of who to support.

How Cal Poly students are politically influenced As the elections quickly come into view, social media has become a major platform for some candidates to garner hype.

However, most Cal Poly students who responded to Mustang News’ 100-person survey did their own research on candidates as opposed to solely relying on social media influences. Many had pulled away from their parents’ political affiliation as well.

Ca l Poly’s candidate preferences “Why shouldn’t someone vote for Donald Trump? There’s a lot of answers to that. I think if anyone wants to answer that, they can look at his Twitter feed,” economics sophomore and active member of Cal Poly Democrats Sebastian Hamirani said.

Hamirani is referring to words tweeted by Trump that have been

seen as demeaning toward women, and are said to promote racial tensions.

“I don’t think that’s the type of attitude we need at the White House,” Hamirani said.

How do registered Republicans feel about this?

“Not very proud,” business administration senior Ryan Dennehy said, without hesitation. “I feel like in the beginning everyone was like — ‘Oh it’s a joke, he’s never going to make it this far.’ ... So, I think the rest of the world is kind of laughing with us at the fact that he’s an actual candidate.”

However, not everyone is laughing.

City and regional planning sophomore Hunter Kelly is all smiles while reflecting on his first encounter with the politician.

“I was working during the summer, and I first heard his announcement on the radio. I was thinking, ‘Okay, these are some alright ideas, it’s a shame that won’t gain any public traction,’” Kelly said. “Time went on and he was gaining public traction and I thought, ‘the madman can actually do it, people are actually listening.”

Kelly, who wears the same red “Make America Great Again” hat seen on Trump, not only favors the politician’s economic policies to protect American workers and manufactures, but also his foreign policy.

“He was sort of the magical candidate for me, that sort of appeared out of the back of my mind,” Kelly said. “From a young

age, I’ve always kind of hoped for a president or politician or something along the lines of a guy that just likes America. That likes protecting America, that wants to promote American prosperity among the globe.”

Environmental earth and soil sciences freshman Olivia Mann

While cheaper college tuition may appeal to millennials, others think that it’s a little too good to be true. Al Fonzi, chairman of the Republican party for San Luis Obispo county, said there isn’t enough money in the country to fund Sanders’ proposals and would destroy economic oppor-

the person that has most of the policies I support, but not even all of them at all, but she’s the closest one,” Medina said.

Aerospace engineering senior Arseniy Kotov disagrees.

“She already has a bad track record. She’s under investigation with the FBI, they’re probably going to wait until the Democratic primaries happen to see if she gets chosen or not, but obviously she has a lot of power and pull in the government and the system,” Kotov said. “But that’s already a show if she’s already kind of corrupt, if she’s above the law or whatever or if she’s above procedures — like if you can’t follow them, then how do you expect everyone else in this country to follow them.”

So what about students who don’t agree with any policies at all? Sometimes, it means simply not voting at all.

“Just seeing both the candidates, it’s kind of hard to even find commonalities with both of them or either of them,” Kotov said. “Voting for a third party candidate is kind of a waste of your time because it’s not likely that they’re going to be elected. So right now I’m honestly thinking of not voting.”

Kotov isn’t alone in this either.

The number of young adult voting has been generally underwhelming for quite some time: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, young adult voters between the ages of 18 and 24 have consistently voted at lower rates than all other age groups in every presidential election since 1962.

The big question everyone is

Who are you voting for in the California primary election?

10% Hillary Clinton

47% Bernie Sanders

16% Donald Trump

15% No Candidate

Based on data collected from an online survey of 100 random Cal Poly students.

said she opposes Trump’s policies.

However, when asked why someone should vote for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, she didn’t hesitate to answer as a smile appeared on her face.

“I think people should vote Bernie because of his affordable college plans,” Mann said, “and he actually seems to care about the well-being of the citizens of the U.S.”

tunity for our generation.

“If you like having poor economic prospects, vote for Sanders as working at Starbucks will seem like a good career by the time he’s finished with the economy,” Fonzi said.

For political science sophomore and registered Republican Ivana Medina, it was all about commonality.

“I think that Hillary Clinton is

asking is, “Will it really make a difference if I don’t vote?”

“In a practical sense, every vote counts. We passed a local measure a few years ago by four votes,” Pat Harris, chairman of the Democratic party for San Luis Obispo county, said. “We have had local supervisor races decided with only a couple of hundred vote difference. Every vote does count!”

It seems as though the closer we get to election season, the more confused people are becoming.

Some are even calling this election the first of its kind.

“Last election, it was Mitt Romney versus Barack Obama. And it was two respected, status quo kind of politicians who were moderate right and moderate left,” psychology senior Jake Wyman said. “And this election has been completely different.”

Wyman is referring to the 2012 presidential election where young voters were one of the key voting blocks in electing President Obama. He won the 18-to-29year-old vote over Romney.

So what’s the right thing to do?

Vote without passion, or not vote at all?

“It’s the simplest thing you could do,” Wyman said. “I feel bad saying this, but even if you hate all of them, chose the one you hate the least, or maybe research alternate decisions. Or just check out other parties or independents.

Just vote. That’s all you really need to do. It’s one of the only things you need to do, it’s one of your only duties as a citizen. Yeah, I’m voting.”

15% 13% 60% say parents influenced their candidate decision

say social media influenced their candidate decision

say research influenced their candidate decision

Visit MustangNews.net for the full multimedia story

Students to make directorial debuts in one act plays

CHRISTA LAM | MUSTANG NE WS HIGH HOPES | Junior pitcher Justin Calomeni and junior first baseman Brett Barbier hope to join the minors.

CHRISTA LAM | MUSTANG NE WS UPHOLDING THE MOTTO | The festival provides students with the ultimate Learn by Doing experience.

Sabrina Thompson @sthomp_jour

Cal Poly thrives on its Learn by Doing atmosphere. For theater majors and minors, it involves being part of productions. This can be acting, designing and, in one class’s case, directing.

A group of 13 student-

directors will debut one act plays they have been working on this quarter. Some of the plays are comedic, while others take on a more serious tone.

Each features student-created work under the direction of Theatre and Dance Department Chairman Josh Machamer. The one act plays will be

performed in the Black Box Theatre, located in room 212 of the Davidson Music Center (building 45) on June 4 and 5. Tickets are $5 at the door and provide attendees with the chance to see multiple one act shows.

Continued on page 5

Cal Poly baseball players hope to join former teammates in pro ball Ty Schilling @ty_schilling106

Every year, Major League Baseball conducts multiple rounds of draft picks, drafting more than 1,500 players. Multiple Cal Poly baseball players have been

selected into the league since its creation and competed in the majors.

Former Mustangs Mark Mathias, Brian Mundell, Casey Bloomquist and Zack Zehner are all playing for an opportunity to reach the majors. Junior right-handed pitcher

Justin Calomeni and junior first baseman Brett Barbier hope to join their former teammates in the minors, and perhaps Casey Fien and Bud Norris in the major leagues one day.

Continued on page 8

Cal Poly’s aquaponics system

Rep. Lois Capps visits campus

9 months in France

Baseball players hopeful for draft

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News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-5 | Opinion... 6 | Classifieds... 7 | Sports... 8

Thursday, June 2, 2016

NEWS | 2

Admin looks to increase tenure-line faculty

ANDREW EPPERSON | MUSTANG NE WS FULL-TIME HIRES

| Compared to other CSUs, Cal Poly’s approximately 50 percent tenure-line faculty is high, but the administration is looking to increase this number and create more full-time positions.

Elena Wasserman @ElenaWasserman

Administration is discussing increasing tenure faculty to 75 percent in order to promote faculty commitment to Cal Poly.

Though Cal Poly has one of the highest tenure-line, or full-time, faculty out of the California State Universities (CSU) at approximately 50 percent, the hiring of tenure-line faculty has decreased since 2010, according to Faculty Rights Chair for California Faculty Association (CFA) Jere Ramsey.

The CSU recently sent out documents outlining systemwide goals including hiring more tenure-line faculty, according to Associate Vice Provost Albert Liddicoat.

“We want to make sure we have permanent faculty to do all the things the university values and help us with our Learn by Doing education,” Liddicoat said.

According to political science associate professor Matthew Moore, it is not a lecturer’s job to work with students to advise them or help them with their projects. Tenure-line faculty

are supposed to work closely with students. If Cal Poly values those roles, then it needs as many tenure-line faculty it can afford, Moore said.

According to Ramsey, Cal Poly can afford more tenure-line faculty, but is choosing to save money by hiring lecturers and then spend the rest on administrators.

“What has been going on at Cal Poly is they have been decreasing tenure-line faculty since 2010 because that way they save money which they then spend on administrators,” Ramsey said.

Though CSUs are not getting

funding to accomplish the goal of hiring more tenure-line faculty, each campus president is encouraged to take these goals into consideration and decide what’s best for the university, according to Liddicoat.

College of Liberal Arts Dean Doug Epperson said there are a lot of reasons to support tenure-line faculty.

“Tenure-line positions are more favorable to faculty generally. Increasing line nationally is a good idea because it creates more desirable positions for faculty to take,” Epperson said.

According to Moore, lecturers do a great job, but at Cal Poly and across the country they are not paid enough for the work they do. If Cal Poly wants there to be future professors, there needs to be jobs for them, which is one of the reasons to have more tenure-line faculty, according to Moore.

“I retired as a lecturer — this is not an insult to lecturers — but lecturers are in many cases temporary employees and aren’t paid to help with faculty governance on campus,” Ramsey said. “(Tenure-line faculty) can, from their

position of job security, they can help govern and stand up to administrators that at risk employees like lecturers cannot do.”

Epperson also said lecturers may take teaching jobs at other schools to piece together a full-time job, while tenure-line faculty are hired full-time for the university, which generally makes them more committed to the university.

“The driving reason (to increase tenure-line faculty) is it’s just the right thing to do for our faculty, for our students and for the institution,” Epperson said.

NABA AHMED | MUSTANG NE WS RISING STARS | Capps met with members of Cal Poly’s award-winning Solar Decathlon team (above) during her trip to campus. The Congresswoman has served the 24th District, which includes San Luis Obispo, since 1998.

Rep. Lois Capps visits Cal Poly; discusses renewable energy, public health Naba Ahmed @nabaahmed

Congresswoman Lois Capps visited Cal Poly on Tuesday to discuss renewable energy and public health initiatives.

Cal Poly’s Solar Decathlon team met for a roundtable with Capps

to discuss INhouse, its solarpowered, energy-efficient home.

At the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, students and advisors presented the renewable energy capabilities of the house that earned them third place overall at the annual Solar Decathlon competition.

Capps wanted to meet with the team responsible for the project because its renewable and energy saving efforts can be applied on a much larger scale.

“We consume more energy and fossil fuels in our country than most other countries,” Capps said. “This campus and depart-

ment is really paving the way for that alternative so that we are not fully reliant on fossil fuel as an energy source.”

Capps also spoke with kinesiology professor Susan Phelan about federal investments in research for Phelan’s study on gestational diabetes. According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this type of diabetes affects nearly one in 10 pregnant women.

As part of a $2.8 million National Institute of Health five-year federal grant to Cal Poly, Phelan will lead the study to examine what precautions can be taken pre-pregnancy to reduce the risk of diabetes.

“Before I came to Congress, I was a public health nurse and I worked a lot with teenagers who become pregnant early,” Capps said. “I was helping them have a healthy pregnancy and teach their children healthy ways of living because this cycle of diabetes is really an epidemic and we need to change that.”

Thursday, June 2, 2016 Michelle Zaludek @michellenistic

Zion is hidden behind a dense thicket of trees and thistles. It’s a place where small fish and prawns poke around freshwater ponds; where plantlife stretches, basking in the humid air.

Student caretakers make the hike to Zion at least once a week to tend to it — to make sure the fish have enough to eat, the water levels are high enough, the pumps are still moving and the covering on the greenhouse is still intact.

Zion is a synonym for Jerusalem.

And it’s a national park. It was even the last human city in sci-fi classic “The Matrix.” And at Cal Poly, it’s a greenhouse in a little corner of the Cal Poly Student Experimental Farm. So if the name sounds ambitious, it’s because they have big goals.

“We’re trying to push the boundaries of what’s acceptable to grow with aquaponics,” civil engineering senior Dylan Robertson said.

“We’re growing potatoes and sweet potatoes and onions — we’re growing root crops in nothing but water. We’re growing bananas and raspberries and blueberries and horseradish and ginger and garlic … We’re growing a cypress! A giant hardwood tree. We’re even growing hardwood bushes like rosemary, all in water.”

Aquaponics Among other things, the system also grows milkweed, kale, lettuce and “the most delicious tomatoes you’ll ever have,” according to mechanical engineering senior Erik Pinuelas.

The setup inside is a system of six pools, tanks and rock beds that push water in a giant circle with the intention of creating a symbiotic, nearly self-sustaining relationship between freshwater creatures and farmable plants.

The science, called aquaponics, is currently tended to by the PolyPonics club. They’ve mostly been

experimenting with just what can be grown with a water-based farming system. And Robertson said they’ve been able to grow a lot.

Club members get to take home the food, which they said doesn’t currently produce enough for them to be able to sell.

Trouble in paradise But they’re always facing the looming threat of losing Zion.

“We’re at the Student Experimental Farm, which is a very temperamental place,” said Robertson, one of the founding members of PolyPonics. “And we’re constantly worried someone’s going to pull the rug out from underneath us.”

The club is responsible for maintaining the greenhouse, and said they only receive funding through grants and the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI)’s annual $500 stipend for clubs.

“I want, like, $10 million,” Robertson said. “No, it’s just — right now we get almost zero support … I wish Cal Poly saw the value in it like we see the value in it.”

It doesn’t help that PolyPonics has recently faced serious setbacks that drained what funds they had.

The plastic skin covering the greenhouse broke a few months ago. And around the same time, the green-

It’s basically growing crops off fish poop.

ERIK HOFFNAGLE

house’s only power source short-circuited, causing the water pump to stop. Larger fish that the club could have harvested, such as tilapia, living in the ponds couldn’t get oxygen when the water stopped flowing and died, according to forestry

NEWS | 3

Farming with the fish: Cal Poly’s hidden aquaponics system

MICHELLE ZALUDEK | MUSTANG NE WS HIDDEN GEM | Also the name for a national park, Zion is a greenhouse at Cal Poly hidden behind a dense thicket of trees and thistles.

and natural resources junior Jase Tweedy, the club’s president.

PolyPonics was responsible for fixing all of it.

“If we don’t fix it, looks like trash up there, and Cal Poly could shut us down because it looks like a dangerous mess,” Robertson said.

Robertson said PolyPonics had to raise $1,200 just to fix the g r e e n h o u s e skin: “So yeah, $10 million would do the trick.”

With extra funding, PolyPonics could start collecting data on the system that could be used to explore an agricultural technique that they think is just as innovative as it is simple.

“It’s basically growing crops off fish poop,” environmental engineering senior Erik Hoffnagle said.

Robertson expanded: “It’s a symbiotic relationship between many different organisms that creates an excess that we’re able to harvest and use for ourselves.”

And amid California’s historic drought, the aquaponics system uses significantly less water, according to Tweedy.

Because PolyPonics doesn’t have to water an entire field, it loses less water to evaporation. Tweedy suggested that on their scale, the water savings could be as high as 80 percent.

But Robertson said there hasn’t been enough formal research to prove that.

“It does use way less water than soil farming,” Robertson. “And as

California’s drought gets worse and worse and worse, we have the answer already. You know, drip irrigation is cool, but aquaponics and hydroponics will be even cooler.”

The lack of university-level research leaves a lot of room for Cal Poly to step in and be at the forefront. Tweedy said that in the immediate future, he’d like to see more students using the aquaponics system as a springboard for senior projects. And he’d eventually like to see the system incorporated into Cal Poly’s curriculum.

“I know there’s an aquaculture class,” he said. “But it would be cool to see this turn into a lab class or something like that.”

Pinuelas said the need to explore aquaponics is growing as the world continues to develop, and that the time to seriously re-

search it is now.

“There’s almost an infinite amount of benefits to aquaponics,” he said. “And where it meets us in the present is that, within agriculture, we’ve hit this growthrate cap. Because we’re limited on farmland … And society’s going to GMO, but aquaponics is an alternative solution, because it doesn’t require arable land. It requires a vacant lot, your backyard, your kitchen counter, all the space that’s already available.”

With a system that a massive variety of plants, fish, crawfish, shrimp and even a recently rescued turtle named Chance all depend on to survive, there’s a lot at stake for the PolyPonics team.

But with any luck, the team will be able to keep pushing to make sure Zion doesn’t become a paradise lost.

MICHELLE ZALUDEK | MUSTANG NE WS LOST PARADISE

PLANT LIFE

|

MICHELLE ZALUDEK | MUSTANG NE WS Students make the hike to the Cal Poly Student Experimental Farm to tend to plants.

| PolyPonics had to raise $1,200 to keep the greenhouse in tact and not be shut down.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

ARTS | 4

KRISTINE XU | MUSTANG NE WS CULTURE SHOCK

| Newfound independence in France partnered with a different pace of living in Europe created an environment that fostered rapid maturation compared to life in the U.S.

Finding familiarity after 9 months in France Kristine Xu @kristiners

After spending nine months in France, my first week back in the United States was a rush of relief. I was finally reunited with my family and friends, back in my hometown and completely comfortable in a familiar environment. I knew I would miss the physical bits

and pieces of my Parisian life — the food, the city life and the people — but I had been gone for so long that I was more than ready to come home. I was ready to dive headfirst back into my life and for everything to return back to normal.

And yet, my first moments back stateside didn’t feel quite right. It felt almost too easy, and deep down there was a longing

for something more challenging.

Before this year, moving to a completely new country was one of the scariest things I have ever had to deal with in my life.

I spent months away from family, friends and familiarity. From altering my entire way of functioning and thinking to coming to terms with my own growth as a person, I’ve never changed this much in such a short time.

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Quite frankly, it was one of frustration for something that I versions of my preferred foods the roughest nine months of thought should have been so easy. — small shots of espresso instead my life. I found myself be- A large percentage of students of cups of hot coffee, buttery coming frustrated with simple around the world study abroad chocolate croissants instead of day-to-day tasks like opening a every year, so why was I having sticky sweet donuts and piping bank account and going to the such a hard time with this? hot kebab sandwiches instead of store simply because it was in The answer slowly emerged deliciously oily cheeseburgers. I a different language and a new over time as I grew accustomed took advantage of my free weekenvironment. As any fairly in- to living in France. I had been ends and traveled to 10 other dependent person knows, this focusing so much of my time European countries, a pleasant was a bit discouraging to deal trying to mold my environ- change from rarely leaving my with. It was a whole different ment to better fit myself, when home state in years past. way of thinking that I wasn’t I should have been adapting In addition, this gradual shift used to, and I was too proud to became sort of a game to me, by take the easy way out and ask observing the mannerisms of the magic sentence: “Do you other people and trying them speak English?” for myself. As I slowly became I found myself struggling fluent in a third language with not just the indepenand adapted to a new set I’ll miss Paris for the dence of being a young of cultural norms, I could invaluable life lessons and adult, but also with the sense a change happening. speed and demand that Living in a different counpush of independence I had try living in a foreign counwas a sink or swim sittry requires. Back in the uation, which pushed me to learn to adapt to. states, I wasn’t forced unto confront my old habits der any time restriction, so — stay the same and exist, or KRISTINE XU MUSTANG NEWS I could take as long as I needchange and thrive. Naturally, I ed to master the subtleties of didn’t come to terms with how adulthood. In France, weeks much I had changed until I fiwould slip through my fin- myself to better fit my new en- nally came home and felt how gertips as I scrambled to take vironment. It was the classic ex- bizarre being home was as my care of responsibilities in an- ample of trying to fit a square new self. other language. I was forced to peg in the circular hole.

I’ll miss Paris for the invalugrow up a whole lot faster than I stopped struggling the mo- able life lessons and push of I was comfortable with, and ment I was able to pinpoint this independence I had to learn to that sometimes took a toll on subtle difference, and found it adapt to. Fortunately, the good my physical and mental well- much easier to function and thing about leaving a city is that being despite being necessary even flourish in my new home. you can always come back. In the at certain times.

I embraced speaking French meantime, while I plot my return And so my first three months with my French parents, no mat- trip to France, I’ll be tiding myself in France passed — through a ter how many mistakes I made. over with plenty of croissants, red lot of confusion, discomfort and I fell in love with the French wine and cheese plates.

Thursday, June 2, 2016 Continued from page 1

Aron Daw’s “Victoria Station” Daw’s one act is an exploration of friendship. A play about two men who develop a connection over the phone flips between comedic and dramatic with each moment. In Daw’s work as a di-

ARTS | 5

rector, he found that the most remarkable thing was going into this with some acting experience and getting to see and experience it from the other side as a director. “Victoria Station” by Harold Pinter will be performed at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Hannah Littier’s “Fairytale Fable” Littier’s one act tells the story of what happens when a journalist discovers the world of fairytales, and what happens after the “happily ever after.” This short play explores friendship and fairytales.

Littier’s experience in theater as

CHRISTA LAM | MUSTANG NE WS STUDENT-RUN | After preparing all quarter, 13 theater students are ready to make their directoral debut.

both an actress and designer has been a strong influence for her, though she states at times that the hardest part was reigning in her ideas. “After” by Carol Mack will be performed at 4 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Antonio Mata’s “Spooky Story” Mata’s one act features appearances by paranormal means.

“Throwing Your Voice,” a play

by Craig Lucas, tells the story of a seemingly typical night with discussions on the ethics of mining and mortality. Yet, as the play progresses, it takes a dark and surprising turn.

Mata enjoyed his experience as a director, despite struggling at times with communication of what was in his head to what he wanted to see from his actors.

However, Mata said, “It was so rewarding to see them find those moments for themselves.”

“Throwing Your Voice” will be performed at 4 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

SAY GOODBYE TO VISTA GRANDE Join us on June 3rd from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. to celebrate Vista Grande’s long history.

Students, staff, faculty and alumni are welcome to enjoy light refreshments and say goodbye to one of Cal Poly’s most memorable dining locations. Vista Grande is closing to make way for a new dining complex scheduled to open Fall 2018.

BIKE MONTH GIVEAWAY BONUS! Last chance to ride away with a free bike.

To enter the bike giveaway contest, follow Cal Poly Campus Dining on Instagram and like their “Friday Freebie” photo.

in these productions, both acting and directing, have dedicated their time and money for this year’s one act festival.

Amara Villaseñor’s “Retelling History” In Villaseñor’s one act, “Pithecus”

by Dmitry Lipkin, the audience is brought into the conversation about how we discuss the past through music and dance. Villaseñor found her experience as a student-director to be very educational, from learning about the play to learning about the process and what it takes to be a leader. “Pithecus” will be performed at 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Jack Stuart’s “Judgement Call” In Stuart’s one act, America’s favorite past time becomes a philosophical conversation. It involves three umpires: a rookie, one in the prime of his career and a veteran. When one of them begins to question his role as an umpire, the conversation between the men turns into a discussion of morality and the concept that their job is an important deciding factor in things far beyond the play that they called. Stuart described “Judgement Call,” a play

by Frederick Stroppel, as a great experience despite some minor issues. “Judgement Call” will be performed at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

At VG Café’s Monday night barbecues, try grilled fish, meats and veggies for a healthy barbecue option that’s RD Approved (approved by Campus Dining’s Registered Dietitian).

The students involved

Sabrina Orro’s “Love Story” In Orro’s one act, simply titled “The Kiss” by Mark Harvey Levine, two close friends get even closer. In preparation for a date, a young man enlists the help of his friend to ensure the kiss he gives his date will be good. What starts as innocent advice turns into a heated discussion on the nature of their relationship. Orro’s directorial debut takes some time to look into the nature of relationships, and in her directing she found she was able to tell that story with her cast. “The Kiss” will be performed at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Micah Anthes’ “Variations on the Death of Trotsky” In Anthes’ one act, he takes David Ives’ play “Variations on the Death of Trotsky” and plays with the ridiculous nature of the script to talk about a serious matter. The play tells the story of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, and while the events leading to his death vary in this one act, his demise is the same throughout. Anthes found that being a director involved communicating his ideas with his actors. “Variations on the Death of Trotsky” will be performed 2 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

More shows There are other one acts that will be performed over the weekend. At 4 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday, “The A-Word”

by Linda Faigao-Hall directed by Kimberlee Vandenburg, “The Office” by Kate Hoffower

directed by Charlie Cox and “The Society” by J. Omar Hansen directed by Emily Brehm will be performed.

At 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday additional performances will take place: “The Moon Please” by Diana Son directed by Caroline Rein, “Courting Prometheus” by Charles Forbes directed by Miranda Ashland and “The Universal Language” by David Ives directed by Sarah Gamblin.

The students involved in these productions, both acting and directing, have dedicated their time and money for this years’ one act festival. They have shared their thoughts on the opportunities, both the great and trying aspects, and how they have upheld the anthem of Learn by Doing. The one acts range from 10-15 minutes each and one ticket will allow you to see all of the performances for the two 4 p.m. or 6 p.m. time slots.

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Thursday, June 2, 2016

OPINION | 6

A working-class hero is something to be Emilio Horner @CPMustangNews

Emilio Horner is a political science senior and Mustang News columnist. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints and editorial coverage of Mustang News.

From the 1970s forward, this country has been waging a war — not on poverty, but on poor people. For too long, lower-class Americans have been demonized, shamed and abandoned. Modern history is the story of rich white corporate bosses scouring the globe for cheap labor and resources, while convincing poor white people back home that brown and black people are their enemies.

And no matter what some nice old person once told you about hard work, dreams and bootstraps, it turns out the data shows that class mobility in America is getting worse, not better.

The illusion that America is a classless society of equal opportunity is a lie perpetrated by the powerful elite. This lie is compounded by media that reinforces celebrity nonsense and sports rivalries in order to make the average citizen pretend they are tuned into the winning team. But it turns out Warriors fans are losing the class war just as much as Thunder fans.

Additionally, corporate-owned distraction-based media (the supposedly liberal media is only as liberal as its corporate bosses) is complementary to the terrifying rise of faux right wing populists who now blame unions and minorities for the crimes of Wall Street. We all know the numbers. The upper 1 percent of Americans are currently taking home a quarter of the nation’s income and approximately 40 percent of the nation’s wealth.

Some apologists for hypercapitalist violence will argue a rising tide

lifts all boats, but while the top 1 percent has seen an 18 percent increase in income in the past 10 years, those in the middle have seen income fall. For working class men with only a high school degree, the last 25 years have seen a 12 percent loss in income.

People are suffering.

Economic polarization and income inequality are the result of laborsaving technologies reducing middle class jobs, globalization pitting better paid domestic workers against cheap workers oversees, and the decline in unions, which once represented about a third of American workers. Tax policy compounded the effects including a reduction on the capital gains tax. Specific economic solutions are tricky, but any quality modern economy requires government investment in infrastructure, education and new technology.

None of the last four paragraphs are particularly new analysis, so why is it that policies have not

describe themselves as rich, approximately 31 percent thought they would be rich someday. This reasoning is partially responsible for the fact that of the 10 states with the lowest median household income, nine backed John McCain in 2008. Another issue is the fact that social issues continue to divide the country. Opponents of abortion and gay rights and gun control continue to vote Republican despite supporting economic populism.

There’s a clear racial issue at play here. Republicans have long scapegoated black and brown people in the South to reinforce their electoral coalition of greedy businessman and war criminal neocons. The fact that Republican leaders consciously appealed to white southerners’ racial resentments to drum up votes is not well hidden. Former RNC chairman Lee Atwater admitted that yelling the “n-word” in 1954 would get one elected, but by 1968 one had to code racism into things

Obama is destroying America like Nelson Mandela destroyed South Africa, by handing it over to the wrong people.

Of course, the Democratic Party’s abandonment of the working class is hardly any better.

Bill Clinton gutted welfare and deregulated the economy, and he also tapped into racial anger by overseeing the execution THE ILLUSION THAT AMERICA IS of a mentally ill black death row inmate to A CLASSLESS SOCIETY OF EQUAL insure that voters the OPPORTUNITY IS A LIE PERPETRATED Democrats are tough on crime. Democrats

BY THE POWERFUL ELITE. relied on Unions for support while at the same time supported EMILIO HORNER supposed free trade POLITICAL SCIENCE SENIOR deals that were simply corporate giveaways.

Clinton, as far as I’m concerned, is the been put in place to actually deal like criticizing forced bussing, best president the Republicans with massive income inequality? affirmative action and support- never had.

Additionally, why do poor white ing cutting taxes and states’ rights.

Finally, the rhetoric and attitude working class people continue The obvious outcomes of these that many liberals have toward to vote Republican when it ap- policies are impacting certain working class people is one of pears to be against their own demographics more than others. contempt and disrespect. What’s economic interest?

Ronald Reagan famously used the the point of discussing how terPart of the problem is a lack of racist and sexist imagery of the rible income inequality is one class consciousness in America. welfare queen to tap into domi- minute and dismissing anyone Approximately 90 percent of nant racist and sexist stereotypes who likes guns or believes in god people identify as middle class, of women (uncontrolled sexuali- as idiots the next? Additionally, when in actuality, a majority of ty) and African Americans (lazi- narratives of the poor as lazy apthose people are working class. ness). More recently, the chairman pear on both the right and left.

A 2005 Gallup poll showed that of the Republican Party in Jack- Why is it easier to believe that while only 2 percent of Americans son County, Arkansas argued that 150,000,000 Americans are being

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lazy, rather than 400 Americans being greedy? The Democratic Party’s concentration on the urban yuppie electorate has allowed Republican hucksters like Karl Rove and Donald Trump to swoop in and capitalize on economic anger.

In the modern world it’s important to get off the internet and engage with actual people about political differences. After feeling alienated and disheartened by electoral politics all year, I was incredibly inspired at Bernie Sander’s recent rally in Santa Maria. The genuine camaraderie, sense of hope and sense of unity as opposed to politics of divisiveness reverberated throughout a diverse crowd that featured people across race, class, education and gender lines. It gave me hope.

I am a firm believer in the people. I believe it is more that the political elites in both the Republican and Democratic Party have abandoned working class people than it is that working class people, don’t know what’s good for them. When a candidate comes along who speaks truth to power, he or she can breakthrough knee jerk politics of anger and tap into the actual lived experience of people who are unfairly suffering.

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Thursday, June 2, 2016

Continued from page 1

Calomeni, who holds a 2.95 ERA and has often been used as Cal Poly’s closer this season, has been looked at as a potential draft pick by multiple outlets.

His 61 strikeouts in 39.2 innings and ability to swing between the bullpen and starting rotation have solidified his status as a probable draft pick.

Barbier, a catcher, first baseman and outfielder, is also seen as a probable draftee. In 199 at-bats, Barbier recorded a .352 batting average and .974 OPS recent along with 70 hits and 41 runs, all team highs.

Though lefty Kyle Smith boasts the most decorated statistics as a starting pitcher on the Mustangs’ squad, with 89 strikeouts, the sophomore looks to be returning for another year.

Mathias was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Indians after two AllBig West Conference First Team selctions while at Cal Poly. He has crossed

home plate eight times in the last 10 games for the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats, putting him at 62 total runs scored this year.

The second baseman also had 11 hits in the past 10 games.

Mundell, a slugging first baseman/ designated hitter for the Mustangs from 2013-15, was picked in the seventh round by the Colorado Rockies. He owns a .347/.404/.535 slash line for the Rockies’ Class A affiliate and may soon be due for a promotion.

Bloomquist, drafted in the 17th round, is 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 0.87 WHIP for the Class A South Bend Cubs. The right-handed pitcher, who received First Team All-American honors from Baseball America in 2014, has recorded 15 strikeouts in his last 13.2 innings.

Zehner was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round. The left fielder, who finished at Cal Poly in 2014 but waited a year to enter pro baseball, currently sports an on-base percentage of .406 for the Tampa Yankees in High-A.

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In 199 at-bats, Brett Barbier recorded a .352 batting average and .974 OPS recent along with 70 hits and 41 runs, all team highs.

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