Mustang News May 20, 2024

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IN THIS ISSUE

SURFING AND SKATING CLUB GRRRLS ON BOARDS RIDES ON THE EDGE OF FEMININITY

ADVISERS

HOW A PARTY THEME BECAME THE SLO BEYBLADES CLUB

Cal Poly is in tiłhini, the Place of the Full Moon. We gratefully acknowledge, respect, and thank

tiłhini, Northern

STORY BY Leila Touati DESIGNED BY Ariel Sherman

STORY BY Abby Gorman DESIGNED BY Maya Rotstein

STORY BY Kaitlyn Knopf DESIGNED BY Rain Mazumder

STORY BY Jeremy Garza DESIGNED BY Kennedy Ray

STORY BY McKenna Rodriguez DESIGNED BY Maya Rotstein

“We don’t have a lot of fear to go around”

Surfng and skating club Grrrls On Boards rides on the edge of femininity

BY LEILA TOUATI

Lauren Leach floats on her surfboard in The Pit, a popular surf spot in Santa Barbara. Her hands gently glide across the water and the sunlight hits the ocean’s horizon just right to create a halo of peace and serenity. She looks down. A massive shark is swimming right below her.

“I’m honestly surprised that its fin didn’t accidentally touch me, there was a certain grace to the movement of its body and it was just amazing,” Leach said.

The journalism senior grew up in land-locked Ohio and would skateboard as a mode of transportation in high school, but catching waves off the Central Coast was not an option until she got to Cal Poly.

“I didn’t have any expectations; I didn’t have anything at all,” Leach said.

Leach’s boyfriend drew her into the surfing community, a community that supported and helped Leach commit to learning to surf.

According to Leach, a quote she likes to remember is that “the best surfer in the water is the one having fun.”

“It’s a commitment to learn,” Leach said. “You have to commit to being bad for two years minimum, and finding enjoyment in all those moments is important. You don’t need to be good to have fun.”

Despite being new, Leach hoped for a community of girls in the water who lifted each other up. Two years ago, her dream became the launching point for Grrrls On Boards, the Central Coast women’s surfing club that rides on the edge of femininity, according to Leach.

Leach took inspiration from GRLSWIRL, specifically its CEO Lucy Jean, who founded the Venicebased women’s skateboarding

collective. GRLSWIRL coined the term “world’s okayest skater,” focusing on creating a community that empowers women skaters.

The ‘grrrls’ in their title stems from ‘Riot Grrrl,’ a punk rock feminist movement in the 1990s that sprouted in the Pacific North-West with a mission to bring girl power into the limited world of predominately male punk music, according to Leach.

Surfing and skateboarding are two male-dominated sports, and Grrrls On Boards exists to create a space for female surfers and skaters on the Central Coast.

With 183 women in their group chat, Grrrls On Boards hosts group surfs and group skates, and is not exclusive to Cal Poly. According to Leach, surfing and skateboarding exist outside of the Cal Poly bubble and she wants Grrrls On Boards to represent that. The main goal of the club is to meet one girl to surf or skate with outside of the club.

Leach said she hopes the club can be a supportive place for other girls wanting to learn.

“You automatically take a position when you start a group of people who are very focused on encouraging each other, and I think it’s about doing our thing and encouraging and pushing each other to surf bigger and scarier waves,” Leach said.

Journalism junior and member of Grrrls On Boards Kayla Burke caught her first wave at three years old. Now an award-winning surfer, Burke is skilled in longboarding and shortboarding and competes with the Cal Poly surf team.

Members like Burke utilize the many avenues of Grrrls On Boards to find their person to surf with when group surfs are not happening. Burke said she would text the

group chat and welcome people to go surfing with her.

As for business junior Marlena Deleeuw, her entire family surfs and skates and she grew up with a halfpipe and bowl in her backyard in Santa Cruz. She lived all her life in surf culture, an environment focused on localism and respecting the older generation of surfers who came before her. She added that surfing is “way more fun when you know everyone.”

yelled, “Hey, are you one of us? Do you want to be?”

“It’s so remarkable how the energy shifts when a group like us comes into the park and we’re all cheering each other on and fostering this energy of inclusion and support that people will piggyback on, everyone loves that shit,” Kwan said.

According to Leach, there is a group within Grrrls On Boards that goes surfing, searching for those enormous waves to charge and face their ocean fears. Deleeuw and Leach are a part of that fearless troupe.

onlookers froze after hatching a glimpse of the surfers charging the waves.

“It felt so cool and empowering to have us all paddling out together into this lineup where before –maybe just ten years ago – no girls would surf there,” Deleeuw said.

Leach hopes to bring more grrrls outside of Cal Poly to join the club, setting a community of engagement and empowerment outside of the college “bubble.”

It was about making space in an intense way and not doing it quietly because nothing else was working.

LAUREN LEACH Journalism Senior

Grrrls On Boards began as a surfing club, but business junior Toni Kwan had plans to incorporate another community of girls on boards – skateboards. Kwan has been hosting group skates at Santa Rosa Park since fall quarter, and with every group skate hosted, the more popular they became.

Kwan described the feeling as electric – the last group skate lasted for four hours and she was “so stoked.” She noticed two girls at the park who weren’t a part of the group and

“We’re facing that fear together, but if I’m being completely honest, us girls in the group, we don’t have a lot of fear to go around,” Leach said. In January, six of the grrrls went to Morro to a rough surf spot and

“For our club, we focus on saying that we’re here and it’s really important for female surfers to stand up for their fellow female surfers and do it in the much wider space of the world,” Leach said.

ANGIE FIERRO | COURTESY The grrrls stare off at the waves at Morro Strand.

‘Let it Rip:’ How a party theme became the SLO Beyblades Club

BY ABBY GORMAN

It’s a Monday night in a dimly lit, eclectically decorated San Luis Obispo townhome. The hundredyear-old house has its quirks, like a doorknob that can’t seem to stay on – the first thing guests are warned about as they enter – and countless trinkets lining shelves throughout the home.

A dozen people hover around an extra-large folding table, exchanging introductions and making playful jabs about the battle quickly approaching.

They look over the assortment of colorful tops on the table, discussing which they will select for optimal success. Then, the chatter ceases

Industrial packing and technology senior Talia Joffe certainly knows how to bring the energy to the monthly SLO Beyblades competitions.

When the idea of a Beyblade tournament first came up in discussion, it was supposed to be another one of the friend group’s frequent themed get-togethers, according to Joffe.

“We had just put on this amazing Disney Channel-themed party, and we were together brainstorming ideas for our next one,” Joffe said. “It was between a bald cap party and a Beyblade-themed party, and this is what we chose.”

Before their first meeting, none of the club members had extensive knowledge of Beyblades, a brand of

joke, but then it ended up being not so much of one.”

After pooling together $25 and purchasing their first set of the spinning tops, the group hung up posters around campus and quickly began receiving feedback from impassioned Beyblade enthusiasts.

Even if it sounds silly, just go into it. Even if you feel like it’s nerdy, there’s a community for everything, and maybe you can help provide that community for others.

“We got these knock-offs on Amazon and thought oh, it’ll be fine,” architecture junior and club president

Samatha Tapia said.

“But then when some guy came and told us all about his intense collection we were like, ‘Oh crap, maybe we need actual ones.’ And it just kind of went from there.”

Now, boasting a home collection of 10 Beyblades and the competition arena, SLO Beyblades pack up to two dozen competitors in their living room. Deras uses an online generator to create a bracket as people arrive while participants select which Beyblade they want to use.

“Then, we have our announcer Talia say the two names, which beyblades they’ll be using, and then the audience all does the countdown together,” Tapia said.

At the end of the countdown, contestants “let it rip” by releasing the springs in the launcher, and the winner is determined by which Beyblade stays spinning longer.

Despite its unconven tional origins, club members shared their appreci ation for the

new connections and spend time together.

“I mean, some of us just met at the beginning of winter quarter. Then within a week of meeting each other, we were already both on the board of a Beyblade Club together,” Joffe said. Deras encourages anyone interested in forming a student group on campus to take that leap, even if the interest is niche.

Those interested in upcoming events can learn more @slo_beyblades on Instagram.

Cal Poly alum seeks location for first cat cafe in SLO

BY KAITLYN KNOPF

After falling in love with the process of fostering cats, Cal Poly alumni Jaime Pierce is deciding to open a cat cafe in San Luis Obispo: The Caffeinated Cat Cafe.

Pierce has fostered cats with organizations including The Cal Poly Cat Program and the Feline Network of the Central Coast for the last few years.

“I love making a difference in the cat’s lives and helping people find a cat. The whole experience is really fun,” she said. “I just really wanted to do it on a much bigger scale.”

Currently, Pierce’s greatest challenge is finding a space to open the Cat Cafe. Residing in Arroyo Grande, she is also interested in locations in Grover Beach and Pismo Beach, but believes San Luis Obispo would be a great area.

“It’s strange, a lot of owners just say no right off the bat,” she said. “They don’t even want to hear about it. Whereas the community and everybody that hears the concept is just so excited.”

Pierce is aiming to open this cafe within six to eight weeks of signing

a lease. Her goal is to be open this summer or in the fall before students come back to school.

“It’ll depend on what condition

It’s not just a coffee shop. It’s a place where you grab your coffee and then you go sit and have a cat purring on your lap

JAIME PIERCE Cal Poly alumni

the space is in and how much work we need to do…I’m hoping for the fastest turnout though, I’m so ready,” she said.

Pierce’s current partners are the Cal Poly Cat Program and the Feline Network of the Central Coast to host the adoptable cats.

According to Feline Network of the

Central Coast President Debra Holt, the ability to have cats in a cat cafe will allow more cats to be adopted and for their team to rescue more cats, since the Feline Network does not have a permanent shelter.

“The more exposure that our cats that are adoptable can get the more likely we are to be able to find a permanent home…especially for some of our older cats who maybe just don’t grab people right away,” Holt said.

Cal Poly Cat Program President Natalie Siler is excited at the opportunity to showcase the cats and help them get adopted.

“We have a lot of cats here that are in the shelter but they’re super friendly and I think they do really well just to have them in a comfortable spot for them to be hanging out where people can see them in their natural environments,” Siler said.

According to Cal Poly Cat Program Shelter Manager Abby Brown, having their cats in a cat cafe will help them get more visiting hours during the day.

“Since we are a program run by fulltime students, we don’t have typical hours of operation,” Brown said. “So

that’s like kind of one of the biggest barriers for getting cats adopted out because people can’t just like come in and see them whatever they want.”

Surprised by her growing social media presence on Instagram, @ thecaffeinatedcatcafe_ca, Pierce is excited about the positive feedback coming from local community members.

“To me, that’s a success, just like reminding me that the community really wants this and that it’s gonna be an experience that we just don’t have here,” she said.

When Pierce was in college, she was a barista where she learned her interest in the “cafe experience.”

Once open, she initially plans to have a smaller-scale coffee cart instead of a coffee bar.

“I like a good cup of coffee and I care about where it’s roasted and how it’s done.” Pierce said. “And so, yeah, honestly I haven’t run a cafe on my own, but I’ve been doing a ton of research in preparation for how to do this.”

Understanding the challenges of keeping up with a busy life, Pierce hopes that people will be able to come, gather with others and relax with the cats.

“It’s just a really unique experience, and I’m excited to let the community experience that,” he said.

‘Where is it safe to be homeless?

Where are they to go?’

BY JEREMY GARZA

In April, the last safe parking site in San Luis Obispo County closed. Emergency shelter 40 Prado works on getting the individuals permanent housing as part of the county’s continuum of care but has a waitlist in the hundreds. Community members are asking where they belong.

ROOSTER BILLY

Cal Poly architecture alumni, class of ’82, William Dunn lived many lives. At one point Dunn started an unregistered, informal taxi company, according to his son, Luke.

Billy, as his friends and family knew him, drove his car around the Central Coast, offering rides and exploring the area. He later became known as Rooster Billy in his circles because of his love of chickens and rooster imitations.

“He had a loud, obnoxious ‘cockadoodle-do’ noise,” Luke said. “He took up space like a rooster. He had a set of pipes on him.”

Luke spoke at a San Luis Obispo City Council meeting to give public comment referencing his father’s unhoused experience.

“How does it feel to be homeless? Where is it safe to be homeless? Where are they to go?” Luke asked the council on March 5.

Following Billy’s graduation from Cal Poly, a professor recommended him and Billy got a job at a local architecture firm, Barry Lorenz Williams Associates (BLWA) Architects, in 1982.

“Billy had a lot of energy,” BLWA founder Barry Williams said. “I think the drafting became his cause and his way of getting his energy out. This is back before computers. Billy always had two stations to hand-graph two jobs at the same time.”

Emeritus architecture professor Williams graduated from Cal Poly 10 years before Billy and saw immense potential in him. Billy worked at BLWA for about a year and a half until he told Williams he needed to take a few weeks off. Weeks turned to months and months turned into a year.

“[Billy] ended up taking off going up to Humboldt and grew pot with some friends,” Williams said. “He

was coming back with a truckload full of pot. The police came and he was sentenced to a couple of years.”

Billy’s sister called Williams and asked him to write to the court saying that he would hire Billy again.

“I said, ‘As long as I have work, he’s got a job,’” Williams said. “[The judge] was asking for someone to take him for his four-year probation. So, that’s what happened. He came back to work for me, and Billy was amazing.

Unbelievably amazing.”

Billy continued to work for Williams at BLWA until the end of his probation.

“He decided to take a little trip now that he was off probation,” Williams said. “That was kind of it.”

During Billy’s time at BLWA, he worked on buildings throughout the county: The Gardens of Avila Restaurant, the Christian Science Church on Garden Street, the Laureate School and various residential buildings.

Luke was born in 1986. He remembers fond memories with his father during his childhood. They went fishing together, foraged for berries and looked for crawdads in the creek.

“The first few years growing up, my mom and him were together,” Luke said. “There was this unfortunate reality of the deterioration of relationships personally and professionally. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.”

At the time, medical professionals prescribed Billy lithium-based medication to treat his disorder, according to Luke.

“I can attest to seeing the side effects of the medication,” Luke said.

“My father went from being active and energetic to quiet, melancholy and sort of reclusive.”

Due to a lack of proper mental health services at the time, Billy began to grow delusional and burnt bridges, according to Luke. Billy was eventually evicted by his landlord, lost his jobs and lost custody of Luke.

“Going into the 2000s, he was in and out of homelessness,” Luke said of his father.

Billy spent time at a trailer park just outside of San Luis Obispo. He spent time camping in Avila and eventually worked his way back up north to Humboldt.

“I went and got him from Humboldt in 2016 or 2017 and brought him

back to San Luis Obispo,” Luke said.

Luke works at emergency shelter 40 Prado and has seen slow progress firsthand in the time since his father experienced homelessness. For nearly two decades, Luke saw his father interact with the county’s homeless services.

Billy spent time at a trailer park just outside of the city. He also spent time camping in Avila.

Luke said his father camped by the creek on Los Osos Valley Road. He would visit Billy to bring him supplies and help clean up his dad’s campsite.

“My father was suffering from a mental disability and did not have direct access to water, sanitation or garbage,” Luke said. “There was a common thing where he would be essentially on the naughty list everywhere.”

Billy soon fell into drug abuse, according to Luke.

“It was kind of dark,” Luke said. “He got into all the things associated with drugs and with that crowd.”

Homeless services, such as 40 Prado or soup kitchens, have the right to refuse service to anyone not following their set of rules, Luke said.

Luke explained that his father became close with local police.

“Since my father passed, I started asking myself a lot ‘What could I have done, if anything?,’” Luke said. “The glass of lemonade that I’ve made out of these lemons is interesting.”

STREET LEGAL

Unhoused SLO community members were affected after the last safe parking site in SLO County, the Oklahoma Safe Parking Village, closed in April. Safe parking provides space for unhoused individuals to park their cars with adequate

resources, such as water, garbage disposal and portable toilets.

David Richford has lived in his RV at safe parking sites on and off for the past three years and is disappointed in the lack of consistency in access to the sites. The community is against safe parking sites because of mixed conceptions about unhoused individuals, according to Richford. “[The community] wants to close down safe parking because everybody has an outlook on the homeless,” Richford said. “They say they’re drug addicts, mentally insane or

The

reality is that there’s nowhere legal to be homeless, it’s common for police officers to develop relationships with these people.

LUKE DUNN

William Dunn’s son

Luke spoke to Mustang News on April 18 and mentioned how there’s comfort and solace in the slow pace of progress. The day held significance, as it would have been his father’s 67th birthday.

BARRY WILLIAMS | COURTESY

William “Billy” Dunn with Barry Williams’ daughters.

thieves. I know every one of those people in that safe parking. We grew to be a family.”

Most of the people Richford has met at safe parking sites do not do drugs.

“Half of them even work and have an income,” he said. “[We] can’t afford to get an apartment for $1,400 or $1,500 a month.”

As of January 2024, new safe parking sites are being developed by the city, according to City Council member Emily Francis.

“There are six different institutions that have said they’d be willing to be partners,” Francis said. “Under the model of rotational sites, locations who are willing to host will move from month to month.”

THE BOTTLENECK AT 40 PRADO

The homeless services center 40 Prado works on getting individuals the necessary documentation they need to get permanent housing: birth certificates, social security cards, disability certifications and homeless certifications.

According to a press release sent to Mustang News on Jan. 22, there were 1,171 individuals experiencing homelessness in SLO County as counted during the federally mandated bi-annual Point-in-Time Count survey.

“We know that the longer you stay unsheltered and in the situation, the worse it can get,” 40 Prado homeless services manager Cecil Hale said. “You have to change your life in order to survive out there. They’re struggling to regain what they lost: their housing.”

40 Prado staff canvas the community everyday, according to Hale. Staff introduce themselves to

unsheltered individuals and work to slowly form connections.

“We try not to be too forward because you can damage the relationship if you’re too aggressive,”

Hale said.

The center offers great support, according to Luke, but he says due to staff and volunteer shortages and lack of resources it is almost impossible to give services to everyone in need.

“There’s a waiting list of hundreds of people,” Luke said. “The average wait time to receive support or be considered for some of these services is months. It’s really interesting trying to think about the bottleneck at 40 Prado.”

40 Prado is always in need of more volunteers and resources, according to volunteer Rebecca Brown.

“We need everything: men and women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, backpacks, food, blankets, sheets and everything a person would need to sustain their self hygiene,” Brown said.

The county and regional partners, such as the city, are working towards a continuum of care (see graphic to the right) that supports people from the time they are first experiencing homelessness to new permanent housing opportunities.

The continuum of care model is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) goal to end homelessness by funding and advocating for local governments to rehouse people experiencing homelessness, according to HUD.

With $19.4 million from California’s Homekey Program, the city has started to convert a Motel 6 into 34 transitional and 46 permanent supportive housing units in

partnership with People’s Self-Help Housing Corporation and designed by DignityMoves, who have designed similar sites around the Central Coast.

The Motel 6 Homekey project was initially passed over for funding from state government grants, City

Council member Emily Francis said.

“It feels like a lot of the projects that had hit a wall are finally getting momentum again,” Francis said. “[I’m] feeling optimistic about where we’re headed as a city.”

Hope’s Village of SLO is currently in escrow for 143 acres of land four

miles from San Luis Obispo to build a tiny house village, according to President Becky Jorgeson on behalf of the Board of Directors.

Hope’s Village has donated 140 vehicles to individuals experiencing homelessness and hopes to provide more services and shelter on the land.

“Residents will be on a 30-day probationary period when they move in, and they’ll sign a contract with rules like no stealing and no drugs or alcohol,” Jorgeson said in 2022 to KCBX.

The village will have weekly meetings and, according to Jorgeson, will hopefully build a sense of community amongst residents.

Even if it goes slow, Luke is excited to see the progress in services since the time his father needed support, and emphasized that any community member can help.

“There’s things that are coming down the pike that sound really promising,” Luke said. “Brightening someone’s day can take the form of just saying ‘Hi,’ just an acknowledgement.”

Brown, a 40 Prado volunteer, echoed Luke’s sentiment.

“I wish people would treat homeless people like people,” Brown said. “Look them in the face, smile and greet them. [Do not] just turn away because you don’t know what to do.”

KENNEDY RAY | MUSTANG NEWS Continuum of care model

Cal Poly professor and professional paraclimber

Dylan Retsek’s Journey to the Paraclimbing World Championships

BY MCKENNA RODRIGUEZ AND MADISON VERNON

This Q&A was edited lightly for clarity.

Cal Poly math professor Dylan Retsek secured a spot on the U.S. National Paraclimbing Team. A year ago, Retsek was an avid recreational climber, but after a chance meeting with paraclimbing champion Maureen Beck, he felt inspired to join the U.S. National Team.

He began more intense training that involved three hour climbing sessions every week, core conditioning and stretching three times a week and lifting weights twice a week. Retsek said the tryout process was nonexistent due to so few people nationwide participating in each category. After attending a training camp for the team, he decided to compete.

This summer, he’s heading to Salt Lake City, Utah; Innsbruck, Austria;

and Arco, Italy, to compete in the world championships.

Mustang News and KCPR reporter

Mckenna Rodriguez and Mustang News reporter Madison Vernon sat down with Retsek to learn more about how he got involved with climbing and what inspired him to try out for the national team.

RODRIGUEZ: How did you get involved in climbing?

RETSEK: It started, I think, with hiking and camping with the family. When you have little kids and you go on a long hike, sometimes they’re not super into it. And at one point, we’re on a long hike in Yosemite and the kids were sort of fading a little bit. We stumbled upon this giant boulder and they just played on it for hours. We came back to town and we found [the PAD SLO] and it was very homespun. It was a nonprofit, a co-op, and members just took care of it. We just loved that place and our kids grew up climbing there. We got more and more into it just by going with them. It just started with the kids and then it’s just grown from there.

RODRIGUEZ: I read on an Instagram post from the Performing Arts Center page that you attended a speaking event at the PAC last year with a world famous paraclimber and it changed your life. Can you tell me more about that experience?

RETSEK: It’s no exaggeration. There’s this really famous paraclimber named Maureen Beck, and everyone calls her Mo. She’s kind of the OG. She has done incredible outdoor climbs. She’s won ten national championships– she’s just sort of the pinnacle of the paraclimbing thing. National Geographic caught wind of this and sent her on a speaking tour. One of the stops on that tour was at our Performing Arts Center on campus at Cal Poly. I saw on the marquee, ‘Oh, Mo Beck is coming, I should definitely go to that.’ And then I thought kind

of, just on a whim, I thought well I’ll get on social media and send her a message and see if she wants to go for a climb. I mean we have one thing in common, maybe she wants to come for a climb. I thought she would not answer, and she answered immediately. She was like ‘Hell yeah let’s go.’

And so we made a date to meet [at the PAD SLO] and climb. We climbed a bit and she said to me, ‘Where have you been hiding?’ I didn’t know what she meant. I thought, ‘Well I don’t know, I’ve just been in San Luis Obispo teaching math.

RETSEK: It’s a combination of things. It’s a ton of climbing, like lots and lots of hours of climbing- probably 12 or 15 hours a week. And then on non-climbing days it’s more like conditioning stuff: core, lifting some weights, a little bit of cardio and just trying to hone the non-climbing side of fitness. It’s probably six days a week total, and most of that is just climbing.

RODRIGUEZ: How do you balance being a paraclimber, professor, husband and father?

RETSEK: It’s a lot, but it’s all because of other people. My family is super supportive, my friends are super supportive. I couldn’t do it without my wife and kids, they hold down the fort at home. They think it’s cool that I’m going for it and I just feel really lucky to be in that position.

No, you’re good at this. You should compete. You have a chance at making the national team.

DYLAN RETSEK Math Professor

I thought she was being polite or whatever. I kind of didn’t give it a second thought but she was persistent and convinced me. That was about a year ago. I started thinking about that seriously and training a little harder, and I made the national team. Now there’s world championships coming up over the summer. If I hadn’t sent that message to her on Instagram I would have just gone to the talk and thought ‘Oh that’s cool,’ and we totally would not be having this conversation right now.

RODRIGUEZ: What does training for you look like?

RODRIGUEZ: Is there anything else you want to add?

RETSEK: You’re never done becoming whatever you’re going to become. At 50, and with a job and a life and a sort of regular middle aged existence, here’s this thing that presented itself. I’m going to visit three places I’ve never been and I’m going to do something so fun and so challenging. You can’t think that it’s ever over. You’re always exploring and always finding that new thing.

To keep up with Retsek and his climbing journey, updates can be found on his Instagram @510climb.

SCAN TO WATCH!

From France to California: Romane Mosse brings her French Flair to Cal Poly Women’s Tennis

BY JACK BYNUM

Three years ago in Viroflay, France, Romane Mosse decided to chase her dreams and come to play tennis in the United States.

Mosse’s first stop on her journey was Jacksonville, Alabama, approximately 4,420 miles from her hometown.

As the No.1 player for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks as a freshman, she flourished. In her sophomore season, she mounted a 13-7 record in singles, garnering interest from other schools nationwide.

Mosse transferred to Cal Poly in June 2024, ready to make an instant impact during her junior year.

“I wanted to chase new goals and see somewhere else in America, and I got a really good offer at Cal Poly,” Mosse said. “It’s an amazing program academically and for tennis. Now I’m here studying, practicing every day, and traveling everywhere with my best friends.”

AN INTERNATIONAL DREAM

As a top international athlete, two paths are available after finishing a high school education: Stay home and play professionally or go to the United States to pursue a degree at a university while continuing your sport.

Mosse was introduced to the game by her parents, Celine and Pascal, and was most recently coached by her personal coach Sébastien Létot.

From a young age, Mosse was a top-ranked junior. At her best, she finished in the top 10 in the French

Junior Nationals. She eventually attended the prestigious private high school Lycée Passy Saint Honoré in Paris.

Leaving home, family and friends for America is a once-in-a-lifetime decision that most people will never truly understand, but Mosse has been chasing this dream since she was 14-years-old.

I’m really proud of her, she’s been training since she was a child.

To live the dream she’s living now, I’m proud that Romane is happy and fulfilling her life as an athlete.

SÉBASTIEN LÉTOT

Mosse’s personal coach

But, one of the toughest obsta cles standing in Mosse’s way was language.

“I did everything to come here, did the best in school I could, played a lot of tournaments, but to come to America, you need to speak English,” Mosse said. “You also need to take the SATs. I tried to get good, but I was bad, and three years ago, I barely could speak.”

Mosse’s doubles partner and

EYASU BETWOS | CAL POLY ATHLETICS

Romane Mosse moved 4,420 miles away from her hometown of Viroflay, France to Jacksonville, Alabama.

graduate student Melissa LaMette described Romane as one of the most fun-loving and social players on the team.

(Romane) has a huge heart and is an extreme social butterfly. We’ll be at the airport or a restaurant, and she’s always making friends,” LaMette said.

“I’ve never met someone who loves to talk so much, and it’s crazy to me because English is her second language.

MELISSA LAMETTE

Graduate student

Romane, now over 5,500 miles from Viroflay, has adapted to life in California, but she still thinks about family back home.

“You need to be really strong in the head, figure out your goals and what you want to do while you’re here,” Mosse said. “My parents have to adjust just as much as me. They watch me when they can on the screen, but my hope is that they will come out and watch me play a match here.”

THE ART OF FRENCH TENNIS

Tennis is an international sport played worldwide, but the style, strategy, and even court surface differ in other parts of the world.

The American tennis experience is one of power and aggression played on a hard court surface, emphasizing a strong baseline style of play.

On the other hand, French tennis is played primarily on a red clay court. The clay surface emphasizes a slower pace, higher bounces and favors spin-oriented play.

Mosse’s game speaks for itself and translates well to the American style of flat, powerful groundstrokes, while also mixing in her own French flair. She uses a good mix between her shots, changing up the pace using her backhand slice. Romane then

speeds it up with her forehand down the line or inside-out cross-court as her main weapons, but she can also hold her own up at the net as well.

“Coming to America, I learned that there is not a single easy match,” Mosse said. “You need to prove every day that you can compete and belong here. Especially here at a great program, players here are grinding for every ball and every point. It’s a grind, but I love it.”

The Cal Poly program is no stranger to international recruits, and head coach Ellie Williams understands the significance and leap of faith Mosse took to come to San Luis Obispo.

“International recruits are all in, choosing this lifestyle, coming to the States, and going to school,” Williams said. “Romane is sold on this idea and understands what it means to be a great collegiate athlete and student; that’s where her passion comes from.”

MOSSE’S MINDSET

“Allez!!!” Romane yells from court No. 6 as she grabs a victory over Santa Clara. “Allez” means “Come on” in French. Mosse is one of the most vocal players on the team and provides a spark of energy to every court around her.

“I just have so much fun with her on and off the court and Mosse always brings a smile to my face,” LaMette said. “When we’re playing I tell her to get fired up and take all that energy and use it against our opponents, it works.”

This year, Mosse made her transition to Cal Poly and Big West tennis appear seamless. She played lines No. 3-6 and posted a 17-5 singles record in the season, at one point winning 12 straight matches for Cal Poly.

Doubles domination is also a part of Mosse’s game. Mosse and her partner Melissa LaMette are 11-6 on the season, playing at line No. 2.

On April 27th Cal Poly Women’s Tennis secured their second Big West Championship in program history and the first title in 20 years. Mosse and LaMette won their doubles matches in the semifinals and finals against No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara and No. 6 Cal State Fullerton, respectively.

Mosse also won her singles matches against the Gauchos and Titans.

Mosse will be a senior next season as the Mustangs look to win back-toback Big West Championships.

Now at Cal Poly, Romane Mosse is now over 5,500 miles from her home in Viroflay.

Romane Mosse along with her partner Melissa LaMette won their doubles match in the Big West Championship against Cal State Fullerton.

Romane Mosse uses a mix of backhand slices and forehands down the line in her style of play.

6 days, 152 films and 30 years: Relive the 2024 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival

BY ASHLEY BOLTER, MATTHEW MUREN

The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival celebrated its 30-year anniversary on April 25-30 with 152 films showing in local theaters, including The Palm Theatre, Fremont Theater and Downtown Centre Cinemas.

“It’s been so amazing,” SLO Film Fest Executive Director Skye McLennan said. “We’ve tried so many new things this year and engaged a bunch of different and new audiences.”

McLennan said she was very excited to see the turnout for this year’s festival.

“The attendance has been back. It’s felt like it’s gotten its life back and it’s taken us several years to get that since the pandemic,” she said.

While it may seem like a small film festival, SLO Film Fest shows a range of films and brought over 70 filmmakers to the Central Coast.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding that, you know, it’s like small, we’re small potatoes, but we really have some really, very high caliber stuff here,” McLennan said. “And so yeah, I just encourage people to not take that for granted.”

MUSIC

On April 27, Kreuzberg held the SLO Film Festival’s 4th Annual Music Video Showcase. The showcase included film screenings, live interviews with directors and a live performance from SLO’s very own Krooks.

A total of 12 music videos were screened, with appearances from creative directors Bianca Catbagan, Jess Dunn, Richie Starzec and more. Artists featured included Gayle & BlackBear, Couch Dog and Sparks. The music videos followed a broad range of themes including LGBTQ+

narratives, grievance and love.

Attendees said they were excited to see the work of creatives and get the opportunity to speak with directors and producers in a relaxed environment.

Highlights of the night included the screening of local band Couch Dog’s music video “Not My Night,” produced by Ryan Porter. The music video was filmed in Los Osos and follows a comedy horror plot with blood explosions, zombies and impalement. The special effects and blood explosion contractions were done by Tasha Lee, bassist of Couch Dog.

SURF & SKATE

A sold out night at Fremont Theater and lines stretching down Monterey St. on Friday only meant one thing: Surf Nite was back another year.

The night featured two films, starting with the short film “To Be Frank,” which follows Frank Paine, a 73-yearold surfing legend from the South Bay and a family that has evolved from a shared love of the ocean.

The main feature of the night was “Trilogy: New Wave,” which told the story of three top professional surfers — Griffin Colapinto, Ethan Ewing and Seth Moniz — searching the world for amazing waves and rediscovering the joy of non-competition surfing.

The event has been a staple of the SLO Film Festival since its establishment in 2006, bringing surf to the big screen and highlighting a key part of the Central Coast community, according to the SLO Film Festival website.

“Film Fest means a lot for me,”

Founder and Director of Surfing for Hope Foundation Bob Voglin said.

“Surfing is such a special thing and I’m so pleased with the state of where we’re at that surfing is getting the respect that it should.”

Surfing for Hope is a non-profit organization that holds camps and other events for patients and survivors of cancer and their family members.

We had to do a film project that was an international-serving film traveling the world throughout [the COVID-19 pandemic].

Four years later we’re celebrating an incredible surf film that traveled during that time and documented a time in history that’s pretty special.”

ENICH HARRIS

Executive Producer

“I think just being on the ocean and the beach gives people a good feeling, which is why we kind of take a great thing and we try to, you know, take a terrible thing like cancer and mesh the two together and try to blunt the pain of cancer by surfing,”

Director of Surfing for Hope Tom Spillane said.

This year, the SLO Film Festival introduced a new event, Community of Skate, to honor the skateboarding community and its contribution to film.

Skate-themed films such as the 1978 film “Skateboard” were shown throughout the day before

the Community of Skate event on Sunday evening.

Doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and attendees could listen to live music from THE BOGEYS, and enjoy a showcase of custom skateboards and live screen-printing by the San Luis Obispo High School Advanced Graphic Design class before a film screening.

“What was really cool was we had all these different generations of people. We had young skaters, little skate dudes, and we had parents and everyone was finding that like common thread, which is super cool,” McLennan said.

Around 7 p.m., people settled into their seats to watch the award-winning feature film “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” and the preceding short film “4DWN.”

“4DWN” highlights a South Dallas skatepark that is working to help its community in the face of food insecurity and social injustice.

“Dogtown and Z-Boys” tells the story of a group of kids that revolutionized skateboarding and shaped its modern culture.

Attendees were excited to see an event about the skateboarding community. Timothy Daley drove up from Los Angeles Sunday morning for the event, and said he hopes the event will inspire people to build more skateparks.

“I’m hoping that this may rejuvenate and revitalize the skate community,” Daley said.

After the films, directors Stacy Peralta and Danny Schmidt, joined by “4DWN” crew Rob Cahill, Mike Crum and Kareem Campbell, sat down for a panel discussion on the art of skateboarding.

During the panel, the speakers emphasized how inclusive the

skateboarding community is.

“[Skateboarding] belongs to anyone that puts their feet on a board,” Peralta said.

Cahill described the skate community as “creative, innovative [and] tenacious.”

“Maybe we can harness this as a superpower of our subculture and use that to make an impact,” Cahill said.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

SLO Film Fest celebrated diversity, equity and inclusion in filmmaking through various programming, including a panel on queer influences on pop culture and film and a series of shorts presented by R.A.C.E. Matters.

At the queer film panel, April 28, Andria Wilson Mirza, Fawzia Mirza, Sav Rodgers and Jess Dunn discussed their experience with queer representation in film and how that has influenced their work today.

For Rodgers, the movie “Chasing Amy” was the first time he really saw queer people represented in film and was highly influential in his life, leading to his creation of the film “Chasing Chasing Amy,” which was shown during the festival.

“The thing that ended up saving my life was there were queer characters that were three-dimensional,” Rodgers said.

The panel concluded that there needs to be more authentic queer representation in film and more funding going into queer filmmaking.

“It’s vital for our survival,” Wilson Mirza said.

Sunday also featured five shorts, ranging from 11-18 minutes long, during the R.A.C.E. Matters event:

EMILY DUNCAN | KCPR Filmmakers for “Superstar” (left) and “Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story” (right) accept their awards at the Closing Night ceremony.

EMILY DUNCAN | KCPR

NEVIA STICKNEY | COURTESY

“Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games,” “Essex Girls,” “Gaps,” “In Wonderland” and “Nai Nai and Wai Po.”

The films shown during the R.A.C.E. Matters event all tackle themes of making space for diverse voices and finding oneself.

Fostering diversity and inclusion has been something SLO Film Fest has been focused on and hopes to continue doing going forward, according to McLennan.

“To have more inclusivity, more diversity, just those are things we’ve really been pushing, we felt them this year and even more is the plan,” McLennan said.

LOCAL FILMS/FILMMAKERS

Monday at SLO Film Fest featured filmmakers of the Central Coast, including eight short films written, shot and produced by Cal Poly students, at Fremont Theater.

Cal Poly Short Cuts were created under the guidance of screenwriter, editor and Interdisciplinary Studies (ISLA) Lecturer Randi Barros and artist and Associate Professor of Art & Design James Werner, who helped bring the stories to life.

The films — “June in Summer,” “Thieves on Bicycles,” “When Life Gives You Apples,” “Olive Branch,” “Confession,” “Irritable,” “Amor Prohibido” and “The Clay Teapot” — ranged from 10-15 minutes long and explored themes of discovery, loss and connection, both within and outside of campus life.

“Seeing the movie theater filled with so many Central Coast filmmakers is really inspiring and getting to meet all of them,” Producer of “When Life Gives You Apples” and journalism junior Brianna Thompson said. “It’s my first time ever being at a film festival and being a part of it is just, I don’t know, it makes me want to create more.”

The films were created over the course of multiple classes and quarters in ISLA 340 and 341, tackling each aspect of making a short film methodically to create polished final products for the big screen.

Productions from other Central Coast filmmakers also premiered over the course of the day at multiple theaters in SLO, with collections of short films as well as full length features showcasing themes of Central Coast life.

One of these films was “The Unbroken Sky,” a story based on the autobiographical books of local author Francisco Jiménez which explores the world and struggles of a teenage undocumented immigrant on the Central Coast.

“Things that were very important to us when we were making the film, was an immersive sense of authenticity of the time,” Director Josh Peterson said. “Giving real care towards representing that honestly and respectfully … that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”

More information about the local filmmakers showcased can be found on SLO Film Fest’s website.

AWARDS AND CLOSING

The SLO Film Fest came to a close on Tuesday, April 30 with an awards ceremony and screening of “Thelma.” “Thelma” follows a 93-year-old grandmother on her journey to get her money back after being a victim of a phone scam that made her believe she was sending money to help bail her grandson out of jail.

Filmmakers were awarded in 10 categories by a jury of film and media professionals, with honorable mentions being named in half of these categories, as well.

THE WINNING FILMS AND HONORABLE MENTIONS IN THE GEORGE SIDNEY INDEPENDENT FILM COMPETITION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Best Animation: “The House of Loss”

Best Narrative Short: “Please Hold the Line”

Narrative Short Honorable Mention: “The Masterpiece”

Best Documentary Short: “Sludge: A PFAS Uprising”

Documentary Short Honorable Mention: “Dicks That I Like”

Best Documentary Feature: “Sugarcane”

Documentary Feature Honorable Mention: “Arc of Oblivion”

Best Narrative Feature: “Tokyo Cowboy”

Narrative Feature Honorable Mention: “Riley”

Best Music Video: “Watch Out”

Music Video Honorable Mention: “La Vida es Fria”

THE WINNING FILMS IN THE CENTRAL COAST FILM SHOWCASE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Best Music Video: “Not My Night”

Best Short Narrative: “Superstar”

Best Short Documentary: “Tasting Notes”

Best Feature-Length Film: “Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story”

NEVIA STICKNEY | COURTESY

EMILY DUNCAN | KCPR

“4DWN” creators speak in a panel discussion about the film.

NEVIA STICKNEY | COURTESY

The panel “We’re still standing: A look at the history of queer influences in film and pop culture” is led by Gala Pride and Diversity Center Executive Director Dusty Colyer-Worth on Sunday morning.

NEVIA STICKNEY | COURTESY Surf Nite begins with live music from Riff Tide

‘It’s

marginalizing the already marginalized’:

How lack of space on affects two departments in one building

BY EMMA ROBERTSON

Editor’s note: This article is the first of two that explore the consequences and reasons behind a critical lack of space at Cal Poly that impacts certain majors more than others.

When the time arrived to pick a college, Christian Cueto had three main criteria: A good engineering program, a good surrounding area and the ability to keep playing music. For Cueto, the band was a crucial reason why he came to Cal Poly

He knew music isn’t what Cal Poly is known for, so he didn’t expect to be practicing in state-of-the-art facilities or to have the school’s undivided attention.

But he didn’t expect the music department and its ensembles to face such a severe lack of space. The few places they sometimes did have access to would leave him in fear of losing his hearing due to loud instruments being so close to his head.

“We’re all so tightly packed. For instance, right behind my ears, like, a trumpet player is right here,” Cueto said about rehearsing in the band room for the symphony orchestra. “But then if I wear earplugs for the quieter parts, it’s harder for me to play in tune and it’s harder to hear the other players next to me.”

LACK OF REHEARSAL SPACE FOR THE MUSTANG

BAND

Cueto is one of over 200 members in the Mustang Band, which is Cal

Poly’s marching band. He has played the marching baritone for the band since his freshman year and has been one of the baritone section leaders for the past four years.

He has also been a member of the symphony orchestra and wind ensemble and the brass ensemble for just one quarter during his freshman year. He’s now in his fifth year and a graduate student in aerospace engineering through the blended program, with a music minor.

Cueto has noticed that the building isn’t just short on classroom space, but also lacks study spaces. He said there are “maybe 20 seats,” and that one of the few areas with seating “looks like a waiting area for a dentist’s office.”

On campus, music has been around since Cal Poly was founded in 1901. The music department itself wasn’t founded until 1936, and the Bachelor of Arts in music wasn’t established until 55 years later in 1991, according to Cal Poly’s website. Since before music was even offered as a major, it’s been open to participation from students of other majors, Department Chair Alicia M. Doyle said. In fact, 80% of students of most ensembles aren’t music majors, according to the music department’s website.

But while this is “beautiful and exciting,” she said, it complicates the already evident lack of space, and they will fear they will no longer be able to serve students outside of the music major.

“I do believe it’s within our campus’s capability to accommodate students who are interested in music making,” Doyle

said. “I think it’s possible.”

But for the Mustang Band in particular, space isn’t just limited — it’s almost entirely unavailable.

They are able to practice on the Doerr Family Field during fall quarter from 3:10-5:30 p.m. two days a week. However, a sound policy prevents the band from using ampli-

How do you brand yourself and let everyone know who you are when you can’t even have your name on the building?

BRIAN HEALY Theatre and Dance Department Chair

fied sound, meaning Associate Director of Bands Nicholas Waldron is not able to effectively communicate with or instruct his band.

“There is no other academic teacher that spends all year looking for a classroom,” he said. “I’ve done it every quarter.”

Regarding the other two fields, one no longer has football field lines and one is almost always unavailable to be scheduled by the band, Waldron said.

“If we need to do anything outside of rehearsal, I need to check

with athletics, my department, the theatre department, and ASI,” he said, clarifying that he checks periodically rather than daily. “Before I can use any other space and that’s a lot of people I need to all confirm something with so by the time it happens, we’re out of luck.”

Other spaces that are large enough such as the Multi-Activity Center (MAC) or the Performing Arts Center (PAC) — which is not owned directly by Cal Poly — costs extra money. However, Waldron said this is neither accommodated in the department’s budget nor justifiable.

“Students pay a lot to attend here for an academic class, to take my budget to benefit the student to use a building that the students are already paying for. I have an issue with that,” he said. “So I refuse to pay to use a building inside, which meant we got pushed outside.”

In the past, the band was considered an Instructionally Related Activity (IRA), which is an “out-ofclass experience that provides enrichment to students and enhances their learning at Cal Poly” and is funded through student fees, according to Cal Poly Academic Programs and Planning.

A couple of music ensembles, including the University Jazz Bands and Arab Music Ensemble, are IRA approved, but the Mustang Band is not currently one of them. Instead, their funding comes from the state, Waldron said. They are also a Recognized Student Organization (RSO).

According to Cal Poly’s OpenBook, the Mustang Band spent about $382,500 during the 2022-23 school year. But with the group’s growth and with inflation, Doyle said “it’s increasingly not enough money to do things that they want to do.” She also said the Mustang

Band’s budget has remained static for many years.

Additionally, she said they often have to dip into the department’s budget in order to accommodate the cost to use a space so the band can practice altogether even just several times. This allowed the Mustang Band to use the PAC three times in the winter quarter, Waldron said in an email.

LIMITED ROOM FOR THE THEATRE AND DANCE DEPARTMENT

The Davidson Music Center is already bursting at its seams trying to accommodate Waldron and the rest of the music department. Yet it also has to accommodate the theatre and dance department.

The costume shop is housed in the trailer behind the building — it also operates as a storage room, office and fitting room. Up to two faculty members and eight students can fit at one time, but only at the expense of being extremely cramped, associate professor of stage design and technical production and Department Chair Brian Healy said.

They have also lost access to the women’s dressing room, Healy said. The visiting football team had needed a place to change and used this space, but without prior warning to the theatre and dance department. The closest place they could go instead was in a different building that wasn’t even well-lit and it had been nighttime, he said.

For 150 students, the department only controls two spaces of their own to serve both dance and theater classes and rehearsals: their black box theater and the Crandall dance studio.

“I have a colleague who says we punch above our weight and I believe that that is the case,”

Healy said. “But constantly having to readjust enrollment caps, move classes around, settle for inadequate spaces, can become very frustrating for faculty [and] students, right, and I think you’ll feel it.”

Like the marching band, the PAC is also an option for his department. Healy said he loves working with them, but that the department also struggles to afford the spaces there on a frequent basis. He also said the common yet misconstrued belief about the PAC’s ownership can sometimes muddy perception about his department’s own identity.

“I think there are many generous people and patrons, strong patrons, and people that love the arts and I don’t know that they’re aware that we live in the shadow of the PAC, because we aren’t the PAC,” Healy said.

Healy said he does feel heard and that “within reason [the school] often attempt[s] to accommodate,” but that there’s still a visible difference in how entities on campus like the theatre and dance department face this lack of space more than others. He said they’re simply just getting “bandaids.”

“I don’t necessarily see it elsewhere because I don’t spend as much time out there, but I know I see cranes and buildings and construction everywhere except here,” he said.

Healy also acknowledged the multidimensionality of the problem, admitting that they partially have a responsibility of their own to build a reputation and use it to advocate for change.

But without structural support and branding, he said this is a difficult task.

AT THE CSU LEVEL

For Waldron, ideally, the Mustang Band would have a room to use and schedule with others. “It doesn’t have to be only ours, but a room that I would be able to schedule without having to clear it through for other offices on campus.”

According to the CSU’s 2024-25 Operating Budget Plan, they propose putting $25 million towards necessary projects. However, the plan said “many of these projects would support students seeking careers in engineering, health care and the sciences.”

The chance of the money going to the band and theatre programs? Slim.

One CSU study looked at classroom and lab utilization capacity on each of the CSU campuses. Most were below 100% capacity — Cal Poly was over, at 107.3%.

Healy said he also sees a lack of priority not at the Cal Poly level, but at the higher level. However, he also said he’s eager to do what’s within his capability when raising awareness.

“Whatever it is we can do or need

to do to help the CSUs see that Cal Poly has arts programs, performing arts programs especially, that currently thrive but could be exceptional with just that much more support,” he said.

Doyle agrees that a new building would be the best solution. In order to get one that accommodates everyone, including Waldron and Healy, or even just to renovate the existing building, she said it’s either up to funding from the state or from donors.

Only with this money can they move up to what she called the “Chancellor’s List.”

According to page 128 of the CSU Five-Year Plan, the Davidson Music Center is listed as one of the projects to be funded, entailing renovating and expanding the current building. It will also include “upgrades to practice rooms, offices and additional storage space for musical instruments,” according to the plan.

At the Cal Poly level, Doyle said the Davidson Music Center is now at the top. But since money is needed to reach the list at the CSU level, she’s not sure when she’ll actually see a change; coming by a donor hasn’t been doable so far.

“I believe our Dean and I believe the President are fully aware that this building is inadequate, like grossly inadequate,” Healy said. “The problem is jumping from that to the CSU level system-wide level to prioritize it.”

A fractured dance community, brought together under one roof

ALICIA ARAGON | COURTESY

The word “nexus” itself means “a connection or series of connections linking two or more things,” serving as a constant reminder of how the studio started.

BY CARLY HELTZEL

A single door remains unlocked past hours on the north wall of the SLO Public Market.

Little more than an animated LED sign perched on the sidewalk outside marks what lies beyond the glass membrane. Most of the room lies dark, motionless. But immediately to the left past the entrance, a trickle of people — all clad in semi-formal attire and red smiley-face wristbands — descend a dimly lit staircase.

A muffled ‘son clave’ beat drifts through the basement leading up to the source: Kláve, Nexus Ballroom’s underground Latin dance social. Dancers gather every Friday night from 10 p.m. until past 1 a.m., jiving to salsa, bachata, some cumbia and occasionally merengue in this studio space designed to cultivate human connection through dance.

The Latina-owned ballroom features a dance event every night of the week, with ballroom and West Coast swing on Mondays, Latin dance on Tuesdays, Country two-step on Wednesdays and tango

on Thursdays. Students and community members come back week after week; the space is open to everyone, no partner required.

“We’ve brought together a really divided and fractionated dance community,” Alicia Aragon, the founder and co-owner of Nexus said.

“Of course the dance community existed before us. But I feel like we’ve kind of brought them all into one place.”

The word “nexus” itself means “a connection or series of connections linking two or more things” serving as a constant reminder of how it all started, according to the studio’s website.

As the room fills at the beginning of Kláve, a man in crisp leather shoes calls out in Spanish as he shuffles toward the lounge area on the far side of the studio. He sets down a medium Domino’s pizza topped with sausage and veggies. Noticing a newcomer, he holds out a slice:

“Pizza?”

Lina Baldenegro, a microbiology sophomore and regular at Kláve, eyed the pie while its owner was

whisked away to dance. Baldenegro finds her people in these social events, typically connecting more with those that choose to spend their Friday nights out dancing rather than at a typical college party.

people she knew would give her a good dance. A woman with short hair pinned back in a white rose clip outstretched her arm and smiled at Baldenegro.

Balenegro’s sneakers matched the swift pace of the woman’s red 2-inch heels. After some footwork, swaying hips and a mesmerizing twirl or two later, she returned.

Movement is one of those innate things that humans do. It unites us in a way, dancing is something that bridges us.

ALICIA ARAGON

Nexus Founder and Co-Owner

She waited in the lounge area for her favorite leads to arrive, the

“That was us just having fun,” Baldenegro said, settling back into the lime green sofa and kicking her feet up on the coffee table.

The real dancing doesn’t come until later. But that’s the fun of the changing songs, rhythms and partners, she said, because each dance is different.

“It’s like a snowflake,” she said.

To the uncultured eye, the quick feet and fleeting movements appear as a semi-synchronic chorus of limbs, equally mysterious and enchanting. Baldenegro compared the experience to watching gymnastics, an utter enigma to those who don’t understand the mechanics.

But once people start learning, they catch not only the explicit moves,

but also the subtle push and pull between the partners’ hands.

This tension, this connection, is what drives the dance forward allowing improvisation and artistry. It’s also what makes partner dances like salsa incredibly intimate.

“Salsa and Bachata are very close, affectionate partner dances,” Baldenegro said. “I didn’t grow up with that, so dancing has been a way for me to learn how to show people I care about them.”

Aragon, the owner, is very interested in the intersection of psychology and movement expression. No other sport activates as many parts of your brain as partner dance, engaging you even further when you do it with another person, she said.

Through her years of competitive and social dancing, Aragon researched culture through art movement. In every culture across countries and languages, moving your body to music has been a way that people expressed themselves, she said — even connecting people that don’t speak the same language.

“Movement is one of those innate

things that humans do,” Aragon said. “It unites us in a way, dancing is something that bridges us.”

Computer engineering senior Luis Magaña began teaching two-step and country swing at Nexus on Wednesday nights after Cal Poly’s Line Dancing Club stopped offering lessons in June. Already familiar with the Aragon and the ballroom, he asked if he could keep teaching as a professional instructor.

At his parents’ wish, Magaña grew up dancing Salsa, Bachata and Merengue starting at nine years old. He grew into it and competed in folklórico throughout high school, but he said he didn’t truly fall in love with dancing until he came to Cal Poly and joined Line Dancing Club. Dance for the sake of dance is what hooked him into the social scene.

Part of the perks of teaching at Nexus is attending other lessons for free, leading to a mix-and-match type crossover that helps instructors connect with the different dance styles, Magaña said. He takes advantage of this based on his workload and schedule, favoring different lessons each quarter.

At the Latin dance nights, Magaña often finds himself in conversations using his first-language Spanish. He meets other first-generation college students or those who immigrated from Mexico like his parents did. For many, dance is a new way to embrace their culture.

It’s their “why,” Aragon said, or what motivates them to come out.

Thus, the instructors at Nexus work diligently to preserve the integrity of every dance, teaching not tango, but Argentine tango, for example. If a student at Nexus moved to Argentina, they would maintain the same level of tango by local standards, Aragon said.

Seven instructors teach beginner and intermediate levels of two different but related styles of dance on their respective lesson days. Often on their own time, they develop robust three-month curriculums to teach specific skills every week, leaving their students with a comprehensive knowledge base.

Magaña and Latin dance instructor Joe Emenaker expressed bits of imposter syndrome teaching alongside nationally ranked teachers such

as ballroom instructor Chris Elwood and Latin dance instructor Ed Paxton — who Emenaker described as “the godfather of salsa in this town.”

Emenaker took his first ever salsa lesson from Paxton over 12 years ago on a date. Even after his date eventually ghosted him, he never stopped going to salsa.

As a new instructor, Magaña said Aragon became his mentor, constantly supporting his journey as both a teacher and a dancer.

Just a few weeks ago, Magaña gave line dancing and two-step lessons at the annual Cambria Country Festival. Aragon said Nexus subsidizes its staff to attend conferences and competitions that will deepen their knowledge of dance.

When Aragon first moved to SLO, she didn’t find any central dance space for adults, so she started one.

Building the physical space of the studio, she incorporated three main components: The event space, the lounge and the dance floor.

The event area serves as the location for tables, chairs and food during the many weekend events Aragon puts on to bring all the dancers together, such as the upcoming two-year anniversary Prom.

The lounge is an intentional space

filled with conversation starters and an unwritten invitation for dancers to relax.

Then there’s the dance floor, one of the largest expenses going into opening a dance studio. Aragon spared no expense putting in a red oak fully-sprung floor describing it as “gorgeous,” “beautiful” and Nexus’ “claim to fame.”

Just nine months after opening, last January’s storms pounded the Central Coast and floods plagued the city’s lowest areas, including the ballroom’s basement location. At least two inches of standing water saturated the dance floor.

Wiping the tears welling under her mascara, Aragon remained moved by the community that rallied so diligently around the studio during its time of need, whether it was donating money toward Nexus’ new dance floor, volunteering to help with flood clean up, or helping with de-flooring and re-flooring.

“It proved the hypothesis in a lot of ways that people wanted this,” Aragon said. “They wanted the opportunity to connect with each other — that we made something bigger than just ourselves.”

A guide to postgraduation pathways

BY MAKAYLA KHAN

“What are your plans for after graduation?” This is the inevitable questions many graduating students are asked.

With endless post-college options, students can be overwhelmed and lost when it comes to navigating their own journey.

Cal Poly offers various opportunities for students to explore their options after graduation, including resources for the job market and graduate school.

LSAT AND LAW SCHOOL

Students of all majors can apply to law school. The political science department provides a variety of LSAT and law school resources for inquiring students.

The LSAT is a skill based, multiple-choice entrance exam for law school that tests reasoning skills and critical thinking.

Political science professor Ronald Den Otter, who took the LSAT in 1988, has followed changes made to the law school admissions process and helped organize these resources for students.

One of Den Otter’s resources is an overview of the law school admissions process, found on the department’s website.

Besides taking on political science majors, Den Otter suggests students also add on the law and society minor.

After realizing there were no good SAT test prep courses on campus, Den Otter initiated a partnership with TestMasters, a company dedicated towards helping people score higher on standardized tests. With this partnership, students can use TestMasters at a discounted price by either emailing TestMasters at info@testmasters.net or calling their administrative office. Additionally, TestMasters has been holding sessions on campus to market their prep courses.

“It probably is never too early to start using some of these resources to become more informed. At latest, the summer before applying to law school in the fall,” Den Otter wrote in an email to Mustang News.

When applying to law school, students are required to submit

a variety of materials. Students can contact their professors in the department for help on their personal statements and for letters of recommendation.

“Over the years, I have read many drafts of personal and diversity statements, often more than once,” Den Otter wrote.

The department has also helped undergrad pre-law students with networking and creating new internship opportunities for school credit, so students can have a “learn by doing” opportunity before applying to law school.

“I want pre-law students to have a better sense of what they’re getting themselves into when they apply to law school,” Den Otter wrote.

PRE-HEALTH TRACK

The pre-health advisory center consists of peer advisors and staff advisors that help students pursue a pre-health track. This includes careers in dentistry, medicine, genetic counseling, chiropractic work, nursing and more.

If students are interested in one of the many tracks, they can sign up for access to the pre-health canvas page and email prehealth@calpoly.edu.

Kristi Weddige is a lead advisor and the director of pre-health advising, having been at Cal Poly for 20 years.

“We encourage students to choose a major they are excited to study and will serve as an alternative career in case they change their mind about pursuing a health professions career,” Weddige wrote.

Weddige added students of all majors are accepted for most health profession programs.

Advising for non-STEM students may involve incorporating more STEM prerequisite courses into their schedule. On the other hand, a STEM major may be encouraged to pursue adding a humanities minor to meet non-STEM prerequisites for graduate school.

Students unaware of these requirements may stay longer at Cal Poly to finish their coursework and delay graduation, or take STEM courses at another institution.

Peer advisor and biochemistry senior Alyssa Pama recommends that students drop in at the pre-health advisory center to learn

more about the various tracks.

When it comes to gaining experience, Pama said peer advisors recommend first-year students shadow professionals, volunteer during breaks and explore opportunities close to campus.

Pama said most recommendations for volunteering from the center will be from San Luis Obispo, but they will also help provide aid in reaching out for volunteering to hospitals and doctors in their area.

“There is a lot more involved to pre-health planning than just taking prerequisite courses,” Weddige wrote. “You need to understand what schools are looking for in candidates.”

application timeline and individual components that must be prepared to apply.

Advisors will review students’ test scores and GPA, personal statements, their experience and how to map core competencies needed to become successful in medical school to their experiences. Based on this information, they will help applicants shortlist schools, explain how to research schools, discuss the cost of applying and how to prepare for interviews.

this instance, a case interview takes place.

Diaz said in these mock interviews, peer advisors will walk interviewees through a problem and provide feedback on how students go about demonstrating how they will solve the problem.

We encourage students to choose a major they are excited to study and will serve as an alternative career in case they change their mind about pursuing a health professions career

KRISTI WEDDIGE

Lead advisor and director of pre-health advising

Weddige highlights that students need to be well-rounded candidates with a variety of robust experiences such as community service, clinical exposure, leadership experience and/or research experience. She recommends that students start applying once they have a strong, competitive application.

“Everyone has their own timeline for when they should be applying,” Weddige wrote.

For reserving appointments to discuss applying in the next application cycle, Weddige recommends students send a draft of their personal statement a week prior to their appointment. The advisor can then provide comments and feedback. Students can also discuss the

The pre-health advising center also tries to stay connected with alumni, according to Weddige. Many of these alumni have spoken in classes or to pre-health clubs, allowed students to shadow them through the Health Professions Shadowing (BIO 253) class, established scholarship funds and some serve on the pre-health alumni advisory council to support students programmatically.

Students who want to find more information on the pre-health center can follow their blog, Instagram account @cp.prehealth, or read more information on their page.

BUSINESS PATHWAYS

Students who have a major under the Orfalea College of Business (OCOB) can go into careers surrounding accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, human resources and more.

For help with these job markets, OCOB has a career readiness advisory center to provide connections to resources and assistance on professional development. It consists of peer advisors and head advisors that support students.

For business junior and OCOB peer advisor Victoria Diaz, she recommends students start thinking about career readiness in their first year. According to Diaz, a typical appointment covers resume reviewing, general interview advice, behavioral and case interviews, salary negotiation, concentration exploration and career fair prep.

Diaz said in the recruitment process, behavioral interviews are typically first round interviews and the second interview in fields like finance and consulting is when technical skills are evaluated. In

“We do our best to set them up for the pathway of thinking that you’re supposed to take while you’re doing these technical interviews,” Diaz said.

The career readiness center also has an alumni partnership program. Business junior Aidan Janetos runs this program and it consists of a database of all OCOB graduates that joined the program.

In this program, students are paired with alumni who have similar career interests as them and Janetos facilitates these partnerships. Typically this mentorship occurs for at least three meetings in three months. However, students can still continue the mentor relationship after the contractual obligation.

“It’s gaining not only that industry knowledge but also that life experience,” Diaz said.

Students can sign up for this program through the center’s website and Linktree on Instagram.

There is also a professional development boot camp which runs on a quarterly basis. In this program, career peers within the center take on a couple students who are interested in the program.

Janetos said the benefit of this program is gaining experience and knowledge from someone who is also a student.

Diaz recommend that students also utilize academic advising within OCOB and get involved in their concentration specific clubs and career services.

Diaz also emphasized that OCOB hosts many peer leader organizations, such as the multicultural business program.

“We all touch on the development of students but in different ways. We can all rely on each other to help prepare our students for life after graduation,” Diaz said.

Diaz is on the DEI committee within OCOB and has helped create a

list of DEI opportunities for students. This resource is meant for students to find DEI programs that are suited for them.

“We found that a lot of DEI initiatives were idea based rather than action based so we wanted to create something tangible for students to be able to utilize,” Diaz said.

Students can find a variety of resume and cover letter templates on the OCOB and career services website.

For those who may be worried they do not have enough employment or industry experience, Diaz said clubs, extracurriculars, classes, hobbies and projects are also valuable and can be highlighted.

“What’s important [are]the transferable skills that you learn and those can come from clubs, [volunteering], and things that you are passionate about,” Diaz said.

Diaz suggested the best way for students to stay in touch with the OCOB center, find resources and register for workshops is through their Instagram.

TEACHING CREDENTIALS

Cal Poly’s School of Education hosts a variety of credential programs for students who are interested in elementary and secondary teaching, special education and educational administration.

One of these is the multiple subject credential program reserved for teaching in elementary schools. This is a post baccalaureate program that runs over three quarters on a cohort model. The program has two start dates in September and January.

Students can apply with any undergrad degree, but are required to complete four prerequisites and other admission requirements like state assessments before they apply. For more information on the application process, students should refer to the programs website.

According to program coordinator Julee Bauler, students start in the classroom and begin clinical practice within the first week. They also take a course on teaching students with special needs. Students have the opportunity for bilingual authorization and join the Spanish Authorization for Bilingual Educators (SABE) program to add it onto their credentials which is one course per quarter.

Through the clinical practice model, students are placed in a local school with mentor teachers who provide feedback.

“It’s definitely Learn by Doing [from] day one,” Bauler said.

Bauler said the program is not extremely competitive and is looking for students who meet the requirements and are excited to learn.

“The state of California is in a great need of teachers so we are not looking to exclude people,” Bauler said.

When reviewing applications, Bauler said they are looking for students who are committed to justice and equity, open to learning new things and practices, willing to collaborate and love working with children.

a fellowship and diversity resources available at Cal Poly.

For graduate school, this page also includes helpful tips on getting letters of recommendation and writing personal statements.

Students can also meet with a career counselor. Each college has a designated career counselor that students can make appointments with or meet with during virtual drop ins, which are Monday to Friday from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.

You want to be gaining experiences that are going to help get you into the graduate school or career that interests you... you need to do things beyond going to class.

AMIE HAMMOND Career Services executive director

Bauler recommends that students gain experience in classrooms to ensure they want to pursue teaching.

Both liberal students and child development majors have prerequisites built into their curriculum.

Bauler recommends students start completing prerequisites by junior year and for those in majors without built in prerequisites, she suggests that students can take them in one quarter after graduation.

The program also emphasizes a social justice framework within their curriculum. This means candidates are aware of embracing diverse classrooms and meeting the needs of all students.

“It is woven in methods, our seminar, all of our readings, all of our activities and practices, lesson plans, units that they complete have a social justice lens,” Bauler said.

Students are also encouraged to explore their own identity and culture to become the best teacher they can be.

Bauler recommends students reach out to her and the other coordinator if they are interested in teaching.

This program has proven to be successful for graduates with a 99% hiring rate post graduation.

CAREER SERVICES RESOURCES

Cal Poly’s career services is a resource for all Cal Poly students and for alumni up to one year post graduation.

On the career services website, students can find what is labeled as “student resource toolkit.” On this page, students can find sample resume options, a guide for a successful interview, tips searching for a job or internship, tips on finding

Career services also hosts a variety of workshops and events for students to gain confidence in interviews and polish their resumes.

The center invites guest speakers to discuss their field. Students can register for workshops, events and career fairs through Mustangjobs.

To connect with alumni, students can use Cal Poly Career Connections to network with alumni and have their questions answered.

“The alumni love to come back and talk with current students,” Career Services executive director Amie Hammond said.

Career services also has a variety of

informational videos on negotiating job offers, using Cal Poly’s Portfolium to create digital portfolios.

Career services also has a clothing closet for students who do not have the proper attire for interviews and career fairs. This includes gently used professional clothing from campus and the San Luis Obispo community.

These clothes are free for students to use and keep. The closet has drop ins Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m in the front office of building 124.

In a world that is increasingly utilizing ChatGPT and AI in the workforce, the career services team is staying up to date on these changes.

“[Students] can use it to generate potential interview questions.. explore the intersection of [their] major and a really specific interest [they] have and what kind of careers can put those two things together,” Hammond said.

An important event that occurs on campus is the career fair. Many alumni come back as employers excited to recruit undergraduate students.

“About a third of the company representatives that attend the career fair are alumni,” Hammond said. To prepare for a career fair, Hammond recommends browsing Handshake to read about the companies that will be at the career fair. It is recommended to bring a resume, dress professionally and prepare a pitch about yourself.

Hammond also recommends students get involved in clubs and activities for networking opportunities with speakers and alumni who may come in.

“Anytime you have a chance to speak to a prospective employer face to face, it’s a huge advantage,” Hammond said.

When considering life after graduation, Hammond believes it is important to expose yourself to different fields through classes, clubs or internships.

Hammond encourages students start thinking about their life after graduation as soon as possible and begin exploring different fields and interests to figure out what students like or don’t like.

KENNEDY RAY | MUSTANG NEWS