Former Cal Poly hip-hop club regains its charter. ARTS, pg. 4
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
“I would rename Dexter Lawn. The name Dexter is stupid. You should name it ‘The Pride of California.’” • Alli Fassiotto liberal studies sophomore
“Metro needs to be changed for sure.” • Cassidy Sanders liberal studies sophomore
www.mustangdaily.net
Renaming contest hits bookstore
WORD ON THE STREET If you could rename a campus location, what would you name it?
Volume LXXVI, Number 94
VICTORIA BILLINGS
victoriabillings.md@gmail.com
Students who dream of leaving a lasting mark on Cal Poly’s campus, or owning a Vespa, will have their chance through Cal Poly Corporation’s contest to pick a new name for El Corral Bookstore. El Corral, originally named for the horse corrals on campus, has now shifted its purpose, and the corporation is looking for a name to ref lect that, interim director of El Corral Philip Davis said. “We’re becoming less of a bookstore in terms of what we do and more of a general retailer in terms of what we do,” Davis said. The store still sells textbooks, but now sees most of the revenue coming from school supplies and Cal Poly-branded apparel and gifts, making the “bookstore” title inaccurate, Davis said. Cal Poly Corporation is also looking for a name that focuses less on the school’s agricultural origins and more on its current polytechnic vision, Davis said. When El Corral was named in 1933, the campus was predominantly an agricultural school. Now, Cal Poly is known for engineering, architecture and science as well as agriculture, and the store should include that, he said. “It would be nice to have a name that more clearly ties us in with the university,”
VICTORIA BILLINGS/MUSTANG DAILY
The El Corral Bookstore is currently undergoing a renaming competition to give it a more relevant name to campus. Davis said. “(As) in a broader sense of what we do.” The name contest comes after the former El Corral director retired in January, and Davis took the interim position. El Corral management then decided to redirect and reorganize the store’s direction. “We’re promoting a sense of university and spirit, and it would be nice if the name is in sync with that,” Davis said. El Corral chose a con-
We’re promoting a sense of university and spirit, and it would be nice if the name is in sync with that. PHILIP DAVIS EL CORRAL INTERIM DIRECTOR
test for the new name to involve the student body and ensure the name fit the campus well, said Yukie
Nishinaga, marketing and public relations manager for Cal Poly Corporation. More than 1,000 people en-
Radio club talks out of this world ERIN HURLEY
erinhurley.md@gmail.com
“Vista Grande Cafe? More like The Vag!” • Steve Katzman aerospace engineering senior
“The stoplight outside Sierra Madre. I’ll call it ‘The Splash Zone.’ Holler, Tower Four.” • Aaron Rowley biomedical engineering senior
The Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club successfully contacted life in outer space today in a radio conversation with International Space Station astronaut Daniel Burbank at the Keck Advanced Technology Laboratory on campus. The nine-and-a-half minute conversation with Burbank was the featured aspect of an event hosted by the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club and the College of Engineering that also included various club booths, a club presentation and a guest speaker. This unconventional interview was a long time coming — Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club president and aerospace engineering senior Javen O’Neal filled out the application to the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program in July. ARISS is an international program coordinated by NASA and other organizations which sets up radio conversations between astronauts on the space station and the public to edu-
see CORRAL, pg. 2
Two people hospitalized after collision STAFF REPORT
mustangdailynews.md@gmail.com
do you do with waste?” Meg Stern, a member of the 4-H club from Cambria, asked Burbank what kinds of experiments are done on the space station. According to Burbank, they do “all kinds.”
A single-car collision at the intersection of Higuera Street and Madonna Road hospitalized two people Monday night, including a former chef at Vista Grande café. According to the San Luis Obispo Police department, the former Campus Dining employee Christian Green was riding in a car that crashed into a wall at the Pacific Coast Center at the end of Madonna Road. The driver, Michael Jones, 22, and Green were transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center immediately after the accident. Green was listed in critical condition — he was unconscious with abnormal vital signs — and Jones was in serious condition Tuesday, according to Sierra Vista hospital spokesperson Ron Yukleson. A police report stated the
see SPACE, pg. 2
see HIGUERA, pg. 2
NHA HA/MUSTANG DAILY
Students listen to the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club speak to the space station in orbit. cate them on outer space topics and amateur radio. Burbank decided he wanted to talk to Cal Poly during his free time today, O’Neal said. The conversation with Burbank touched on a variety of topics related to being an astronaut and life on the space station. Boy Scouts from a
troop in Arroyo Grande, 4-H club members and students from Branch Elementary School in Arroyo Grande asked Burbank a number of questions including “What does it feel like when you take off?” (which Burbank said was most comparable to a roller coaster) and “What
CHECK OUT
SPORTS, pg. 8
Tomorrow’s Weather:
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Workhorse Wagman racks up innings and wins.
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tered last year’s contest to rename campus pizza restaurant Ciao!, and Nishinaga is hoping for a similar turnout. “When we make these decisions, we want to do it collectively without customers,” Nishinaga said. “We really want the campus community to be a part of this process because it is their store.” The student who submits the winning name will be award-
63˚F
low 47˚F A.M. showers
INDEX News.............................1-3 Arts..............................4-5
Opinions/Editorial...........6 Classifieds/Comics.........7 Sports...........................7-8
MDnews 2 HIGUERA continued from page 1
sedan Jones was driving sustained “major body damage” during the accident. According to the report, the collision damaged six feet of wall. Green, 20, worked as a prep cook at the Cal Poly on-campus restaurant, but he left the job earlier this month, current Vista Grande manager Margi
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Braden said. Braden described Green as a “really outgoing, really friendly guy.” “I saw that picture of the car and was just shocked,” Braden said. As of press time, San Luis Obispo police are investigating the cause of the accident. The report said alcohol was not a factor in the collision. Sean McMinn contributed to this article.
NHA HA/MUSTANG DAILY
Visiting students lined up to speak with International Space Station astronaut Daniel Burbank Tuesday.
SPACE continued from page 1
“I’ve never really talked to an astronaut before, and when I first heard about this, I was really excited because I was like, ‘Oh, I get to talk to an astronaut who’s actually on the space station,’” Stern said. “It was really cool getting to hear the response.” While O’Neal said the club had a vague idea of when their conversation with Burbank would be, they got the final date and time from NASA a week
CORRAL continued from page 1
ed a Vespa Piaggio scooter, which is currently on display in the window of El Corral. Cal Poly Corporation partnered with SLO Vespa, a local scooter store, to offer the prize, Nishinaga said. “We wanted to run this contest, and we wanted to provide an exciting prize to the winner,” she said. Some students have already noticed the Vespa in the window of El Corral, and considered names, though it’s harder than it seems, computer science freshman Timothy Vo said. “I actually thought about (entering), but I didn’t think of a name,” Vo said. Vo said he didn’t think the name El Corral needed much changing, except for dropping the “El.” Other students, though, agree with Davis that the El Corral name is outdated. Child development sopho-
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ago. Organizing the publicity and room reservations was “sort of a lastminute scramble,” he said. But the results made the work worth it for him. “It went really well,” O’Neal said. “For Cal Poly’s very first radio contact with the International Space Station, I’m really happy.” The event also included a presentation by the PolySat club and a discussion by aerospace engineering professor Kira Abercromby about the space station. Other groups including the Cal Poly branch of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers and the Estero Radio Club also had a chance to talk with attendees after the conversation with Burbank. Since the radio conversation was short, the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club wanted to make sure to add more aspects to the event to make it worth coming onto campus, O’Neal said. Bill Fageol of the Estero Radio Club and the San Luis Obispo Emergency Communications Council said this was the first conversation of this kind for him, but he thought Burbank was well-prepared and the ques-
tions were good. “It’s amazing what you can do with radio,” Fageol said. “I’m part of the amateur radio group here, and we use radio to talk around the world but very rarely we talk away from the world, which is what you do when you talk to the space station. It’s really neat.” O’Neal is graduating this year, so he won’t organize another conversation such as the one with Burbank, but he said if someone else in the club wanted to organize a similar talk next year, he’d be willing to help out. “It was a lot of fun,” O’Neal said. “Definitely worthwhile.”
more Natalie Neach said El Corral Bookstore on campus no longer makes sense on Cal Poly’s campus. “It doesn’t resemble Cal Poly,” Neach said. “It has nothing to do with it.” A better name would utilize the name Cal Poly’s Mustang mascot or the school’s polytechnic focus, Neach said. The contest runs from March 26 through April 15. After that, a committee of students, staff and El Corral will be assembled to select the best name. The winning suggestion will be announced after several weeks, but there is no definite date. “Because this is a bigger renaming process, it may take two to four weeks,” Nishinaga said.
Students can enter the contest via email at renameelcorral@ calpoly.edu
VICTORIA BILLINGS/MUSTANG DAILY
Cal Poly students can enter the contest until April 15.
MDnews 3
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
WORD ON THE STREET How has it been trying to get classes this quarter?
“It’s been pretty chill with my priority.” • Tyler Almeida business administration junior
“It’s been better. I had fifth rotation. Last quarter, I had 11th and barely got three classes” • Ryan Lin electrical engineering freshman
“It’s been pretty easy because I’m a transfer, so I just get my major courses.” • Paul Steimer landscape architecture sophomore
New power plant emission regulations proposed NEELA BANERJEE
Tribune Washington Bureau
Taking aim at the gases that the vast majority of scientists say are the main contributor to climate change, the Obama administration proposed rules limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants, a move that could essentially bar new coal-fired electric generation facilities. Tuesday’s announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency signaled the administration's willingness to weigh in on politically sensitive environmental issues, even if its decisions court controversy in an election year. That cheered environmentalists, who had become increasingly concerned in recent months by delays of key EPA rules and President Barack Obama's trumpeting
of oil drilling in response to criticism about high gasoline prices. They worried that the carbon rule would be shelved. By proposing the power plant rules and pressing forward with fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks, the administration has moved to cut pollution from the two largest domestic sources of greenhouse gases. Power plants, which are responsible for 40 percent of the nation's output of carbon dioxide, are the single greatest stationary source of such emissions. “I think the administration releasing a proposed regulation for greenhouse gases for new plants is as strong a signal that anyone can ask for about how seriously they are addressing the threat of climate change,” said Megan Ceronsky, an attorney for the Environmental Defense
Fund. The proposed emissions standards are for all new plants, including ones powered by increasingly abundant and cheap natural gas, but would hit hardest coal-fired facilities, which would face substantial — perhaps insurmountable — technological and financial obstacles in complying with the limits. “What this essentially says is we will never be building dirty old coal plants ever again,” said Michael Brune of the Sierra Club, one of the litigants in the lawsuit that led to development of the new rules. “The dominant power source of the 19th and 20th centuries won't be the same again.” The rules aren't final, and could be changed by a future Republican administration. Still, major business groups, especially those that benefit from cheap coal-fired
NATIONAL
What this essentially says is we will never be building dirty old coal plants ever again. MICHAEL BRUNE SIERRA CLUB MEMBER
power, were harshly critical. “Requiring coal-based power plants to meet an emissions standard based on natural gas technology is a policy overtly calculated to destroy a significant portion of America's electricity supply,” said Hal Quinn, chief executive of the National Mining Association, whose members include coal companies. “This proposal is the latest convoy in EPA's regulatory train wreck that is rolling across America, crushing jobs and arresting our economic recovery at
INTERNATIONAL
SLO COUNTY
STATE
ATASCADERO —
LOS ANGELES —
WEST VIRGINIA —
AFGHANISTAN —
Tuesday marked the eighth day Atascadero State Hospital was on lockdown. During lockdown, patients are not allowed to leave their rooms, and visitors are prohibited. The lockdown has been a precautionary measure in response to multiple events involving patients and staff at the mental facility on March 20. Jail records indicate two men — Baldemar Ramirez, 25, and Jose Roberto Carmona, 24 — were checked in the day following the incidents, according to an article in The Tribune. The lockdown was lifted for a number of hours last Wednesday, but it was reinstated later the same day.
California voters strongly support Gov. Jerry Brown’s new proposal to increase the sales tax and raise levies on upper-levels incomes to help raise money for schools and balance the state’s budget, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed said they supported the governor’s measure, which he hopes to place on the November ballot. The governor’s measure would hike the state sales tax by a quarter-cent per dollar for the next four years and create a surcharge on incomes of more than $250,000 that would last seven years. A third of respondents opposed the measure.
The federal agency charged with ensuring mine safety failed to enforce laws that might have prevented a deadly explosion that occured in West Virginia in 2010. The West Virginia explosion killed 29 coal miners and seriously injured two others, according to an independent assessment of the incident. If the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration had enforced existing safety regulations in a timely manner, “it would have lessened the chances of — and possibly could have prevented — the explosion” at the Upper Big Branch mine, according to a four-person panel of safety experts.
In what would be one of the more serious security breaches to hit an Afghan government installation, nearly a dozen suicide vests were found inside or near the heavily guarded Ministry of Defense. Some members of the Afghan army were suspected of having taken part in a violent plot, Western and Afghan officials said Tuesday. The apparent use of the ministry grounds to try to mount a major attack follows a concerted series of attacks against Western troops by Afghan soldiers, and comes at a time when the American strategy of training Afghan forces to take over security responsibilities in a prelude to the end to the NATO combat mission has been thrown into doubt.
every stop.” The regulations would apply only to new power plants, not modifications of existing facilities, the standards for which are expected later. The proposed rules would require new plants to emit a maximum of 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour. The newest natural gasfired power plants emit about 800 pounds of carbon per megawatt hour. New coal plants emit between 1,600 and 1,900 pounds per megawatt hour.
e. m i t Any here. w y n A
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
COURTESY PHOTO
“We have a lot of talent in here, and it would be a real shame not to have a club,” former Hip Hop Congress member Joey Chung said of the newly reinstated Cal Poly club.
Hip Hop Congress regains lost charter ing event this quarter. Club president and computer science senior Ryan Badilla attributed losing the charter to lack of members. He said former members graduated,
and not many current members wanted to take positions. Cal Poly alumnus and former Hip Hop Congress member Joey Chung disagreed, though. He said the club lost the charter because the last president didn’t renew it and gave up when he couldn’t find enough people. Though Chung is no longer a part of Cal Poly, he said he plans to help the club and “get the gears moving.” “We have a lot of talent in here, and it would be a real shame not to have a club,” he said. According to Chung, starting a club is not the hard part; the battle is to get the proper number of members. Despite the club having problems acquiring members, somebody did step up and take a position — a new member, in fact. Biological chemistry freshman Cheyenne Liu took on the role of vice president. “I went to dance sessions a lot and just really started liking the club members and how we were bonding,” Liu said. “I wanted to promote that.” Liu knew she wanted to do something hip-hop related when coming to Cal Poly. She found out about the Hip Hop Congress during Week of Welcome’s club showcase and decided to become vice president, she said. Hip Hop Congress is a national organization which promotes awareness of positive hip-hop culture. The purpose is to unite communities using the four elements of hiphop: break dancing, MC, DJ and graffiti art, Chung said. “Our main concentration is b-boying, or break dancing, because the most people we get dance,” he said. “But we’re open to any style of dance.” This year, the club has approximately seven new members. Badilla said most of the members happen to be break dancers, because the club is very vocal about its dance group. But anyone who shows interest can join, he said. On May 5, the Hip Hop Congress will have their third break dancing competition, SLO Underground 3. It will feature one-on-one break dancing battles. Andrew Vu, electrical engineering senior and Hip Hop Congress mem-
ber, is organizing the event. Vu invited top break dancers from the Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside, Calif., to judge the competitions. Attending dancers include: Yroc (Cory Howell), Kid Nasty (Anthony Manzon), Kaotyk (Joey Kao) and Infinite (Hermes Arriola). According to Vu, he invited them because they have built names for themselves around California and the United States. “Overall, we just want to have fun,” Vu said.
Since the Congress received its charter late in the year, it can only throw one event for its dancers. Because of this, Chung said he wants to throw an event for every aspect of hip-hop next year. “My vision is to keep some center of communication in the community for future generations,” Chung said. “As of now, I’m staying optimistic and saying “No, (it won’t lose its charter again). Six or seven freshmen are hard to lose, and I’ll stick around.”
“Will you sign something real quick?” • PHOTO CREDIT Krisha Agatep •
o
At the beginning of the year, it seemed Cal Poly’s chapter of the Hip Hop Congress was
lost to the school. But through the work of some dedicated members, both affiliated with the school and others, the club managed to regain their charter in time for one danc-
ng wi
with Cal Poly since 1916
Gr
SAMANTHA SULLIVAN
samanthasullivan.md@gmail.com
Thanks for
reading!
MDarts 5
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Living like a (recently graduated) college student Erik Hansen is a graduate student pursuing a master of public policy and Mustang Daily graduate columnist.
rize everywhere your money goes. Next, calculate how much money you take home every month after a contribution to a retirement plan and taxes. Then, make sure the net between those two is positive, or figure out what you need to cut to create a positive balance. Finally, after allowing a slight buffer — for your savings account at the end of the month — the hard part begins. Monitoring yourself and staying within that budget is where most fail.
agree to automatically transfer $75 monthly from a checking to savings account. This only creates a slight inconvenience in making sure that you have at least $75 every month to transfer, and the minute it takes to go online and transfer that money back over to your checking account. The banks are making money off your money, if a bank is charging to hold onto money, choose a new one. A credit union is a great option to switch to if you have not already done so, and many credit unions offer free checking accounts.
As we round the corner into spring quarter and enter into the final stretch before summer, pants will turn into shorts and dresses, and sweaters will turn into shirts and tank-tops. This is good news. But even better news is that some of you will finally graduate at the end of the quarter and bestow upon the world your skills: nunchaku skills, bow hunting Housing skills and maybe even computer hacking skills. Remember, Wherever you end up, check in girls only want boyfriends who with the regional or local hous- Health Insurance have great skills. ing authority, and apply for As you jump headfirst into moderate income or workforce As a healthy, non-geriatric, our plentiful job market, that housing. The housing authority non-smoking, non-preexisting student loan and/or check from will give options when it comes condition 20-something, beMom and Dad will turn into a to voucher- and tenant-based lieve it or not, you can still get hard-earned paycheck, writ- affordable housing; housing a decent price on an individual ten in your own health insursweat and blood. ance plan. Some And while there is companies will Unfortunately, your sweat nothing like a hard also pay a sum and blood is probably not earned paycheck of money if you — minus taxes — opt out of their valuable enough to write you unfortunately, your group plan. sweat and blood is Weigh the cost a six-figure annual income. probably not valuand benefits of able enough to dropping off write you a six-figyour employer’s ure annual income, plan against goat least not yet. ing it alone. You You have lived like a col- that is subsidized by tax dol- might end up with a few extra lege student for the past four lars. And no, it will not be some dollars by doing so. or five years. Now you are go- “housing project,” rather, many ing to have to learn to live like newer apartment complexes are Other Insurance a recently graduated college now required to set aside units student. While this can mean for low- to moderate-income On the topic of insurance, you upgrading some of the things and workforce tenants. It is will also probably be insuring in your life, such as moving worth a shot. If the waitlist is your car and rental unit. Shop up from Vons-brand vodka to long, or you do not qualify due around for the best deal. You Smirnoff, other things are go- to a criminal history, you have might be surprised how much ing to require your continued probably survived the past few you save by switching to a new ingenuity and self-control. years with roommates and can insurer. In addition, since you Your entry-level engineer, handle a few more. The money planner or scientist salary is not saved, and freedom earned by going to afford you the lifestyle not going back to live with your of middle management. How- parents, will be worth it. ever, there are choices you can make to ensure some stability Food and security as you start making your way. You have worked Just like going back to the third hard to arrive at the bottom of grade with a My Little Pony the totem pole. In a few years, lunchbox, brown bag a lunch to you will be raking it in. In the work. Throwing down $10 evmeantime, here are a few ideas ery afternoon for Macho Comfor you — the recent college bo burritos can add up. Invest graduate — to consider as you in a Costco card, buy in bulk enter into the cold and cruel and prepare your meals for the world of reality. week on a Sunday evening. Student Loans
Bills
It is time to pay the piper. You will want to choose a repayment plan that works for you in the long run. Understand how much you will make now and in the future, and choose a plan that causes the least amount of hardship. Also, understand there are several loan forgiveness programs out there, such as a public service program, which will erase loan balances after a period of time. Seeking the help of a professional adviser to assist making these decisions is important and time well spent.
Pay them in full, and on time. This includes such things as your cell, Internet, gas, electric, water and trash bills. Just like paying your credit card balance off on time every month, doing so will save you on any interest or late charges.
Credit Cards Knowing or learning how to use a credit card can be beneficial in many ways. Of course, credit cards are quick and easy to use, but they also protect from fraudulent charges, and most credit cards will insure certain items purchased. Also, always repaying your credit balance on time and in full will help to raise your credit score. Credit cards can also help to track what you are spending hard-earned money on, and if you get a rewards card, you might even end up with a free flight or hotel stay at the end of the year. Being a big boy or girl means knowing how to use plastic and make it work for you. Budget Use those Excel skills you have mastered to create an itemized calendar (monthly) budget. Wrack your brain and catego-
Television Cut your cable. Killing your television will do wonders to your life. If you need to watch a sporting event, go to a bar. If you need to watch a movie or television series, register for a DVD delivery service. All of this is much cheaper than sticking with cable. Transportation This is where you are just going to have to nut up and hop on the bus or light-rail. The benefits of a $60, monthly transit pass against driving are too numerous to list. As a large number of those graduating will end up in urban areas with a semi-functional transit system, you will be in luck. Sure, keep your car for fun, but during the week, throw on your headphones, grab a book or magazine and enjoy the sights and sounds of public transportation. Banking Some banks still offer some form of a free checking and/ or savings account. For instance, Wells Fargo offers a free checking account if you
are taking public transportation, consider insuring your car as a “pleasure” vehicle to lower the rate you pay. Also, you should now qualify for a rate discount as a college graduate. None of these ideas should put too much of a strain on you or create a dramatic lifestyle change. With less than three months before summer, consider slowly incorporating these ideas into budgeting efforts.
Graduate
REFLECTIONS
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Volume LXXVI, Number 94
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“Not sharing nachos, strike two.“
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Obamacare: More than just health care Brendan Pringle is an English senior and Mustang Daily conservative columnist. Twenty-seven states have officially filed lawsuits against it, and more than half of Americans favor its repeal. Now, it’s the Supreme Court’s turn to give its opinion on Obamacare and decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s most recognized “achievement.” Amidst all the hype, this unpopular piece of legislation might not even be constitutional. Aside from the basic question of whether or not the Supreme Court can hear the case (based on the Anti-Injunction Act), the primary question before the court is a simple one: Does the minimum coverage provision of Obamacare exceed Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce? The left will continue to cite precedents such as Wickard v. Filburn and the more recent Gonzalez v. Reich as case law justification for the controversial legislation. Wickard, for instance, determined that Congress could regulate the amount of crops an individual farmer grew simply because it affected interstate commerce in the aggregate. The same precedent applied later to those cultivating and using local nonmedical marijuana (Gonzalez v. Reich). While these two cases and others expanded the lati-
tude of Congress’ interstate commerce power, they fail to align entirely with the unique nature of this particular case. The individual mandate in question does not only permit Congress to “regulate” a new area of interstate commerce; it actually forces individuals “to engage in commerce” so they can be better regulated. Once it takes effect in 2014, any individual who refuses to purchase a “government approved level of health
care” will face a financial penalty. According to the legislation, the concept of a contract is outdated and unnecessary. Why is there any need for freedom of contract when the federal government can simply force people to enter a commercial agreement, and then reg-
ulate them accordingly? Paul Clement notes in his brief on behalf of Florida and the other states represented in this case: “The power to compel a person to enter into an unwanted commercial relationship is not some modest step necessary and proper to perfect Congress’ authority to regulate existing government intercourse. It is a revolution in the relat i on s h ip between
eral government power. If familiar with the Patriot Act, it becomes obvious we can’t ignore the fact that this legislation deals with the health and well-being of Americans. As Solicitor General Donald Verrill rightfully notes, “No one is more than an instant from needing hea lt h care.” TIM BRINTON/NEWSART But there are better (and more financially sustainable) ways of ensuring universal health care in the U.S. Contrary to what the media constantly feeds us, the Republican position on Obamthe central acare is “repeal and replace” g o v e r n - — not “repeal and relax.” ment and From the earliest debates, the governed.” Republicans have advocatAnd as we ed a “more market-based” have seen in health care reform through a the decades “defined benefits” structure. of expansion Taxpayer-supported health following New insurance imminently leads Deal legisla- to “un-needy” people taktion, this can ing advantage of the system. be a very slip- This has already happened pery slope, set- to our welfare system. Do we ting dangerous really want it affecting evprecedents for fed- eryone’s health care as well?
Of course, for the sake of expediency, the left ignored conservative solutions during the debates and squashed all resistance as it forced the bill through the legislation process. Still today, the mainstream media refuses to acknowledge any conservative alternatives to Obamacare. We have already witnessed the ridiculous arguments stemming from this bill’s passage. Suddenly, free contraceptives are a human right (obviously, this is what the Founding Fathers must have intended with the phrase “pursuit of happiness”), and proponents treat pregnancy as if it were some sort of disease. This legislation leaves far too much room for manipulation by its beneficiaries and by the federal government. If the Supreme Court severs the individual mandate or decides the entire legislation is unconstitutional, Congress will have the opportunity to consider more effective and less imposing methods of ensuring the health of our nation’s people. If our health care system doesn’t get fixed soon, it will be the cause of its own demise.
Martin shooting aftermath mirrors former lacrosse case Glenn Garvin is a columnist for the Miami Herald. I’ve read tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of words on the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the South Florida teenager whose shooting death last month at the hands of a neighborhood watch volunteer has become a national symbol of continuing American racism. But in all those words, there are three that haven’t come up that seem worth remembering to me: Duke lacrosse team. In 2006, the phrase “Duke lacrosse team” was seething shorthand for the evocation of racial power and privilege, the everybody-knows-it truism that to be white and wealthy was a license to rape and plunder other races, the moral certainty that for all our cheap rhetoric to the contrary, millennial America was really just 1955 Mississippi dressed up
with an affirmative action program or two. A young black stripper told police that, at a drunken party thrown by captains of the nearly all-white Duke lacrosse team, she was choked, raped and sodomized for 30 minutes by three players. Rich white-boy jocks despoil poor black girl working her way through college. A building-full of progressive sociologists working round the clock for a week couldn’t have come up with a story that pushed more hot buttons on race, gender and wealth. Overnight, the stripper’s story turned from an accusation to the national common wisdom. Mobs swarmed around the home of the lacrosse players, banging pots and pans. Wanted posters bearing the names and photos of 40 players were posted around campus. The team’s games were canceled, its coach fired.
Any attempt by the lacrosse players to defend themselves became further evidence of their guilt. When the players said they wanted to consult with attorneys before complying with a police request for DNA samples, cable news’ video lynch-mistress Nancy Grace was incredulous. “You’re kidding, right?” she squawked, adding that their house ought to be burned down. The string-‘em-all-up-letGod-sort-‘em-out approach was by no means restricted to the perpetually belligerent Grace. Selena Roberts, now with Sports Illustrated but then a New York Times columnist, said the refusal of the players to identity the rapists among their ranks was “a conspiracy of silence.” The possibility that there were no rapists was, well, impossible, for “the intersection of entitlement and enablement, there is Duke University, virtu-
ous on the outside, debauched on the inside.” Even Duke’s own faculty scoffed at the idea that anybody needed to wait for judicial due process. “We’re turning up the volume,” 88 professors wrote in a letter to the student newspaper. “To the students speaking individually and to the protesters making collective noise, thank you for not waiting and for making yourselves heard.” By not waiting, they also made themselves look like fools. In the courtroom, where evidence counted for more than righteous outrage and political cant, the case against the lacrosse players was non-existent. Traces of the DNA of several men were found on the stripper’s body, but not one of them matched to a member of the Duke team. A second stripper at the party said the two women were together for all but about five minutes of the evening,
and she didn’t see any rape. Time-stamped photos showed that the stripper was already scratched and bruised when she arrived at the house. When the charges were finally dropped a year later, North Carolina’s attorney general took the unusual step of saying that the players were not merely not guilty, but actually innocent, the victims of a “tragic rush to accuse.” The case’s prosecutor was dismissed, disbarred and jailed for his outrageous misconduct. Six years later, we may be leading another tragic rush to accuse in the Trayvon Martin case. The 28-year-old man who shot Martin, George Zimmerman, has already been convicted in public opinion inflamed by political quacks and hacks and race huckster Al Sharpton, who see America as a seething mass of homicidal racism. “I only want one thing,” said U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, DFla., last week. “It’s real simple: I want an arrest.” Based on what? Not a single shred of evidence to surface publicly contradicts Zimmerman’s story — that he was trying to follow Martin, who confronted him, jumped him and then began banging his head on the ground. The only witness to their struggle who’s come forward supported Zimmerman’s account in a weekend interview with a Tampa TV station. He could be lying, of course, or mistaken. And there may be other witnesses who will testify differently. I have no idea what happened that night. But neither does Jesse Jackson, who last week explained that Martin was shot because “killing us is big business.” You remember Jesse. He’s the one who said the Duke lacrosse players were just acting out “the special fantasies and realities of exploitation.” Even when they weren’t.
MDsports 7
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Men’s tennis regains swagger MUSTANG DAILY STAFF REPORT
mustangdailysports@gmail.com
Men’s tennis head coach Nick Carless noticed a difference in his team’s 5-2 loss to Boise State on March 10. The way he saw it, the team held back and beat themselves. Since he had encountered that kind of loss many times in his coaching career, he knew there was only way to address it: Pump up the team’s swagger. “A lot of what you do just has to come from your own belief, as a team,” Carless said. “I just say it is your belief in yourself
and what you can do out there as a team, as an individual. If we don’t believe now that we can really beat anybody in the country, any conference, whoever we play, then we are not going to ever believe it.” And the Mustangs did, as evidenced in their decisive two wins against Nebraska (51) and Princeton (6-1) before dropping a 4-3 loss to No. 17 Washington during their three matches over spring break. “Sometimes you can get in your own way, more so than the opponent does,” Carless said. “(Boise State) was a match where we learned, ‘Hey, if we
kinda go out and play free, we really can beat anybody.’” Former Arroyo Grande High School standout Andre Dome played a big part in helping his team rebound from its loss to the Broncos. Against Nebraska, he swept Christopher Aumuelle (7-5, 6-2) only before turning around with another sweep against Princeton’s Matija Pecotic (6-4, 6-2) in the Cal Poly’s next match. Against Washington, however, Dome hit a hiccup. He defeated Kyle McMorrow, the Huskies top player, 6-4 in his first set, fell 7-6 in the second and fell again 6-4 in the third and final set.
“It’s not that he played bad, the other guy just played a little better,” Carless said. “He didn’t serve well, which is his biggest strength, but he played well, if that makes sense. He usually gets a lot of his points off of his serves, whether it’s an ace or a service winner, and he just didn’t get those against Washington.” Despite the loss, Carless said the experience of facing talent like McMorrow, who came into the match ranked No. 17 in the nation, will help Dome out in the long run — especially in the postseason. “It’s going to do wonders for
him as it gets down toward the end of the year,” Carless said. “His ultimate goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. In that tournament, he is going to be seeing players just like he saw against Washington, and even better. He’ll know how to handle a situation a little bit better.” The same goes for his team, which in Carless’ first season looks to be headed toward the postseason. With just five matches to go before the Big West Championships in Indian Wells on April 27 to 29, the Mustangs have won 10 of their past 12 matches. And in their two recent wins over Princeton and Nebraska, the Mustangs hardly stumbled. Against Nebraska, Cal Poly took five of six singles points, with the only loss coming when the Cornhuskers’ Benedikt Lindheim defeated Brian McPhee 6-0, 7-5. Doubles were not played because of darkness. In their 6-1 victory against Princeton, the Mustangs did the same. They won five matchups in singles, as well as the doubles point, over the Tigers. Both of those performances, Carless said, can be attributed to the gut check the team received after falling to Boise State. “Again, as a coach, you just gotta tell your players, ‘Hey you gotta learn from it, gotta get better.’” Carless said. “And I think that will really help us out.”
NHA HA/MUSTANG DAILY
Brian De Los Santos contributed to this report
Matt Fawcet (right), a senior from Cape Town, South Africa, is 2-0 in singles competition this season and boasts an undefeated 6-0 record in doubles play with teammate Andre Dome (left).
WAGMAN continued from page 8
chance to win against the other team’s best guy every week,” Wagman said. “That couldn’t be more fun for me. It’s a great honor because I know how many guys there are that want this position.” Teammates and coaches of Wagman are quick to point to his defining leadership in the clubhouse and on the mound. The Mustangs are known to be a young squad, but roommate and sophomore catcher Chris Hoo said the team’s camaraderie stems from Wagman’s work ethic. “It’s good that he has experience with all the coaches, and he shows all the younger guys that you need to work hard to make it somewhere,” Hoo said. It’s not all business for Wagman though, who takes reprieve from the everyday grind by playing Nintendo 64 with Hoo and other roommates after mid-week practices and Tweeting from his satirical Twitter handle, @TheFakeJ_Waggy, which refers to the irony of many “real” athletes’ Twitter accounts. The business administration junior also said his love for baseball won’t stop after college — he wants to be a high school math teacher and baseball coach upon graduation. But for now, Wagman will continue to focus on helping his young team continue its underdog season. “This is the best team I’ve been a part of,” Wagman said. “The chemistry is unbelievable, and we have a group of guys that are hard working overall. Everybody is real committed to win … We’re going to stay hungry and try to keep it rolling.”
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MDsports 8
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wagman shines under Friday night lights STEPHAN TEODOSESCU
stephanteodosescu.md@gmail.com
On a warm Friday night in Danville, Calif., the lights flooded the diamond and the stars were out as Joey Wagman shone. The center fielder for the Monte Vista High School baseball team was known as the captain of the outfield, a leader in perusing the desolate stretch of grass between the diamond and the outfield fence. While his stats showed he was an excellent hitter and an all-league fielder, there was something more to his game than just shagging fly balls. Wagman — now two years removed from high school — still excels on Friday nights, but in a different, more pivotal role. Throughout his tenure with Cal Poly baseball, he’s proved there was indeed more to him than met the eye. A .422 hitter as a senior in 2009, Wagman now peruses the 60-foot-6-inch stretch of grass leading from the dugout to the pitcher’s mound making the transition from the outfield — he is Cal Poly’s Friday night starting pitcher, a position often reserved for the ace of the staff. “It’s a different situation than most guys,” Wagman said. “I have been pitching my whole life, but I just didn’t get that many opportunities in high school be-
cause we had so many other (pitchers). Luckily enough, I got the opportunity to come to Cal Poly, and I’m very thankful for it.” The junior is 4-1 this season boasting a 2.57 ERA — second among Cal Poly starters; Kyle Anderson ranks first. He’s also proved to be the team’s workhorse in nonconference play, pitching 42 innings headed into the Cal Poly’s first Big West series this weekend against Long Beach State. Among fellow conference hurlers, he trails only Cal State Fullerton’s Dylan Floro in that category. The East Bay-product has also struck out 30 and claims a .242 opponent’s batting average — good enough for ninth among Big West pitchers. Wagman, however, only recently made the jump to the starting role after a successful stint in the bullpen in 2011. As a sophomore, he started seven games and made 17 total appearances in a year that would see him finish with a strong 4-3 record. He came to life near the end of the season for the Mustangs, posting a 2.45 ERA in the final three weeks of the campaign. Wagman was billed as the team’s premier starter this year, though. And he offers the Mustangs the best opportunity to start a weekend series with a win, according to head coach Larry Lee.
“He has the mindset to be a Friday night starter,” Lee said. “He’s been successful because he competes and makes his three pitches for strikes. As long as he can do that, he has the ability to keep us in every ball game.” Lee caught a glimpse of his future pitcher in a high school player’s showcase in Arizona before Wagman committed to Cal Poly. According to Lee, Wagman showed an esteemed combination of pitches with his change-up, fastball and curveball. “I thought that in time he could develop into a quality pitcher, and sure enough, everything is falling into place,” he said. “(Wagman) believes in himself, he always has, and now he’s getting a chance to be more so in the spotlight.” Wagman wasted no time showing he belonged in his new role, throwing a two-hit shutout in eight innings in Cal Poly’s first outing of 2012 against Oklahoma State. Chase Johnson closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning to give the Mustangs their first win of the year. With the help of Wagman, Cal Poly boasts a surprising 16-8 start in non-conference play. But his ultimate goal is to lead the Mustangs to a Big West and national championship. “I get to give my team a see WAGMAN, pg. 7
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NHA HA
Joey Wagman claims the second best ERA on the team (2.57) trailing only Kyle Anderson. The junior from Danville, Calif., has won four series openers for Cal Poly this season.