Mustang News September 29, 2020

WS SOURCE OBISPO’S NE S I U L N A S Y L CAL PO

S W E N G MUSTAN High-Risk Areas

ngs

10 MINUTE WALK

MISSION: GET WATER

ED OR

IGN n mo m Co ms Roo INVALIDATED

ti Mee

Parents Calling

120

Outside Refill Area

MOVE IN DAY!

DRINKING WATER

PUT ON YOUR MASK !

THREE WEEKS LATER

IGNORED Must get access key between 7 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekends.

WELCOME CENTER

?

ON CALL FOR ROUNDS WHICH HALLS ARE IN QUARANTINE?

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

|

MUSTANGNEWS.NET

ING NG IONS A CH LAT Y GU RE DAIL

IGNORED

LARGE GROUP

INVALIDATED

WHICH HALLS ARE SAFE?

a

o build comm sure t uni e k

Lockout(s)

INVALIDATED

EXTRA SHIFT

IG

NO

RE D

ty!

M

OVERTIME

schoolwork

DON’T FORGET TO EAT!

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADERSHIP

Stephanie Zappelli

Lauryn Luescher

Sabrina Pascua

Solena Aguilar

Lauren Kozicki

Editor in Chief of Mustang Media Group

Co-Managing Editor, News Editor

Creative Director, Co-Managing Editor, Co-Digital Director

NE W S Stephanie Zappelli Editor Cameryn Oakes Assistant Editor Olivia Galván Maureen McNamara Ethan Telles Sophia McDevitt Grace Woelbing Sarah Banholzer Jenna Mollerus Ariel Lopez Lauren Boyer Catherine Allen

NEWS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

OPI NI ON Kiana Meagher Editor Raho Faraha Rahma Faraha Nicki Butler Izzy Ditztler Anya Popslavska Declan Molony Sophie Corbett Tessa Hughes Kate Inman SPO R TS Adam Birder Editor Garrett Brown Sports Video Editor Kyle Har Jack Clark Rafael Medina Gabe Arditti Diego Sandoval Griffin Kemp Eric Villalpando Pranathi Manga Derek Righetti Austin McLellan A RTS & STU DE N T LI F E Sydney Sherman Editor Kiana Hunziker Olivia Meis Elliot Peters Emily Tobiason Grace Kitayama Elissa Luce Samantha Riordan Alexis Bowlby D ESI GN Solena Aguilar Director Von Balanon Sophie Kroesche Grace Kitayama Marta Lukomska Nicole Herhusky Sara Dunbar

Video Manager

Lauren Walike

Marcus Cocova

V I DE O Lauren Kozicki Video Manager Daisy Kuenstler Blas Alvarado Anya Dimaio Jordana Ginsburg Sofia Silva Kelly Trinh Matthew Bornhorst Brady Caskey Ellie Spink

Justin Pioletti Melissa Melton Caroline Seibly Jaxon Silva Liam Reece

Co-Digital Director, Radio News Director

MUSTANG NEWS

Social Media Director

PH OTO Kylie Kowalske Editor Connor Frost Kyle Calzia Kate Karson Shaelyn Ashamalla Rachel Arabia Andy Sherar Zachary Regner Emilie Johnson Emmy Scherer Faith Bruns CO PY Grace Power Smith Kyra Soares Brett Vollrath Sarah Banapour SO C I A L Lauryn Luescher Manager Chloe Chin Lauren Brown Brian Brennan Ashley Holly DATA Omar Rashad Jordy Roth Harrison Kirk Mason Ogden Owen Mastalir

KCPR M A R K E T IN G & PR Mikaela Lincoln Director Hailey Honegger Social Media Manager Melissa Melton Madison McDonald Emily Brower DI SC JO C K E YS Hailey Honegger Keagan Scott Liv Collom Zoe Boyd Kyle Himmelein

Co-Digital Director

KC PR N E W S Blas Alvarado Daytona Clarke Sophie Lincoln Katherine Lane Ruby Tincup Sierra Hickman Nicole Morgan Tessa Hughes Maya MacGregor Francisco Martinez Lily Dallow Logan Kimball Sean Galusha Jezzia Smith Tony Farias Jennifer Newton Miki Dubery Amanda Wernik Violet Maguire Marcus Cocova KCPR .ORG Alice Sukhostavskiy Lilly Leif Evan Gattuso Jenna McCarthy Sophia Pattison Gracie Walter Kallie Kidder Jonathon Crespin Spencer Egbert Jennifer Newton Lauren Boyer Trey Barbuto

MMG BUSINESS A DV E R T I SI N G & PR Justin Vermeltfoort Director Carley Epple Marketing Assistant Brynna Barton Advertising Manager Clare Giatzis Advertising Manager Von Balanon Design Manager Michelle Kang Ad Designer Elaine Do Ad Designer Katherine Olah Ad Designer A DV I SO R S Jon Schlitt General Manager Pat Howe Advisor Brady Teufel Advisor Patti Piburn KCPR Advisor

05 07 08 13 16 18

STARTUP HOPES TO SHAPE FUTURE OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES Story by Kiana Hunziker

NEW CITY COUNCIL TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS RACIAL INEQUALITY Story by Cameryn Oakes

LIMITED WATER AND BECOMING THE ‘MASK POLICE’ Story by Omar Rashad

CALIFORNIA BLACKOUTS DON’T BLAME THE RENEWABLES Story by Anya Poplavska

TEAM CAPTAINS’ PERSPECTIVES ON A FALL SEASON WITH NO SPORTS Story by Rafael Medina & Gabe Arditti

HOW MUSIC AFFECTED MY BISEXUALITY Story by Jenna McCarthy

3

Cal Poly community responds to the death of

RUTH BADER GINSBURG

BY CATHERINE ALLEN AND SAMANTHA RIORDAN

MUSTANG NEWS

GRACE KITAYAMA & CATHERINE ALLEN | MUSTANG NEWS

right experience and qualifications, the court becomes nothing but a political weapon,” Latner said. “I think Ginsburg realized that.”

Never in U.S. history has a Supreme Court Justice been nominated and confirmed from July to November during an election year, political science professor Shelley Hurt said.

The US constitutional order not only rests on checks and balances, but it also depends largely on the norms we set — norms that are now at risk of eroding, Hurt said.

“This is a fraught period,” Hurt said.

“The passing of Ginsburg and what

we’re seeing as an ensuing powerplay is for the history books.”

Latner said Republicans may also wait to appoint a new justice during the “lame duck” session — the period after the election but before the next official term begins.

Although Haerig said that both Democrats and Republicans politicized Ginsburg’s death, he said that President Trump should fill the vacant seat.

GINSBERG CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

NEWS

States,” Latner said.

Latner added that the single open seat on the Supreme Court could cause further politicizing of “the last institution in our federal government that has any integrity.”

Trump now has a third opportunity to appoint a conservative justice, which could change the majority votes from 5-4 with a conservative lean, to 6-3 with a conservative lean.

The new imbalance means it is more likely justices will rule based on political ideology rather than showing fair judicial restraint, according to Latner.

“If we don’t have people with the

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 on Sept. 18 after more than 27 years of service.

After many recurring cancer diagnoses, Ginsburg died of complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, the Supreme Court said in a press release.

President Donald Trump now has the opportunity to fill the Supreme Court Justice seat with an appointee before the presidential election in November — a move that the Republican-majority senate would support, according to a press release from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

On Saturday, Sept. 26 Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat.

Ginsburg, born in 1933 in Brooklyn, graduated first in her class from Columbia Law School while simultaneously taking care of her husband who had testicular cancer and caring for her young daughter.

In 1993, Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton, making her mark as the second female justice in U.S. history.

Like many other Americans throughout the country, Cal Poly students and professors commemorated Ginsburg’s impact and discussed what her death means for the nation’s future.

For philosophy sophomore Esme Lipton, her dream to become a civil rights attorney after college was sparked by the “RBG” 2018 documentary, a film that encapsulated Ginsburg’s life story and most impactful successes.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a huge motivator,” Lipton said. “She embodies what I feel a real civil rights lawyer is: Someone who uses her knowledge and power to actually make real change.”

Environmental earth and soil science sophomore Apollonia Arellano said that being a woman of color in a male-dominated field can be disheartening without feminist icons like “Notorious RBG.” “Keeping successful women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the forefront of my mind reminds me that women are just as capable as any man when it comes to accomplishing our goals and dreams,” Arellano said.

Across majors, ages and political affiliations, members of the Cal Poly community have felt the effect from the death of the feminist icon.

“I am just praying for her and her family and hoping that everyone can use this time to reflect on the importance of service to their country without politicizing it,” industrial engineering sophomore Ben Haering and member of the pro-life Students for Life club said.

However, Haering said that the petitions he has seen demanding that Trump and the Senate delay filling Justice Ginsburg’s open seat seem to politicize her death.

“Both sides are taking advantage of the situation which is unfortunate,” Haering said. “Those petition efforts are more partisan based than of a desire for actual rule of law.”

While Ginsburg combatted gender discrimination personally and politically, Cal Poly Democrats Club co-president and political science junior Rob Moore said that her life’s work cannot be simplified as solely a concern for women’s issues.

“I think she gets often tokenized as this woman who fought for women, which is awesome and very true, but she’s also a woman who fought for everyone,” Moore said.

Moore said Ginsburg was someone who knew how much she meant to the world and thus treated her role with a “very justified amount of reverence.”

“I thought she might be immortal,” Moore laughed. “At a higher level, a part of me was like, ‘Oh God, is this step two of the demise of our democracy?’”

For political science professor Michael Latner, Ginsburg’s work on key issues — from voting rights to gerrymandering — directly affected his professional field.

“It’s not a stretch to say that the conventional wisdom was that women simply didn’t have the same constitutional rights according to men before many of the cases that she worked on,” Latner said. “The changes that she made are now taken for granted.”

Latner said Ginsburg’s impact can be felt by both progressives and conservatives.

“I think she’s a hero to me, and to anyone. Even those who have different political and ideological views I think recognize the contribution she’s made to justice and the United

NEWS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

4

GINSBERG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “It is not the best circumstances, but I think it’s a constitutional duty to go through the process,” Haering said. “Personally, I think numerous people on both sides have said that it is the president’s duty to fill that seat.”

The Republican-dominated Senate would have to vote to confirm Trump’s new appointment, and despite the short timeframe, the party is willing to do so.

Lipton said it is hypocritical that they would support the appointment of a new justice before the presidential election despite the fact that in 2016, Republicans blocked President Barack Obama from appointing a new justice nine months before the upcoming election.

In the days before her death, Ginsburg told her granddaughter, Clara Spera, her hopes for the future of the Supreme Court.

“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg said. The Democratic party seemed to push to honor that wish.

Spera reported Ginsburg’s last words to BBC News Sept. 21.

“A lot of Democrats are outraged by this idea of replacing her so quickly.” Lipton said. “[The new appointment would be] just completely taking over all the power on the Supreme Court bench.”

Others believe that Ginsburg’s dying wish should not be actualized into law.

“We have to respect and understand her wishes, but it’s not up to her how the process goes,” Haering said regarding Ginsburg’s dying wish.

With the Supreme Court appointment becoming a new talking point for both Republican and Democrat election campaigns, Latner warns that the Supreme Court functioning as a political weapon may cause Americans to lose confidence in the judicial branch. As a result, the court would lose its authority and legitimacy, Latner said.

Nutrition sophomore Kyoko Hall, a volunteer with Planned Parenthood Generation Action, agreed with Latner’s concerns.

“This is all very scary to me,” Hall said. “It makes me lose hope in America and where we are going.”

Professors and students alike urge others to consider the gravity of the political climate in the U.S. “Students should not think we are living through normal politics,” Hurt said. “There are bigger, powerful stakes afoot right now.

History is on the move.”

Moore and other members of Cal Poly Democrats said they worry about their loved ones who feel at risk with the Supreme Court’s open seat, such as women and DACA recipients.

“These political decisions are not simply political decisions,” Moore said. “These are things that affect our loved ones.”

For women in the U.S. such as Hall, the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade — a Supreme Court decision that blocks excessive government restrictions on abortion — is becoming more of a reality.

“Later in her life, RBG was a big advocate for pro-choice,” Hall said.

“I can’t imagine living in America and not having the right to have an abortion.”

In the months preceding the November elections, members of the Cal Poly community encourage citizens to honor their civic duty and get involved.

“The vote is something that not too long ago people died for,” Latner said. “We’re now in a position where the fate of our democracy may very well hang in the balance … Our democracy is dysfunctional without people fulfilling their civic obligation.”

Hurt said Ginsburg exemplified how to work within the system to affect change and critique the status quo, all while preserving democracy.

“Democracy is something that we always have to cherish, that we always have to defend,” Hurt said. “All of us are counting on you young people to appreciate and value democracy and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Although some have expressed fear and hopelessness in the American democracy, Ginsburg has empowered other students, such as Lipton, to seek change and fight for an inclusive future.

“Women’s rights activists aren’t going anywhere,” Lipton said.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was so important to us, but she wasn’t the end-all-be-all for women’s rights and there will be more of her.”

If given the chance to speak to Ginsburg, Lipton would give Ginsburg this message: “Thank you. We will try to continue the work that you were doing and be the best activists that we can be in your honor.”

Cal Poly College Republicans did not respond to requests for an interview.

ASI PREPS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN ANDY SHERAR | MUSTANG NEWS

Cal Poly will participate in the California College Ballot Bowl to encourage students to register to vote.

BY SARAH BANHOLZER

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) is gearing up for its annual voter registration campaign, Flex Your Right, an initiative focused on helping Cal Poly students prepare to vote before the upcoming election this fall.

In collaboration with ASI Events, ASI Flex Your Right campaign will hold a virtual voter education week from Oct. 13 to 16, which will include a Flex Your Right Trivia night, educational videos and a conversation about civic engagement with Shereen Marisol Meraji, co-host and producer of the NPR podcast Code Switch.

ASI Secretary of Student Rights Bryanna Gay and ASI President Shayna Lynch are leading the campaign.

Due to current social distancing protocols, the entire campaign will be done virtually this year. ASI will promote the campaign through Instagram posts and videos, providing students with an easy access link to pre-register or register to vote.

To aid the campaign, ASI is in the midst of forming street teams, which are student groups who will be trained in registering voters and assist students in the voter registration process.

“We [street teams] will be doing presentations on how to register to vote, why you should register to vote and what to do after you register to vote,” Gay said.

ASI’s Flex Your Right campaign is in direct correlation with the annual Ballot Bowl put on by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

The California Ballot Bowl partners with California colleges to help register students to vote. In 2018, 45 universities registered more than 10,000 students to vote, according to the official

Ballot Bowl website.

In 2018, Cal Poly won the Ballot Bowl, beating out every other private and public institution in the state by registering more than 3,000 students to vote, according to a 2018 Mustang News article.

When using the voter registration links ASI provides, Gay encourages students to select Cal Poly as their school in order for their registration to be counted towards Cal Poly’s total in the Ballot Bowl.

Due to the current debate around vote-by-mail ballots and the possible unreliability of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) come this November’s presidential election, Gay strongly suggested that if students plan to vote by mail, they should vote early.

In California, mail-in-ballots must be postmarked on or prior to Election Day and received no later than 17 days past Election Day to be counted, according to the California Secretary of State website. However, mailing in a ballot early allows the USPS more time to process the absentee ballot and helps ensure the vote gets counted, Gay said.

Before election day, Gay urged students to take some time to find their appropriate polling place, confirm their voter registration status and learn how to properly mail in their ballot. All this information and more can be found on ASI’s voter registration and civic engagement website.

Gay also said students should research proposed legislation prior to voting to become well-prepared and well-educated voters.

“I would also recommend looking at all the legislation that’s going to be on our ballot in November,” Gay said.

“Make sure that you are up to date on

that so that you can be an educated voter.”

This year’s Flex Your Right event is dedicated to Jordan Grant and his legacy. Grant died in a motorcycle accident in 2018 while he was a computer science freshman at Cal Poly. Grant’s parents fought to restrict left-hand turns at El Campo Road, where he died, to prevent further car accidents, according to previous Mustang News reports from 2019.

Grant was excited for his first voting opportunity, but he passed away before he had the chance to vote. His parents chose to honor his legacy by encouraging other students to register and vote.

ASI spent nearly $16,000 from the funds raised by the Grant family during the 2019-2020 academic year to host many activities and events to encourage civic engagement.

These events included a Storm the Dorm event to promote voter registration and an open forum of the County of San Luis Opbispo Board Supervisor candidates for students to learn about each candidate’s policies. ASI also held multiple town hall meetings where students could voice their opinions on certain issues to representatives from the local, state and federal levels of government.

With these funds ASI was also able to create a student assistant position with a salary of $3,684, according to the 2019-2020 Jordan Grant Civic Engagement Fund end of year report.

The student assistant researches laws and works with campus partners to develop trainings and presentations to educate groups on voter registration, according to ASI Representatives.

5

COURTESY | JOSEPH CALLENES-SLOAN

Perch’s team consists of two students, three professors and a Cal Poly alumni.

CAL POLY STARTUP HOPES TO SHAPE FUTURE OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES conditions, have become increasingly frequent in California, leaving over

With climate change coming in, the forests at present are overstocked and unhealthy, and so it doesn’t take much to push them over the edge into a really dangerous situation, CHRIS DICUS Natural resources management and environmental sciences professor

burns safely, according to Dicus.

“You can’t just light a match and throw it out there, because it will be Armageddon within seconds,” Dicus said.

Companies like PG&E are attempting wildfire prevention using satellite imagery and drones, however Perch differentiates itself based on stronger accuracy, better detection and lower costs, according to Callenes-Sloan.

Perch has been working with the San Luis Obispo Fire Department, and it is planning to test its system during a controlled burn in October, electrical engineering alumni Michael Tuttle said.

If results are promising, Perch plans to install devices throughout San Luis Obispo and eventually throughout California by partnering with utility companies. “[Companies are] going to have to evolve and do things in a cleaner way, a more practical way than we’ve been doing in the past,” Erickson said.

NEWS

two million customers without power during a shutoff in 2019.

In addition to power outages, many Californians have lost their homes due to the fires and they have also suffered from hazardous air quality for extended periods of time.

A series of historical lightning strikes in August triggered major wildfires which ravaged California for weeks, causing orange skies and ash. It also resulted in the poorest air quality in the world in the Bay Area.

Power shutoffs, lost homes and poor air quality may become more common in the future as a combination of climate change and decades of fire exclusion throughout the state make areas drier, overgrown and more susceptible to burning.

“With climate change coming in, the forests at present are overstocked and unhealthy, and so it doesn’t take much to push them over the edge into a really dangerous situation,” natural resources management and environmental sciences professor Chris Dicus said.

Controlled burns, although helpful, can only do so much as many areas are too overgrown to conduct the

TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

A team of two Cal Poly students, a Cal Poly alumni and three professors are creating a prototype for a system of devices that will detect and prevent wildfires in California.

The idea for the system originated from a Cal Poly summer undergraduate research project (SURP) which went on to be accepted to the 2020 SLO HotHouse summer accelerator program. The program, which was hosted by Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, selects a small number of candidates each summer and provides students with resources to launch their own startups.

Under their startup name “Perch,” the team has been engineering a system of devices that can be mounted to power lines to collect various data, which will then be used to detect wildfires and predict fire risk in certain areas.

“We’re going to be mounting the sensors, taking a ton of different data and then using that data to figure out

when a fire is really likely to happen and grow rapidly and also detecting wildfires caused by power lines,” electrical engineering senior Emil Erickson said.

The sensors collect various data from their surroundings, such as weather, wind speed and direction, temperature and vegetation around the power lines. All that data will then get funneled into an algorithm that detects either burning or fire risks, which then notifies utility companies or Cal Fire.

“We think this [system] could help utilities be more intelligent in how they do [power] outages if they must do them, and in general, looking at ways to mitigate their risk,” electircal engineering professor Joseph Callenes-Sloan said.

The system could help utility companies address fire-prone areas early, potentially decreasing the need for scheduled power outages, Callenes-Sloan said.

Scheduled power outages, implemented by utility companies to mitigate fire risk during certain weather

MUSTANG NEWS

BY KIANA HUNZIKER

6

Need cash for groceries?

YOU MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE FOR CALFRESH

NEWS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

BY VICTORIA LACHNIT

Students can qualify for up to $194 a month to spend on groceries through CalFresh, a federally funded program run by students and nutrition professor Aydin Nazmi.

The application process only takes about 30 minutes with about a 30day approval period, according to the CalFresh website. Students can meet with an outreach coordinator over Zoom and then submit the required documents to see if they get approved.

These benefits are available yearround and there is no deadline to apply.

When a student is approved for funds from CalFresh, they receive the money on a card similar to a debit card to use at grocery stores around San Luis Obispo. Participating grocery stores include Trader Joe’s, Food 4 Less and the Farmer’s Market.

The requirements for eligibility vary, but there are some core requirements. Applicants must be a student of Cal Poly between the ages of 18 and 49, enrolled in at least six units and cannot have a meal plan at Cal Poly.

Students must also meet at least one of the other requirements listed on their website. Some of these include, receiving Cal Grant A or B, participating in work study or working at least 20 hours a week. All of the requirements are listed on their

website.

Eligibility also depends on the student’s household size and monthly household income. The minimum requirement for household income is $15 a month and the maximum for a household size of one person is $2,082 a month.

Reagan Tierney, a nutrition junior and outreach coordinator for CalFresh, said that the organization was able to make the transition to Zoom quickly.

“Now that students can schedule appointments, I think we are helping a lot more students, and it’s nice because it’s more private just having two people on the Zoom going through the application,” Tierney said.

Tierney has been involved with CalFresh since her freshman year at Cal Poly. She said she thinks it’s an important resource for students to know about.

“I’ve seen personally the difference it can make for students and how it can relieve stress,” Tierney said. “It’s important that all students know that there are enough benefits for all students that are eligible to apply and receive benefits, so you’re not taking it away from someone else.”

For more information go to the CalFresh website or check their social media, @calfreshcalpoly.

GR APHIC BY SOPHIE KROESCHE

TRANSFERS GO FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO AN ONLINE LANDSCAPE

BY ELLIOT PETERS

For many transfer students attending Cal Poly, the transition to a fouryear university is already an intimidating challenge, but this year may pose greater challenges as students such as English junior and former Cuesta College student Zoe Herold realized.

“The steepest learning curve was keeping up with all the online stimulus,” Herold said. “Doing Week Of Welcome (WOW) and having to switch between platforms and Zoom calls — I really had to keep on top of my game.”

Herold said that luckily she was able to do so, but she said she felt bad for anyone who could not keep up with the work due to personal reasons.

“I felt empathetic towards my fellow students and staff,” Herold said.

“This will be my first time completely online for a whole quarter, and even though I can manage it, I wish there was some way I could have in-person interaction as well.”

Mechanical engineering junior and transfer from Santa Barbara City College Caleb Savard had similar sentiments to Herold.

“The idea of transitioning to a new community was a little bit daunting,” Savard said. “I was fortunate enough to practice doing that at the community college level — learn all the things that you should and shouldn’t do — but to be like, ‘Ih man, I have to start over from scratch.’”

Starting that new community through an online format makes that transition all the more difficult, according to Savard.

“Being online has made it so that I

don’t need to develop that network, which is kind of nice in one sense, but at the same time, it means that I don’t have any pressure to,” Savard said.

His words are echoed by Maddy Trujillo, English junior and transfer from Cuesta College: “I love the aspect of when you’re in class and you get to discuss and see people and see your professors, and you build that community in person,” Trujillo said.

According to Transfer Center coordinator Heather Domonoske, the previous quarter afforded the Transfer Center an opportunity to reach out for student feedback and stay as adaptive as possible to learn new ways to connect with students — citing internal communication as a specific strong suit of their department.

“I hope that transfer students can learn and connect in and outside of class,” Domonoske said.

The Transfer Center offers events that include connections to resources, transfer dialogues and social media student engagement, Domonoske continued.

“All of these efforts help us support students academically and socially during this virtual experience.”

Despite all these preparations, Herold said that the sudden switch was difficult to maneuver.

“We weren’t getting as much information. Not to put the spotlight on anyone in particular, but I didn’t know when I was signing up for classes, I didn’t know when I had to get all my money in. I didn’t get a lot of information until almost the last minute,” Herold said. “Things kind of took a while to formulate and then I had to knee-jerk react when

they came about.”

To stay on top of things, Trujillo said that she makes a schedule and sets an allotted time to do work.

“Even though it’s still right here in my room, even just sitting at a desk and going ‘Okay, I’m not going to have any distractions’ and knowing when you need to take a break for yourself [or] knowing when it’s too much for yourself, that’s really important.”

Some transfer students said they learned these skils through their time at a previous institution, and for many, online learning is not foreign to them.

“I had already taken some online courses at the community college level, either over the summer or just because it worked better with my schedule,” Savard said. “And [at SBCC] Canvas is an optional tool that a lot of professors can use.”

Although there are many obstacles, transfer students said that there are some up-sides to virtual class.

“I’m enjoying not having to commute,” Herold said. “I live in Santa Maria with my mother, and that’s a 45 minute car ride each way. Not having to get up at six or seven o’clock to get to an 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. class is really refreshing — just rolling out of bed is very nice.”

As evidenced by her cat Ziggy, who lounges in the background of Herold’s Zoom screen, the comforts of home can be helpful to some as they try to stay sane while beginning a new chapter in their academic career.

GR APHIC BY MARTA LUKOMSK A

7

NEW CITY COUNCIL TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS RACIAL INEQUALITY

CONNOR FROST | MUSTANG NEWS

BY CAMERYN OAKES

ducted with community members.

In order to really be clear about what this taskforce can accomplish and what they can do, we have to have a deeper set of knowledge, expertise and historical context of what does diversity, equity and inclusion mean.

BEYA MAKEKAU Facilitator of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force

NEWS

Although the task force is not directly working with Cal Poly administration, Makekau explained that its efforts are still focused on students.

“The experiences of [Cal Poly] students are not separate from the experiences that they’re having in the city,” Makekau said. “[Students’] experiences at Cal Poly are coupled and compounded with their experiences in the city, so the potential of this work and the recommendations of the task force can impact those things, can highlight those things, can bring voice to the experiences that our students are having in the city.”

The task force includes voices from Cal Poly, such as ethnic studies department chair Jenell Navarro and electrical engineering teaching associate Amman Asfaw.

As the task force is still in the beginning of their work, they anticipate challenges. One of the greatest challenges that the task force faces, according to Makekau, is becoming politicized.

“The work of diversity, equity and inclusion is really rooted in creating a community and environment where everyone has equal access to resources, education, representation, and they feel seen, celebrated and they belong,” Makekau said. “There’s nothing political about that work.”

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

on cultivating a space for task force members to collaborate.

Her duties also include working alongside Magee to manage all the behind-the-scenes duties of the task force to ensure the task force is progressing and working as holistically as possible.

Makekau also serves as the interim director for Student Diversity and Belonging at Cal Poly. Makekau has been working within the field of diversity, equity and inclusion for about 13 years, including both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in ethnic studies. As Cal Poly’s interim director of Student Diversity and Belonging, she works to support students and ensure that Cal Poly programs and events encompass diversity, equity and inclusion.

“In order to really be clear about what this taskforce can accomplish and what they can do, we have to have a deeper set of knowledge, expertise and historical context of what does diversity, equity and inclusion mean,” Makekau said.

Beyond their three main goals, the task force is also pursuing their vision statement through means of outreach, such as learning sessions con-

MUSTANG NEWS

In response to local Black Lives Matter protests, City Council created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force as a means to address racial inequality.

The task force was approved by City Council July 7 and has three main goals: award grant money to non-profit organizations that work with marginalized communities, collaborate with marginalized groups to provide recommendations to the city and make recommendations to the Human Relations Commission for implementation.

The task force has $120,000 in grants that they will award to local non-profit organizations that work with marginalized communities.

They are aiming to distribute the funds by Nov. 7, the last City Council meeting of the year.

Unlike advisory bodies that are implemented for an indefinite amount of time, task forces have a deadline.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force will conclude Jan. 7 unless extended by City Council.

The task force coordinator Dale Magee said that task forces have a set

end date because they are created to achieve explicit goals within a frame of time.

Magee has been working with the city for ten years as a consultant working on strategy projects.

The city has been exploring tactics to encourage diversity and inclusion in local government prior to the task force. Magee said that the task force is taking what the city has always believed in and putting it into greater action.

“It’s that idea of moving what everyone knows is right and what should be the work, into a very explicit, a very visible tasked activity,” Magee said. “This makes the city need to focus its resources on it.”

The task force has acknowledged that they are not going to accomplish all that needs to be done within their time frame, but this acknowledgment is what drew task force facilitator Beya Makekau in.

“This [is] just one part of a much longer and larger effort to increase diversity, equity and inclusion within San Luis Obispo,” Makekau said.

As the facilitator for the task force, Makekau leads the conversation at meetings. She said she’s focusing

8

LIMITED WATER AND BECOMING THE ‘MASK POLICE’

RESIDENTIAL ADVISORS IN YAKʔITʸUTʸU FRUSTRATED WITH HOUSING OFFICIALS

COVER STORY

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

BY OMAR RASHAD

For three weeks, about 670 student residents in the yakʔitʸutʸu dorms had limited access to filtered water at night, so some of them resorted to drinking sink and shower water.

This came after officials locked all common rooms containing water refill stations in the yakʔitʸutʸu dorms, walling off the residential community’s primary source of hydration.

After parents, faculty and resident advisors (RAs) vocalized concerns over limited access to filtered water, housing officials announced Wednesday, Sept.

23, that the second floor common room of each dorm will be opened so residents can access drinking water in their own buildings, according to an email sent to RAs and residents of yakʔitʸutʸu.

RAs said the university’s response, which came after three weeks, took too long. RAs initially alerted housing officials about the water accessibility issue before residents arrived on campus Thursday, Sept. 3.

Limited access to water was just one of many unprecedented issues that RAs said they did not see coming. RAs said they largely felt ignored and invalidated by housing officials, since they gave little to no response and took little to no action after hearing their concerns. This comes after housing officials stacked new responsibilities on RAs this quarter, effectively making them the primary enforcers of coronavirus safety guidelines and creating an icy relationship between them and their residents.

Mustang News spoke with several RAs working at yakʔitʸutʸu who requested their names remain anonymous, as speaking with the media violated their work contracts and they feared retaliation from the university.

“When we bring up these issues and how we are concerned about these things, they just tell us, ‘Well, they’re not actually issues and you know, you’ll be fine,’” one RA told Mustang News. “I just don’t trust housing leadership, and I don’t trust whoever is making these decisions because it really seems like there’s this mysterious person making decisions and nobody knows who it really is because nobody can actually direct us to these people.”

Residents had few options to keep hydrated.

Located on the southeastern-most side of Cal Poly, yakʔitʸutʸu is comprised of seven dorm buildings, each with four to five floors. On each floor in every building, common rooms serve as the primary source of drinking water for residents, as they contain a refill station that dispenses chilled filtered water. The Department of Emergency Management, which has control over how Cal Poly reopens, had all common rooms locked when residents moved in, as they were identified as possible indoor areas where social distancing rules could be violated, RAs said.

Whileyakʔitʸutʸu residents lugged belongings to their dorm rooms during move-in week, San Luis Obispo got as warm as 120 degrees. In terms of staying hydrated, yakʔitʸutʸuresidents had few options. They could walk to a touch-operated water refill station outside the residential community’s welcome center.

They could also check out a key from the Welcome Center’s front desk to access a common room and get filtered water, but only between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the

When we bring up these issues and how we are concerned about these things, they just tell us, ‘Well, they’re not actually issues and you know, you’ll be fine.

ANONYMOUS RA that works in the yakʔitʸutʸu residential community

weekdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends.

That system restricted access to drinking water for residents, leaving them with few options to stay hydrated at night and in the early morning. The Welcome Center area also became a concentrated location for person-to-person contact, either at the outdoor touch-operated water refill station or at the center’s front desk, RAs said.

However, since the Welcome Center and most dorm buildings are located on opposite sides of yakʔitʸutʸu, many residents did not want to spend extra time trying to get clean drinking water. Ever since move-in week, RAs heard directly from residents that they were drinking shower water from their bathrooms or sink water located in communal laundry rooms.

When Vice President of Housing Jo Campbell heard of these concerns during a virtual meeting with Housing personnel on Friday, Sept.18 — that students were drinking water from sinks and showers — she questioned whether it was a valid concern and went on to say that she herself drinks water from her bathroom sink every day.

Mustang News reached out to Campbell for comment but was directed to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier. Lazier wrote in an email that University Housing is in regular communication with residents and RAs and seeks to “further adjust to create the safest and most comfortable and supportive living and working situations possible.”

When housing officials brush off RAs and dismiss their concerns, it cuts deep since RAs are “out on the front lines” and see firsthand the issues that residents are dealing with, RAs said.

“It’s something that sometimes we feel really gaslit and invalidated by housing because they’re telling us these aren’t issues when we’re bringing them up,” one RA said. “It’s like any reasonable person who hears what’s going on would also agree with us.”

Last week, when the Department of Emergency Management granted permission to University Housing to unlock second floor common rooms, so yakʔitʸutʸu residents could have access to drinking water without having to leave their buildings, RAs said they were glad but could not ignore how long it took for progress to be made on such a simple issue.

“I don’t think it should take letters from faculty members or meetings with RAs over a couple of weeks and emails and calls from parents who are supporting their children and their students,” one RA said. “It’s just frustrating and it definitely feels like we’re not being listened to.”

Contradictions in COVID-19 safety policy Another wrinkle in University Housing’s solution to this water issue is that student residents who do not live on the second floor of their dorm buildings will have to leave their floor to get filtered water. This is in direct violation of a standing rule University Housing has for student residents during the pandemic: they are not allowed to go to floors they do not reside in, RAs said.

RAs encountered contradictions in COVID-19 safety policy that increased confusion among everyone living in yakʔitʸutʸu. At the beginning of move-in, protocols for enforcing COVID-19 safety guidelines were changing daily, and RAs did no receive adequate answers from supervisors and housing officials. They said they had many questions, including what to do when residents do not wear masks or how to break up large gatherings of up to 60 people, RAs said. Other times, they received information from direct supervisors that conflicted with what they learned during RA training.

“It was hard because we weren’t totally sure who to be listening to,” one RA said.

“You know, who do we listen to, our direct supervisor or do we listen to like what the housing leadership over Zoom was telling us?”

Several RAs said training was inadequate since it consisted of six short modules in a Canvas course they completed in four to five days. Housing officials didn’t offer any hands-on training, despite RAs’ jobs being completely in-person. Furthermore, there was only one COVID-related section of training despite COVID-related issues making up the most of what RAs currently deal with.

Mounting responsibilities took RAs by surprise

Even though a line in their contracts said they are mandated to perform additional duties as assigned, RAs said they did not anticipate having to break up large gatherings of up to 100 people crowded on either the yakʔitʸutʸu lawn, volleyball court or other outdoor spaces. RAs also said they did not know they would have to deliver food to residents placed in quarantine inside their rooms due to a possible interaction with students who tested positive for the coronavirus.

That lack of communication from housing officials can be unsafe for RAs, one RA

said. When they are on call for rounds, which refers to walking around dorm buildings to check resident safety, they are not notified about floors that are currently under quarantine in place following possible exposure to the coronavirus.

RAs said they heard that the first floor of tsitqawi, a dorm building in yakʔitʸutʸu, was under quarantine.

However, RAs said they received no official notification from housing officials, and the people on call for rounds went about their usual business, unaware of the potential coronavirus exposure on that floor.

“We are responsible to responding

to situations throughout the community, so it’s something that we should be made aware of,” one RA said. “It’s not acceptable that they’re not making us aware of all the floors of the building that are quarantined.”

With having to police residents more this quarter han any other, RAs said they are noticing an icy relationship start to form with residents.

“It’s hard when my only interaction with my residents, for the most part, has been telling them to put their masks on and to social distance,” one RA said. “Housing, expecting us to do both, is pretty unrealistic because there’s kind of a negative sentiment

when you’re being the mask police.

People don’t like really being told, go put your mask on, and that’s all they think of RAs.” For the last three weeks, RAs have been exhausted between having to enforce safety guidelines while also attempting to build community and advocate for residents to Housing officials. Stress, frustration, burnout and exhaustion — RAs said a combination of those four things tear away at their mental health. One RA said after all that, it is impossible to then focus on academics.

“When the emotions of the RAs aren’t taken care of and aren’t taken

HOW FRESHMEN ARE COPING IN ISOLATION

BY EMILY TOBIASON

oneself to have human connection is also of value.

Students should make sure to go outside, take breaks from the news, structure their day and keep their eating, sleeping and socializing patterns intact, according to Andridge.

“We’ve heard students’ concerns about accessibility and difficulty making that first point of connection,” Andridge said.

As a result, Counseling Services has changed their structure, offering 15 to 20 minute first-time meetings to assess a student’s situation and come up with solutions moving forward.

Students do not have to wait a long time to get an appointment, as they are available to schedule for as soon as the next day, Andridge said.

Counseling Services includes crisis services, emotional well-being workshops as well as group, couples and individual therapy. They are also offering support spaces for LGBTQ+ students and social isolation groups.

All services are being offered through HIPAA-compliant Zoom, and services are free and confidential for those enrolled at Cal Poly.

Additionally, Student Diversity and Belonging offers programs that allow for social connection with students who are experiencing isolation and discrimination, specifically LGBTQ+ students and students of color, Andridge said.

There has been an increase in alcohol and drug use, according to Andridge, and if students notice they are using alcohol or other substances to cope, they should reach out to Campus Health and Wellbeing services.

“We are open if students are wanting anything, needing anything,” Andridge said. “If we’re missing any services that feel important, let us know because we want to offer what our students are asking for.”

COVER STORY

of that.”

Despite feeling this way, Rose-Finn said she is glad she does not have a roommate.

“If there was someone else living here, especially if there were two other people living in here… I think I would probably feel suffocated,” Rose-Finn said.

Rose-Finn said she dislikes having her study space be the space she relaxes in. Andridge explained that sleep can be harmed if students work and sleep in the same area.

“The bed is for sleep and sex, and that’s it,” said Andridge.

One drawback of living alone, according to journalism freshman Le Claire, a self-described extrovert, is less socialization.

“I love being with people and back home every weekend, when I wasn’t working, I would always go out with my friends or just hang out,” Le Claire said. “Now that I’m not hanging out with people on a consistent basis, it’s definitely a mental adjustment to my new life here.”

When she is struggling with her mental health, Le Claire spends time journaling and listening to music.

However, Andridge said that some students do not have the capacity or necessary skills to better themselves during these times.

“I think that there is a pressure that’s placed on us around how we’re supposed to respond to being quarantined, like use this as an opportunity for growth and for development, and I think if somebody is able to do that, that’s wonderful, but we’re not all able to,” Andridge said. “My hope is that people can have empathy and compassion for themselves if that’s not accessible to them.”

Andridge recommends students utilize the coping skills that they have developed in previous challenging circumstances to help themselves now.

Keeping oneself socialized and forcing

9

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

from Cal Poly Counseling Services, said that the department is seeing an increase in feelings of isolation and loneliness among patients as well as an increase in pre-existing disorders like depression and anxiety.

“It’s not just living alone but it’s the amount of isolation that’s happening,” Andridge said. “It’s that ‘I have this apartment that I live in by myself and I’m spending the bulk of my time there because the classes that I used to go to to get out of my house, I’m not going to, the friends’ houses that I used to go visit, I might not be doing that to the same degree,’” Andridge said.

English freshman Janae Pabon said she has mixed feelings about living in single dorms.

“It’s kind of nice to have people all around me, it’s still a social community,” Pabon said. “It’s kind of like being in a house, but in your own room.”

Pabon said she noticed her anxiety heighten due to COVID-19, and she said it worsened when she arrived on campus.

“When I’m with people I don’t really feel anxious, but when I go back to my room alone at night or I’m trying to sleep I definitely feel anxious,” Pabon said. “I get panic attacks and random spurts of anxiety.”

Architecture freshman Arielle RoseFinn said she feels lonely and isolated from the people in her dorm.

“I feel a little bit disconnected from a lot of the people in here,” Rose-Finn said. “I can hear them always chatting in the hall and next door and going out, and I haven’t really done much

enforcing COVID-19 safety guidelines has put more stress on their shoulders.

RAs said.

The least housing officials can do is listen to their concerns, RAs said.

“There have been situations where it’s just frustrating with housing,” one RA said. “They’re not the ones like living this, like they’re all remote. They check in for their meetings or whatever whenever they do, but they’re not the ones that are enforcing these policies and they’re not on the frontlines.

They’re just like sitting back is like how I like to think of it.”

MUSTANG NEWS

In a message from President Armstrong, students were informed on Aug. 25, that freshmen living on campus would be put in single dorm rooms for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The plan detailed that no more than 5,510 students would be allowed on campus.

“It is true that congregate living facilities like residence halls pose a higher risk of transmission,” Armstrong wrote in the campus-wide email. “It is also true that we can mitigate that increased risk so that it remains low.”

Other than those living in the Cerro Vista and Poly Canyon Village apartments, freshmen live alone in double, triple and quad rooms. In the South Mountain, yakʔitʸutʸu, Yosemite, Sierra Madre and North Mountain dorms, students share communal bathrooms by floor or cluster. Rooms are separated by gender.

Some students said they are happy to live alone. Among them is mechanical engineering freshman Vivian Knudsen, who lives in the Yosemite towers.

“I feel like it’s the best of both worlds because my roommate is right next door, so I can call her whenever I need, but then I also have my own space to chill,” Knudsen said.

Knudsen said she has found the transition from practicing gymnastics five hours a day, five days a week to being in quarantine and socially distant challenging, but she said she has

managed to stay busy by getting her friends together.

“I like to say ‘Onwards and upwards,’” Knudsen said. “I’m not going to spend a bunch of time just wallowing in self-pity because it happened to all of us and we’re ready to embrace what we get.”

Software engineering freshman Rayan Gendre said he felt strange for his first couple of days on campus “getting dumped in some random place” and being left alone. However, since then he said things have gotten better.

“My floor is kind of really social, so I don’t really feel like I am living alone,” Gendre said. “When I need something we have a group chat for my right wing, so we just text in there.”

Construction management freshman Luke Method said he does not feel isolated, but he said he recognizes that living alone has drawbacks.

“I definitely like having more space and not having to deal with people,” Method said. “But, at the same time, I think having to deal with people is a good experience.”

Since freshmen are living in dorms with students from their college and no longer in residential learning communities, students are generally interacting with the same group of people.

“I feel like it was really easy to meet the people in our dorm, but then those are the only people that I’ve met,” Method said.

Some students, however, are struggling to live alone.

Kimberli Andridge, a psychologist

into consideration or they are severely abused and neglected, we are not able to then take care of anybody else’s emotions and it affects our floors,” another RA said.

Several RAs said that regardless of how fluid the situation currently is, housing officials should have been better prepared for this quarter given they had a whole summer to figure out how to reopen Cal Poly. They also said that RAs are not given enough information and resources to better inform themselves and their residents to ensure safety. Inadequate communication has led to confusion over protocol and being allotted new tasks related to

10

“SOMETIMES I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO LOG ON TO THE PORTAL”: HOW POOR INTERNET CONNECTION IS CREATING PROBLEMS FOR STUDENTS TAKING ONLINE CLASSES

FILE PHOTO | MUSTANG NEWS

NEWS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

BY CATHERINE ALLEN

When Cal Poly switched to virtual classes Spring quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nutrition junior Valeria Diego moved back to her Sacramento home, where her parents had not been able to afford stable WiFi. Diego used Spectrum’s free public hotspot to get by. Then when summer classes were approaching, Diego and her sister, a senior at UC San Diego, gathered together enough money to afford a reliable internet connection — a switch that would be essential for keeping up with virtual classes.

“During classes through Zoom, sometimes my internet would lag a lot, so the screen would freeze and I would just fall behind on what the professor was saying,” Diego said. “Instead of paying attention to what he was saying I was actually concerned with when the next glitch was gonna happen. That was always on my mind and prevented me from fully focusing.”

Now, a week into Fall quarter, Cal Poly students and staff are fostering cooperation and communication to work around technology barriers.

THE CHALLENGE OF UNSTABLE WIFI “It’s just sad to know that not all students are on the same financial level,” Diego said. “It’s unfair for the students who have to go through the stress of almost anticipating that connection failure. … Maybe some students don’t have trouble at all, but there is a group of people who are disadvantaged.”

Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds consistently underperform in fully online classes, according to a 2019 study conducted

by Spiros Protopsaltis, former U.S. Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education and Student Financial Aid and Sandy Baum, a fellow at the Urban Institute think tank.

Even when students can afford to purchase WiFi, the connection is not always stable.

For animal science senior Aileen Godinez, she woke up one morning at home in L.A. during Spring quarter and found that her WiFi had gone out just a few hours before having to take a midterm. It did not come back on until later in the afternoon.

“I emailed [my professor] right away, and I was scared because I thought he wouldn’t believe me,” Godinez said. “He was really understanding, so that helped a lot. … I think he just made [the exam] available until the end of the week and it was still timed, but I could take it whenever the WiFi came back on.”

Godinez also contacted her WiFi company, Spectrum, who told her several other people were experiencing issues as well, though the company did not know why.

In San Luis Obispo, Spectrum is ranked the second most popular internet provider.

However, during Summer quarter, a handful of students struggled with the company’s WiFi while living in San Luis Obispo, environmental management and protection sophomore Tess McIntyre said.

Godinez’s WiFi problems came up throughout her spring and summer classes, before moving to San Luis

Obispo about a week ago.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to log on to the portal or Canvas, so I wouldn’t be able to study for the class either or access the lecture Zoom recordings,” Godinez said.

But poor Wi-Fi connection is not the only barrier.

Heat-related electric power

It’s just sad to know that not all students are on the same financial level,” Diego said. “It’s unfair for the students who have to go through the stress of almost anticipating that connection failure. … Maybe some students don’t have trouble at all, but there is a group of people who are disadvantaged VALERIA DIEGO Junior Nutrition Major

outages can occur randomly, while public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) have also been scheduled across the state during high winds in order to prevent wildfires from picking up.

“When I was home I would watch the news, Univision 19, and a lot of Hispanic people and families would come on TV and talk about

how [power outages] impact them negatively,” Diego said. “Whenever they would mention their location, I realized how close they were to me.

I was kind of worried about whether my family was going to go through the same thing or not.”

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FINDING SOLUTIONS Sociology professor Ryan Alaniz said he has experienced two power outages at his home since he began teaching at Cal Poly in August.

Alaniz said he uses his phone’s hotspot to get internet access, though it is not as fast and it is not an option for everyone. When he needs to lead a Zoom meeting, Alaniz takes the 25 minute drive to campus to use the university’s internet in his office. “[It is] challenging for faculty and students,” Alaniz said.

Alaniz suggests that students email their professor as soon as possible and maybe even leave a message at the professor’s office phone.

“Although professors are not checking their phones often, it does show that the student tried every means to communicate with their professor,” Alaniz said.

Alaniz said that the extent to which a faculty member can be accommodating depends on the situation. As virtual classes has put many students in unique situations, some seem to hope professors are still understanding.

“I think it all comes down to being empathetic,” Diego said. “[Professors] themselves are experiencing similar situations with connection problems. We all experience similar things and sometimes those things are out of our control. I was actually very happy to know that professors do want to help us and they understand that each student situation is different.”

As of last week, Spectrum

Northwest Region Senior Director of Communications Bret Picciolo said that there had not been “significant service issues” in San Luis Obispo.

“Our network continues to perform well on the downstream and upstream overall,” Picciolo said. “We continue to monitor the situation — and our network — closely and are poised to adjust resources as needed to provide the reliable internet and essential services our customers depend on.”

Now, Diego lives in a residence hall on campus and uses Cal Poly’s WiFi service. On campus, students have access to eduroam, Cal Poly’s primary WiFi network, as well as multiple public outdoor WiFi options.

Even before COVID-19, students struggled with Cal Poly WiFi, and some of those problems may continue into this year due to an increased reliance on the university’s internet. “[Last week] I was on a Zoom call for one of my organizations and it actually ended out of nowhere,” Diego said. “Everybody froze and then my computer just ended the call automatically. That’s something I’ve never experienced on campus, but it happened then.”

University Spokesperson Matt Lazier said representatives from the Dean of Students, Information Technology Services, Financial Aid and University Advising are all using one-on-one Zoom meetings and other resources to work with students experiencing technology and connectivity issues.

“Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the university has asked all of its community members to be understanding, gracious and flexible with one another — especially if there are issues with technology or issues adapting to virtual systems or if individuals are experiencing stressors outside of the classroom,” Lazier said.

11

A CLOSER LOOK AT

ON-CAMPUS QUARANTINE

BY ARIEL LOPEZ AND OLIVIA GALVAN

QUARANTINE VS. ISOLATION Twelve University Housing residents are in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 and 15 students are quarantined after exposure to someone with coronavirus, according to the coronavirus dashboard as f Friday

NICOLE HERHUSK Y | MUSTANG NEWS

Students instructed to isolate or quarantine in a different room must pack their personal belongings for up to 14 days, according to the guide.

Personal items may include clothing, toiletries, identification cards, medications, personal care items, technology and school materials, the guide stated.

Students with service animals or emotional support animals may bring their animal and their supplies, according to the guide.

University Housing residents isolated or quarantined receive meal delivery, mail delivery and laundry services, according to Matthews.

Campus Dining provides contactless meal delivery to students three times a day. Breakfast is delivered between 8 and 9 a.m., lunch is delivered between noon to 1 p.m. and dinner is delivered from 5 to 6 p.m., according to Matthews.

NEWS

Animal science freshman Isabella Mattioli is one of 135 students quarantined-in-place. She received an email on Sept. 11 that stated a resident on the first floor of tsɨtqawɨɨ was in quarantine due to COVID-19, she said. The 15 students on the first floor were instructed to attend a Zoom meeting later in the evening, Mattioli said.

Quarantined students fill out a Google Form each day to choose

afternoon, Sept. 25.

Following a positive COVID-19 test result, a student living on-campus is contacted by a Campus Health and Wellbeing representative with isolation instructions.

A university support team member will also contact the student to plan their move to isolation.

A San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department contact tracer will call the student as well.

A student may be released from isolation ten days after they first had symptoms, if their symptoms have improved and if they have not had a fever in 24 hours without taking feverreducing medication. University Housing residents exposed to COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days.

“Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others, while isolation separates those who have COVID-19 from others,” University Housing Outreach and Communications Assistant Director Nona Matthews wrote in an email to Mustang News.

University Housing residents who test positive for COVID-19 are isolated in on-campus apartments, according to Matthews. Quarantined students may be moved to a different room or apartment, according to the quarantine and isolation guide.

Students living in the Cal Poly Lofts, a university housing community downtown, also have the option of moving to isolation on campus after testing positive for COVID-19, according to Bluff.

Students who live off-campus will isolate at home if they test positive for COVID-19. However, University Housing will work with students on a case-by-case basis if they do not feel safe isolating at home, according to Bluff.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

RESIDENTS OF THE FIRST FLOOR OF TSƗTQAWƗ ARE QUARANTINED-IN-PLACE

up for a time on Sept. 14. There were two shifts a day for two weeks.

During the shifts, no other students in the building were allowed to use the room. The custodial staff cleaned the room after their shifts.

Students quarantined-in-place may wear a face covering and leave their room to use the common bathroom, according to the guide.

The university put wipes in the bathroom so students could sanitize everything themselves, Mattioli said.

Since quarantine-in-place began, Mattioli said she has had more time to focus on schoolwork.

“I knew that I would have more time to focus on classes because I don’t have the pressures of going out with friends or being distracted,” Mattioli said. “I have literally 12 hours of my day just dedicated to doing whatever I need to do for class.”

Mattioli said she is looking forward to venturing off campus once the 14 day quarantine-in-place is over.

Mattioli has a car and said she is looking forward to going grocery shopping or going to Home Depot to get things for her plants.

Art and design freshman Elise Coatney and architecture freshman Isabella Borda live in the same building as Mattioli.

Coatney said Cal Poly did not provide students outside the first floor information about the quarantine-in-place status.

“They have not said anything,” Coatney said.

Borda said the other residents found out about the quarantine through word of mouth. “[We] have not been told anything about the first floor quarantine,” Borda said. “We learned from friends.”

University Housing residents quarantined in place may not have visitors and must self-monitor by temperature checks.

Multiple students on the floor are using their whiteboards to say what day of quarantine that they are on.

MUSTANG NEWS

One hundred thirty-five students living on-campus are quarantinedin-place following potential COVID-19 exposure in the dorms, according to Cal Poly’s COVID-19 dashboard as of Friday afternoon, Sept. 25.

Residents of floors or sections of buildings under quarantine-in-place must remain in their rooms for the majority of the day, according to the university’s student quarantine and isolation guide.

University Housing residents are quarantined-in-place if the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Health and the university suspect possible coronavirus exposure within the facilities, according to the dashboard.

University Housing includes Sierra Madre and Yosemite, yakʔitʸutʸu, South Mountain and North Mountain residence halls. University Housing also includes Cerro Vista apartments, Poly Canyon Village apartments, Cal Poly Lofts and agriculture housing.

An additional 12 students living on-campus are in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 and 15 students are quarantined after being exposed to a person with the virus, according to the dashboard updated Friday afternoon, Sept. 25.

The university did not confirm which floors or sections of buildings are used for isolation, quarantine or quarantine-inplace due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.

how many meals they want the next day, Mattioli said. Students do not get to choose what meal they get, Mattioli added.

Students quarantined-in-place must stay in their room with closed doors for as much of the day as possible, according to the university’s quarantine and isolation guide.

Students with in-person classes must contact their professors to develop accommodations. Students are tested two times for COVID-19 by the university while quarantined in place, according to the guide.

The students quarantined in place on the first floor of tsɨtqawɨ were tested for COVID-19 on Sept. 14.

Their tests all came back negative, except the original carrier’s, Mattioli said. The students were tested a second time on Sept. 21.

Even after presenting a negative COVID-19 test, the students who were exposed to the virus had to continue to quarantine-in-place, just in case they developed symptoms later.

The university tested the students for COVID-19 in the kitchen of tsɨtqawɨ, according to Mattioli. “[The testing] was super easy, they really worked with their schedule because we had classes at different times on Monday,” Mattioli said.

Mattioli said the testing staff came for the entire day and a doctor explained everything to the students.

The students self-administered the COVID-19 test, and they got results back in about five hours, Mattioli said.

After the residents’ first negative test results, the students were allowed to go on walks alone and pick up their own food via GrubHub. The students’ yellow coronavirus self-screening pass grants access to these services, according to University Housing Marketing Coordinator Julia Bluff.

Quarantined students with a negative test result may also pick up mail or essential supplies, receive healthcare or take out their trash.

The students have access to the first floor kitchen, laundry room and bathroom.

“Until further notice, this kitchen is only available to residents of the first floor,” a sign read on the door. The sign also said the kitchen occupancy is one person.

Students also did laundry in shifts, and they were sent an email to sign

12

ARUSHI TEWARI | MUSTANG NEWS WOW Group 137 puts on their best “wow” faces. WOW group leaders had to transition this year to meet with WOWies on Zoom.

AWARD-WINNING ORIENTATION PROGRAM GONE VIRTUAL: HOW DID IT REALLY GO?

NEWS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

BY ALEXIS BOWLBY

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Cal Poly’s 2020 award-winning orientation program Week of Welcome (WOW) was entirely virtual.

WOW was held Sept. 10 through 13, which is shorter than the seven days students have participated in previous years.

In a Zoom call with Mustang News, Director of the New Students and Transition Programs (NSTP) Andrene Kaiwi, along with orientation board members Alyssa Gonzalez and Isaiah De Leon described about adapting the program to an all-virtual format.

Preparation for the orientation program begins in the Spring and due to the virtual Spring quarter, they were already preparing both physically and mentally for a partially virtual or entirely virtual program.

“I think we were all nervous,” psychology senior Gonzalez said. “But we have a really good team that we worked with this whole year that made us feel better about putting it on.”

Mechanical engineering senior De Leon said that the level of uncertainty that was present towards the be-

ginning of the pandemic was difficult on their planning process. In past years, WOW consists of a mixture of entertainment-based, bonding events and mandatory educational programs, which they were able to transfer into a virtual format.

De Leon is the co-chair for the events, resources and logistics committee, so he was involved in planning events for WOW. One of the virtual events that were held this year was “Zoo to You,” where different exotic zoo animals were shown to the students over zoom, and the students were able to interact and ask questions. Another event held was an interactive magic show put on by Cal Poly student Elliot Hunter.

De Leon said that although they did not have as many events as they normally would, they put a lot of effort into giving students a variety of events to choose from.

The activities ranged from high energy social activities to more relaxed and easy-going events in order to give every student the opportunity to choose what suited them best, according to De Leon.

Gonzales helped plan the educational, mandatory events the students attended. The main four pre-

sentations were about drugs and alcohol, diversity and inclusion, sexual harassment and violence as well as the “Awareness Gallery” which was visual culmination of all of the topics.

“We were very concerned about making sure everyone’s mental well-being was a priority because there are a lot of heavy topics covered,” she said.

Gonzales said that while she felt the presentations were still impactful in a virtual format, but it was harder to gauge the reactions and emotions of the students who participated.

“We made sure that throughout the presentations, and especially during the Awareness Gallery, that there were resources [students] could turn to during it,” Gonzales said.

She explained that in person, it is much easier to see if a student is uncomfortable or upset during a presentation and it is harder to do that over Zoom, especially if students have their cameras off.

Psychology junior Arushi Tewari, business administration sophomore Luca Balbi and public health senior Grace Vandervolt were all WOW leaders this year. They said they all became leaders after having their

own positive experiences as “WOWies,” and they said wanted to give back to the new students in the hopes of providing them with an equally positive time.

We had places for them to make connections and be introduced to each other, it was just whether or not they decided they wanted to do that in the virtual environment.

KARA THOMPSON CCE WOW LEADER

Balbi said that he had considered quitting after it was announced that WOW would be entirely virtual, but he soon realized that there were too many other leaders making that same decision.

“[My partner and I] decided that we would go through with it because these kids deserve the best experience possible,” Balbi said.

Tewari said that while an in-person orientation would have been preferred, considering all of the limitations they were placed upon them, she said it was not bad.

Tewari’s group had about three to four people showing up consistently, which made it hard for her to do group activities.

“I feel like the overall quality would’ve been better if more people had shown up, but I know it’s tough, you can’t force people to come,” she said.

Chemistry freshman Daphne Moon is one of the WOWies in Tewari’s group. She said that the lack of attendance in the group made things more difficult.

“It was difficult to truly create a community, if it was in-person there would have probably been more accountability,” Moon said.

Environmental engineering freshman Zada Arias, a WOWie in Vandervort’s group, said she had a much more social experience with around 10 students showing up consistently to the program.

“I was surprised that it went so well, my group was really talkative and we all got along really well,” Arias said.

The Cross Cultural Experience (CCE) is a track of WOW that seeks to create connections between students that identify with underrepresented groups, according to the website.

CCE Leader Kara Thompson said she was able to uphold the values of the program in a virtual format this year.

Every day there were CCE specific events that allowed the students to connect over activities or discussions. The experience of the students really depended on how much they were willing to engage with the activities, Thompson said.

“We had places for them to make connections and be introduced to each other, it was just whether or not they decided they wanted to do that in the virtual environment,” Thompson said.

If WOW were to be virtual next year, De Leon — along with Kaiwi and Gonzales — said they would want to improve the level of communication they had with orientation leaders.

“People are going to lose an email, or not read an email, so information gets lost at way higher rates,” De Leon explained.

De Leon said that he knows there are people who did not enjoy it, but he also knows that there are people who really did.

“I really want to think that we touched at least some people at [Cal] poly,” De Leon said.

13

OPINION

CALIFORNIA BLACKOUTS:

DON’T BLAME THE RENEWABLES

BY ANYA POPLAVSKA

Anya Poplavska is an environmental management and protection junior. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News.

thus, they aren’t the cause of the state’s energy blackouts Instead, issues with bureaucracy, communication, and a lack of necessary utility investment prevented the power from reaching where it should have.

the utilities to invest in programs like this in advance of crises that we are seeing now.

Renewable energy The natural disasters and rolling blackouts in California are evidence that our utilities are behind the times when it comes to essential upgrades and emergency energy reserves during a crisis.

ANYA POPLAVSKA

The natural disasters and rolling blackouts in California are evidence that our utilities are behind the times when it comes to essential upgrades and emergency energy reserves during a crisis.

The overseer of the utility industry, the Public Utilities Commission, stated that utilities had not established enough access or availability of adequate energy reserves in the case of disaster.

Additionally, utilities did not invest enough money in consumer programs that would allow energy users to opt-out at times of overwhelming demand. The utilities could provide financial incentives for customers to do this at times of peak energy usage, which is a successful model many others have employed. It was specifically cited as the responsibility of

We’ve covered utilities, what they do and their shortcomings. But what energy sources got shut off during the rolling blackouts? How does renewable energy play into this?

California relies heavily on natural gas plants, with wind and solar energy only making up approximately 20 percent of the state’s energy sources.

Even when solar energy supply starts to decrease as the day goes on, advanced technology in California allows for comprehensive predictions for when this will happen. Operators know that they need necessary reserves and a replacement energy source for when solar or wind energy starts to dwindle. The challenges faced with renewables are predictable — even years in advance.

During the shutoffs, a wind farm powering 1,000 megawatts had gone offline in California. However, a gas plant with the capabilities of 470 megawatts went offline as well. Many power and gas plants, in fact, have not been able to guarantee its original numbers regarding the supply of energy and excess reserves, and the reserves are key to managing an energy crisis.

Analyses showed that there was an overall lack of capacity coming from the electric grid in California.

This meant this was not a renewables-specific problem, with even

the chairman of the Independent System Operator — who oversees the power system in California — going on record to say “renewables are really not a factor” in the outages, but rather “a matter of raw capacity”.

Plus, the bizarre thing was that even if wind turbines were not spinning, there should have been enough available reserves in the grid power system. Looking at the numbers, it states that the power availability could have, and should have, been there to meet the demand needed.

We still haven’t received a comprehensive explanation for why. Then, the blackouts occurred.

All this seems to suggest a problem with bureaucracy, communication and a lack of necessary utility investment that prevented the power from reaching the places it needed to.

Where we go from here Why, then, are people blaming renewables for this occurrence? If anything, this situation shows that we should be investing more in necessary upgrades and renewable energy infrastructure.

In order to combat problems like less energy coming from wind and solar during certain time periods, investing heavily in storage for capturing these power sources is an efficient way to prevent blackouts in the future. Individual homes, layered with solar panels or their own solar-battery storage would be well equipped to keep their lights on

during a time of energy strife.

It also begs the question of our power supply and utility efficacy in general. Why was there so much miscommunication and mismatch between the predicted supply of energy and the actual energy supplied to households?

Why wasn’t there more research and development done when it came to programs that would integrate consumers to opt in or out of energy usage during periods of high demand? Why have we still not received a comprehensive answer from the utilities on what happened, and instead renewable energy is the scapegoat used to incorrectly explain away the situation?

We should use this time to invest in upgrades that should’ve been implemented years ago by the same utilities that control our energy, power and our safety.

It’s incomprehensible for us to imagine a future without renewables, so instead of blaming them, let’s instead focus on research and development in regards to renewable energy storage, work to strengthen our energy grid and to decrease reliance on gas plants while transitioning to more renewable energy. Let’s increase our scrutiny on the same utility companies that ordered rolling blackouts, which hurt milltions, without yet an explanation to tell us all why.

OPINOIN

A utility is an organization that supplies your power when you turn on a light switch or plug something in your outlet. When we settle into our communities and pay our energy bills, we don’t have a choice when deciding who our energy provider is.

These utilities — for instance, household names like PG&E and Southern California Electric & Gas — are the

of California’s energy comes from renewables

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Where does your power come from, anyway?

20%

MUSTANG NEWS

On top of a pandemic, Californians experienced a summer of record temperatures and searing heat. With this heatwave increasing the demand for power — most often in the form of air conditioning — energy blackouts have been occurring more consistently all over the state.

A blackout happens when there is an overwhelming demand for energy and the power grid has to be shut off to not overwhelm the system. This is a huge deal, because it’s the first time in 19 years that such massive blackouts have happened in the state.

What’s worse is that many have used this as an opportunity to criticize California’s stance and dependency on renewable energy. Without knowing the full story, people have snatched up the opportunity to berate California’s clean energy policies.

This is problematic. Renewable energy is not the culprit for what’s been happening. Renewable energy is a testament to a clean future for us all — and we shouldn’t let this time of strife divert us from that reality.

Millions have lost their power over the last couple of weeks, prompting questions about what went wrong.

Although the heatwave did cause an increased demand in power, there are more complicated factors at play.

I’m going to break down the scenario into two parts: First by examining how energy is generated, and second by examining the myths about renewable energy’s shortcomings.

bureaucratic structures that provide energy for us.

Because power is essential for all households and businesses — and utilities nearly control all of it — what results is a monopoly over this business and an accumulation of wealth landing in the pockets of these utilities.

Imagine you’re in charge of a whole community that is forced to pay you for a service every month. They can’t choose anyone else for this essential service. Therefore, you can charge inflated rates and still expect to be in business.

Now imagine your business has a bureaucratic, top-down structure that isn’t able to react quickly in times of crisis.

This is the reality of the utility industry today.

only

14

OPINION

DITCHING MY PERIOD:

THE BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE Nicki Butler is a psychology junior. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News.

BY NICKI BUTLER

Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, so let me rephrase.

Ditching my period was the best and easiest decision I’ve ever made.

I will tell anyone who will listen that I don’t get my period anymore. I know bragging is frowned upon, but I feel like I’ve got this secret that half the world doesn’t know about. When I pitched this story in our writer’s room, I was met with so many dumbfounded faces (including one very confused, probably male, face.) Now it’s very possible that the shock they gave off was because I was offering to write about my period, but I’m going to choose to believe that they were shocked that you can opt-out of your period.

I completely understand the shock; it is shocking news. When my doctor told me I could choose not to have

my period, I didn’t believe her.

Sure I’ll just opt out of my period.

While I’m at it, I’ll opt-out of shitting, too.

But after several moments of explaining, I finally understood. If you simply take your birth control pills continuously — skipping the week of placebo pills — you will never get your period.

The first of many stupid questions I asked was: “But doesn’t the lining in my uterus need to shed? Where will my shedded uterus go?”

My doctor simply replied: “You aren’t smart enough to know how dumb of a question that is, but trust me, it isn’t a problem.”

That was enough explanation for me. My doctor was giving me a chance to stop the bleeding, cramping, and fainting that so many people who menstruate experience every three weeks. As I began my period-free life, I started to wonder, why don’t more people know that you don’t have to have your period? After all, people truly hate getting their period.

There are seldom things more gut-wrenching than the words ‘getting your period’. If there were a definitive ranking of phrases with the most negative connotation, ‘getting your period’ would fall between ‘The Titanic’ and ‘the in-laws are coming’.

Yet, so many people don’t know that for birth control users, your period is 100% optional. I’ve gotten a myriad of comments on this topic over the course of my three-year long freedom from menstruation.

Many people have said “You skip your placebo pills? That’s really unhealthy.”

Or, “I would skip my placebo pills, but I don’t want to mess with my body.”

These comments were surprising but didn’t deter me. I simply told them that my doctor said it was perfectly healthy. But now, at the ripe old age of 20, I’ve begun to wonder…

Why is there a stigma around skipping your period?

Why don’t more people know that you can skip your period?

If getting your period is truly not

important while on birth control, why were placebo pills even put in birth control packs in the first place?

Finally, why is it perfectly healthy to skip your period? What is the medical mystery that I was too stupid to understand at 17?

I had my annual physical a few days ago, and I brought all of these questions to my doctor. While she checked my heartbeat, looked at my ears and felt my breasts for lumps, I bombarded her with my most pressing questions.

I began to understand the era that birth control was invented in. Research and development of “the pill” were pushed into the forefront of the medical community by Margaret Sanger in partnership with Planned Parenthood. Even as early as the 1950s, Planned Parenthood was doing important work for reproductive rights and protection.

Although the development of the first birth control pill was spearheaded by male scientists, much of the credit goes to the ancient medical traditions of descendants of the Aztecs. Russell Marker, one of the leading scientists doing this research, found generations of Mexican womxn who had been eating a specific wild yam as contraception. When combined with estrogen, the progestin inside of these yams formed the first birth control pill.

But why were the placebo pills added? Why not just take the active birth control pills and avoid menstruation all together?

When testing the pill, it was found that many individuals wanted to have their period, so that they could confirm that they were not pregnant.

Another reason to add the placebo pills was actually in an effort to appease the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at the time. John Rock, one of the developers of the pill, was hoping that by replicating the natural cycle of menstruation, the Pope would be more likely to approve of it. He was very wrong, and the Pope vehemently disapproved of the pill.

I was shocked to learn that those were some of the only reasons that placebo pills were instituted. I had simply assumed that the placebo pills were an important part of taking birth control. But now I understand that birth control pills prevent your egg from dropping into your uterus, and therefore, the lining of your uterus does not thicken, leaving nothing to shed.

There is so much fear and stigma that not having a period is unhealthy or unclean. But just as there is absolutely nothing dirty about having a period, there is nothing wrong with choosing not to have a period.

NEWS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

OPINION

REST IN POWER, KING Tessa Hughes is a journalism junior. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News.

BY TESSA HUGHES

On Aug. 28, 2020 actor Chadwick Boseman tragically passed away after a four-year long battle with colon cancer. While most celebrity passings typically shock fans, Boseman’s stands out. Not because he kept his cancer a secret and his death was sudden, but because his death was a loss for everything he portrayed.

Across the country, children are mourning Boseman because his acting gave them so much: representation.

The legacy Boseman is leaving behind is incomparable to many great

actors, as the roles he chose to assume carried great weight and depth.

In 2013, Boseman stepped up to the plate and portrayed the late Jackie Robinson, the first black baseball player, in the film “42.” In 2017, he took on the role of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice for the United States, in the film “Marshall.” Then in 2018, Boseman took on his most coveted role of all by entering the Marvel Comic Universe as the King of Wakanda, T’Challa, in “Black Panther.”

Boseman created a name for himself by playing significant Black men in our country’s history, but he became one himself when he became the titular star of the first big-budget superhero film with an African-American director and predom-

inantly Black cast.

He became a positive figure many young African-American children could look up to, allowing them to see themselves, as opposed to the sea of stereotypical white, male superheroes.

Modern media is streamlined and whitewashed, and it is a struggle for people who aren’t fit, straight, white, cis-gendered men to see themselves on the big screen. The same craving for diversity in stories was shown in the films “Crazy Rich Asians” for Asian Americans and “Wonder Woman” for women.

Boseman acknowledged this need in the movie industry and served as the King of Wakanda in later installments in the Marvel franchise despite his taxing battle with stage III, eventually stage IV cancer. He con-

tinued to show up because he knew the roles he played were so much bigger than himself.

Millions of people are honoring Boseman around the world, confirming the cultural impact his career held.

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris (who if Biden is elected would become the first female, African and Asian-American Vice President in United States history) tweeted “Heartbroken. My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble. He left too early but his life made a difference. Sending my sincere condolences to his family,” along with a photograph of the two of them together.

Actress Cicely Tyson also tweeted out her condolences, “God of our si-

lent tears! A brilliant & talented actor, gone too soon. @chadwickboseman you leave this earth w/a beautiful body of work. When you graced our screens you brought the dignity & grace we could all be proud of. My prayers are with your loving family.

RIP my dear son CTD.” Barack Obama, the first Black president of the U.S., even offered up his own sentiments through Twitter, like many others, asserting the power Boseman gave to Black Americans, “Chadwick came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson. You could tell right away that he was blessed. To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them.”

OPINION

15

THE EMPTINESS OF SOLIDARITY STATEMENTS

based dairy company. Califia Farms is named after the fictional Queen Califia from Montalvo’s Las Sergas de Esplandian. In that sixteenth-century novel that would inspire California’s name and later the naming of Califia Farms, Queen Califia is described as being Black, dark-skinned, and dark brown throughout the literary piece.

As a Black person, I’d rather see companies put their detached words into actions or at the very least convert them into donations.

GR ACE KITAYMA | MUSTANG NEWS The black squares and generic statements that people and companies posted in response to the murder of George Floyd were performative.

Musa Faraha is an anthropology and geography sophomore. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang News.

BY MUSA FARAHA

It would be unfair to point out the performative activism in large corporations like L’Oreal when people individually — without the help of PR teams — do the same thing.

OPINION

lence circulating the internet.

A majority of the corporations who put out statements seemed to forget to include the disease that has had

It would be unfair to point out the performative activism in large corporations like L’Oreal when people individually-- without the help of PR teams -- do the same thing.

After the May killing of George Floyd, many people, from Cal Poly students to the stars of Hollywood, flocked to their social media platforms to voice their support of Black Lives Matter (BLM). That’s great, but what are these people doing in their day to day lives to ensure equality for everyone around the? It is not enough to go protesting when it is popular to do so or when it brings you a reprieve from the humdrum of months in quarantine.

Performative activism reached its peak on June 2 or “Blackout Tuesday.” On that day, social media users posted black squares hashtagged with different variations of “Black Lives Matter” to show support for the BLM movement. This missed its empathetic mark completely. Instead of creating a blackout of hate, it became a blackout in important knowledge such as upcoming protests and links to donate to bailout funds for protestors.

As a Black person, I’d rather see companies put their detached words into actions or at the very least convert them into donations. Both corporations and individuals need to confront past racial indiscretions before hastily putting out worthless statements or remain silent. Or corporations can just pull a “Sally-Loo’s.”

An example of a progressive change would be with Califia Farms, a plant-

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Performative activism is meaningless activism done in order to not appear as enablers of racism through silence.

silence. While real activism seeks to provoke progression and difficult conversations, performative activism seeks to obstruct and silence change. Real activism comes from a place of wanting to see change occur, while performative activism comes from one’s need to preserve their image. There is no better metaphor for white liberal guilt than performative activism.

MUSTANG NEWS

In the weeks that followed the Minnesota slaughter of George Floyd, my email began to flood. Generic message after generic message with the similar “We stand in solidarity with the Black community” tagline blew up my inbox. Reading them was as disappointing and disturbing as watching videos of anti-Black vio-

the open authority to murder Black people since its inception: the police.

By not openly calling out the police, companies are trying to save face with both the murderers and those killed.

It is not enough to say that you have a commitment towards curbing racial injustice or that you’re “standing with the black community. What are you actually doing? Looking into the histories of some of these companies allows you to see just how empty these statements really are.

Take L’Oreal Paris for instance. In 2017, L’Oreal dropped Munroe Bergdorf, the company’s first transgender model to front a campaign for the company, for speaking out against racism. Fast forward to 2020, when George Floyd’s death ignited a conversation that it is no longer okay to openly perpetuate or ignore racism.

L’Oreal Paris’ solidarity statement had the typical taglines of “stand[ing] in solidarity with the Black community” and “speaking out is worth it.” If speaking out against racism is “worth it,” why did they fire Bergdorf for doing the same thing three years ago? It’s very simple. They don’t care about racism. They care about their image and sales. It’s performative activism.

Performative activism is meaningless activism that is meant to not appear as enablers of racism through

Califia Farms, having issued their own vacuous statement, can make a difference by not white-washing Queen Califia on the faces of their plant-based dairy products.

Looking at the history of our country, Black people hardly get any representation in many fields other than the cotton fields. The lives of Black people in the United States have not mattered since the first slave was brought to Virginia in 1619. It should have not taken a global quarantine and a recording of a Black man being choked to death to realize that.

Arguably, the limited times that Black lives have mattered in this country is when they’re winning on basketball courts and football stadiums or on the concert stage, and now, on film getting murdered by police.

The bustling country we see today was and continues to be built by people who are viewed as humans only when their final moments alive are being recorded and spread throughout social media. Black lives do not matter when they are being disproportionately jailed and trafficked.

Black lives do not matter when the color of their skin and protective hairstyles make them unemployable.

Black lives do not matter when missing Black children are easily forgotten by both the media and police.

At the end of the day, blanketing social media and spamming our emails with carefully crafted statements does not show solidarity. It just shows how much you do not care.

16

adress.

“At the beginning we did kind of get a little bit of pushback and we kind of both put our foot down and were like ‘I’m sorry, but this is what we’re allowed to do right now and we need to be together as a team and we need to do what we can to get better,” Phillips said.

However, the captains said they feel that there is more than preparation to have a successful season.

Building team chemistry among the whole roster has been a top priority for them.

“We’re really trying to work on creating that off the court cohesion because as much as we work on the court, it’s not going to help if we can’t get the team all bonded when it comes to being off the court,” Dvoracek said.

They said that they are eager for their coaches to return and take charge.

“Once we can get back away from this voluntary time, we can bond more as teammates rather than [be] the two girls that tell everyone what to do,” Dvoracek said.

CAL POLY TEAM CAPTAINS’ PERSPECTIVES ON A FALL SEASON WITH NO SPORTS

DIEGO RIVER A | MUSTANG NEWS Sophomore forward Camille Lafaix fires a shot on the CSU Fullerton goal.

BY RAFAEL MEDINA AND GABE ARDITTI

SPORTS

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

The announcement by the Big West conference, followed by the Big Sky conference, to postpone fall sports until 2021 in late July is shaping the way Cal Poly Athletics will look this fall.

The captains of the respective fall programs share some insight into the current standing of their teams.

WOMEN’S SOCCER Upon recently being named as one of the new Women’s Soccer captains, Leah Kellogg said she has undergone a sense of relief with the postponement of the Fall 2020 season. She said she realizes the importance of playing the season under regular circumstances in order to get the most out of each match.

“Just knowing that we have a chance at maybe a more real season versus trying to force it in the fall,” Kellogg said.

However, the pandemic has brought along new obstacles that Kellogg said she has had to go through to keep the team in rhythm.

“There’s so much chaos and so many unknowns, so I think just trying to have a good attitude about everything related to [COVID-19] to keep the team on that high note is definitely a challenge,” Kellogg said.

Kellogg said the team doesn’t “fully foresee too many restrictions” from

County Public Health, because soccer is labeled as a mid-risk sport. The program started socially distanced practices on Sept. 15.

Along with rejoining with the returners, Kellogg believes that it is “really critical” to incorporate the new freshmen and new recruits into team activities to carry on with the strong team chemistry that the program has constructed over the years.

Looking ahead, Kellogg is confident that the squad will get back to where they left off and come back stronger once fall sports receive the go-ahead to resume their seasons.

“We had some great momentum in Winter quarte. We’re building and growing as a team, and we were super excited to actually put that to the test in the spring,” Kellogg said.

“Because we have that motivation and we’ve seen that potential in ourselves, I think we’ll make some big improvements.”

MEN’S SOCCER For the new Men’s Soccer captains, Josh Graham and Emmanuel Perez, making sure they take charge of the squad on and off the field throughout and after the season postponement is a priority that they said they both strive to achieve.

Graham understands the effect that the postponement can have on teammates who have been “working hard all summer.” But he said he also

realizes that motivation and determination rubs off on the players and has stepped up to set an example.

“For a little while, it was tough for me, and I took a week off and I’ve kind of found it again,” Graham said.

“It is tough, you’ve got to really dig deep and try to figure it out.”

As new team captains, Graham and Perez saif they realized the weight that their voices carry to keep the team together as a unit.

“There was one off-the-field incident during the Black Lives Matter movement, and I was a big voice in helping us jget our statement out as a team and I felt that was super important for us,” Graham said.

Alongside his current team responsibilities, Perez is prepared to add new duties to his captain role when the season resumes, which he describes as “administrative responsibilities.”

“All the little things, making sure everything’s smooth for my team, so they don’t have to worry about anything,” Perez said. “They just show up and play soccer.”

With a new season comes new faces on the roster. Graham and Perez have assured early on that the new members feel like they are part of the team.

“The new guys, they’ve been communicating with us, they’re really excited, they’re working really hard.

I talk to them a lot so we’re all excited to get back together,” Perez said.

Envisioning past the postponement, both captains have their minds set on championship titles. The main message Perez said he wants to get

through to his teammates is that “the sky is the limit.”

“Big West, the only thing we want, the only thing we want at all, that’s all our eyes are set on,” Graham said.

VOLLEYBALL Due to the official Volleyball program coaches not being able to physically interact and participate with the team in the gym through the pre-season, captains Maia Dvoracek and Meredith Phillips have temporarily taken on the responsibilities as “coaches” of the program.

“With Maia and I right now running practices, it really isn’t in our job description, but we’ve had to take on that [coaching] role since [COVID-19] and everything that’s happened,” Phillips said.

Despite the fact that the Volleyball players have had access to Mott Athletics Center throughout the pre-season, when it came to training and preparing over the summer season, the pandemic brought on new challenges that the captains had to adapt to in order to prevent a performance setback from the team.

“What we’re doing right now in the gym is unlike anything we’ve ever done before, we’re always scrimmaging and we’ve had to completely change how we play volleyball and how we’re getting to practice,” Phillips said.

Without the presence of the official coaches, members of the team seemed unmotivated, which Phillips and Dvoarcek said they wanted to

FOOTBALL Matthew Shotwell is a redshirt senior dedicated to upholding the reputation of Cal Poly Football, even through the difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented.

“I mean it’s obviously different. As a senior you expect it to be, you’ve worked your whole life to be a senior college football player, [you want to] go in and have a great season,” Shotwell said, a returning captain from last year’s team. “But I mean, with everything that’s happening we understand it has to get pushed.”

With the postponement of the season, it was inevitable that there would be changes to come, he said.

“It just kind of changes things a little bit. We have to get used to those kinds of changes,” Shotwell said. “We have to do a lot of different things, we can’t go in the weight room, we don’t even have a locker room right now.”

The COVID-19 prevention precautions and strategies are also being taken very seriously by the team, according to Shotwell.

“If a kid comes in with any kind of illness symptoms. They’re going to have to get quarantined and anyone who they’ve contacted [is going to quarantined] until he gets tested,” Shotwell said.

Shotwell said he is encouraged by the interesting opportunity of having a longer off-season with football being planned to return in the spring.

“I think moving the season to spring was a good call by the Big Sky and the NCAA for us,” Shotwell said.

“It just makes the most sense, and gives us the best option to be successful.”

WOMEN’S XC “For me personally, I saw things shutting down and our season ending as an opportunity. I’ve felt really fit, and I’ve trained well,” said Women’s Cross Country captain Sierra Brill.

Brill, a art and design senior, has kept a positive point of view throughout this entire experience. Which, for the cross country team, began all the way back in spring.

“It started in spring with track because spring sports got cancelled as well. Everybody got sent home before spring break, and that whole thing kind of took a toll on us as athletes as well,” Brill said.

With so much uncertainty stemming from COVID-19, it was hard for the team to get a clear idea about if they would have a fall season to participate in, Brill said.

She said that the team got biweekly updates, but eventually they realized they would not have a season.

“It’s hard because as athletes, we’re here to compete and represent our team and each other,” Brill said. “Losing that opportunity to compete in uniform or race together against other schools, and represent our school is kind of devastating. Especially to those who are graduating or people who haven’t had a shot before.”

She said she recognizes that moving the season was for good reason.

“I also understand that this is definitely for the best,” Brill said. “Throwing 100 athletes into one cross country race is definitely a high risk thing.”

The team found ways to make sure they are keeping in touch during quarantine, Brill said.

17

“We have weekly Zoom meetings to connect up and see how each other are doing. We have accountability buddies where we check in with each other,” Brill said. “It’s nice to keep each other honest and see how we’re doing.”

Season or no season, Brill said she will improve her skills regardless.

“I enjoy the time to better myself and hone my skills,” Brill said. “I’ve taken it as more time to grow as an athlete because the more you run the better you get at the sport.”

MEN’S XC “Stay fit.” That was the message from Men’s Cross Country captain, Benjamin Holland.

When the idea of a season long suspension or postponement was first brought up, the guessing game for what would happen next began.

“Truthfully it was a lot of uncertainty surrounding everything,” Holland said. “People were speculating things were going to get shut down, other people [disagreed].”

During this time Holland said he was also focused on battling back from a setback.

“I had broken my wrist in January,” Holland said. “I was struggling to actually do workouts and be present for them, just due to the fact that I wasn’t actually allowed to do them.”

With COVID-19 restrictions in place, it’s unrealistic to expect events where the entire team can be present.

Holland said he recognized that, and gave his team an outlet by scheduling a Zoom call every few weeks.

“I felt like it was an important time to check in with people, and it was important to try and make

K YLE CALZIA | MUSTANG NEWS Captains Matt Shotwell (left) and Kitu Humphrey (right) combine to make the tackle.

sure everyone stayed connected,” Holland said.

Everyone in the cross country program is a part of the track program as well. Regardless of the COVID-19 factors that are currently affecting the team, the combination of the two sports alone requires a very demanding workout schedule, Holland said.

“It’s a yearround commitment.

Realistically I take four weeks off a year,” Holland said. “I take two weeks after the track season is over and two weeks after the cross season is over.”

To maintain the fitness level you want, Holland said free days off come few and far between.

“It’s six days a week of required practice, but I don’t know anyone that runs just six days a week,” Holland said. “It’s basically a seven days a week [commitment].”

Holland said he has chosen to take an optimistic approach to the situation as a whole.

“Overall [it’s] disappointing, but hopefully it gives us time to get fit, stronger, and ready for the challeng-

es that are to come,” Holland said.

Every program will be adhering to county and university health and safety guidelines, and each will have strategies on handling the postponement of the Fall 2020 season.

All students, including athletes, are expected to comply with the basic health requirements mandated by Cal Poly, including providing a negative COVID-19 test before arriving on campus.

BY PRANATHI MANGA

Cal Poly career, and he even played as a full back during his time with USA rugby. However, the Legion are planning to deploy him as a scrumhalf, or a number nine. “[The Legion] are willing to take that shot on me in a position that I don’t have the most experience with, but they know that I can learn it fast and I’m willing to do anything I can to put myself in the best position to help the team,” Madden said.

As quarantine interrupted both professional and collegiate athletics, Madden said he is now training with anything he can find. Using stacked chairs and other forms of makeshift equipment, Madden is using the aide of his San Diego Legion coach, Zachary Test, to create a three-week workout program to stay fit.

Another supportive presence through quarantine has been Madden’s father, Joe. “My dad has been super supportive

and he has been jumping from place to place with me,” Madden said.

“He’s a warrior. He finishes a full workday and then trains with me.”

Madden took a full 16-unit summer quarter, interned part-time at Cambridge Mobile Telematics in Massachusetts, and trained twice a day to stay in shape and sharpen his techniques. Graduating this fall, Madden is working around a 26-unit course load and training to begin his preseason with the San Diego Legion on November 30 of this year.

To manage this workload between classes and training, Madden writes down his goals in a little book.

“I started it when I was thirteen and if I didn’t write it down, I believed [the goals] would not come true.

Whether it be classes or training, I wrote it down and it brought my goals to,” Madden said, “I look at the book and tell myself, ‘Yes this is what I want to be doing.’”

SPORTS

“In my first game against Cal, after the game, he was getting interviewed and was talking about a try I scored with an assist from him,” Domine said “[Madden] said, ‘When [you] back the boys, good things happen.’

That has stuck with me and just shows his trust and acceptance of his teammates.”

Hegarty, one of Madden’s best friends and a current business administration senior, praised Madden for his help in rugby, academics, and overall personal growth.

“Patrick has positively influenced me on all of those fronts,” Hegarty said “From making me a better person and a better communicator to being on the rugby pitch. His knowledge and skill base alone has always just encouraged me to work harder and be a better player and dig deeper.”

Madden played primarily at fly-half and also at inside centre during his

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Cal Poly Rugby’s Patrick Madden was selected 12th overall by the San Diego Legion in the inaugural Major League Rugby draft held June 13.

“To start my professional career with ‘SD’ on my chest… I can’t believe that I get this opportunity,” Madden, a San Diego native, said.

Madden, a journalism senior, played three years for the Mustangs, making first team All-Conference in 2018 and 2019 He was also named a finalist for the 2020 Rudy Scholz Award, the highest achievement for a collegiate rugby player.

“If I had any sort of wise words [for playing rugby], do it with a smile on your face and things will work out.

It goes with anything in life if you do what you love, nothing else matters,” Madden said.

Madden, a two-time captain, led the Mustangs to a victory over UC

Berkeley in 2019, their first win over the Golden Bears since 2012.

“I’ve made a home here at Cal Poly, and the fact that I might be leaving it a little early hurts my heart, but I know everyone is super supportive of me and the dream I’ve been chasing,” Madden said in an earlier interview. “I didn’t get to experience the last year and a half of my collegiate career, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I am doing what I love.”

Madden also praised Cal Poly Rugby for helping him balance academics and athletics. Although Madden said his “entire life has been a balancing act,” juggling playing for club and USA Rugby since 15 years old, he said his teammates at Cal Poly Rugby “will always be [his] brothers on and off the field.”

Teammates Alex Domine and Kyle Hegarty praised Madden on the influence he has had on them.

MUSTANG NEWS

Patrick Madden selected in first round of Major League Rugby Draft

18

HOW MUSIC HAS AFFECTED MY

BY JENNA MCARTHY

Relationships have always been a difficult topic for me — I’ve never truly known how to discuss them in a way that didn’t make me uncomfortable.

I know what you’re thinking: “Not another girl ranting about her boy troubles…” Well, I’m here to turn the tables. I’m going to be talking about how music made me realize I’m bisexual.

Growing up in a more conservative area, those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community were few and far between. On top of that, I have a very spiritual mother who believes in loving all people, so I never realized that being attracted to females wasn’t something all girls experienced.

It wasn’t until I began listening to and identifying with artists such as Kehlani, Clairo and Girl in Red that I realized my attraction goes beyond what heterosexual women feel.

KCPR

MUSTANG NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

KEHLANI “Playinwitme” by Kyle featuring Kehlani was the first song I ever heard where a female openly sang about her attraction to another woman. Yes, that is how sheltered from the sexuality I was.

This song was released in 2018, which was the end of my senior year of high school. I immediately loved the song and belted Kehlani’s part as often as I could. This should have been a red flag from the start, but I had a boyfriend at the time, so no one questioned me.

“Honey” by Kehlani has been my jam since my first listen. The vibes are immaculate. I used to lay on the floor with it on full blast and just absorb the sounds. Everyone has those songs that make them feel so deeply they start to cry whether they planned to or not, and “Honey” has always been one of those for me.

SEXUALITY

CLAIRO The first time I listened to Clairo was just before I opened up to my first friend about being bisexual. She’s actually the one that introduced me to Clairo. Since she’s a lesbian herself, coming out to her was the easiest of all.

Some highlights of Clairo are “Softly”, “Sofia” and “Bubble Gum”.

Clairo typically sings about her personal experiences and where they have led her on. For example, her song “Sofia” is about her first experiences realizing her attraction to older women in the media, such as Sofia Vergara and Sofia Coppola, which I resonated with. Rather than hiding her attraction to these women, she felt she should be celebrating it.

GIRL IN RED If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or are an active ally, I’m sure you’ve been asked “Do you listen to Girl in Red?” In case you haven’t, it is the equivalent of asking if a girl is sapphic. There are other variations of this, of course, such as “Do you cuff your jeans?” for asking if someone is bisexual, but Girl in Red is the go-to artist for such a question.

Girl in Red is a lesser-known indie artist recognized for her overt display of attraction towards females. Some of her songs include “girls” and “we fell in love in october.” Both songs are about her love for women, and it’s incredible to me how unafraid she is to express herself freely.

MIK A LINCOLN | KCPR.ORG

I KNOW I CAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE THAT’S EXPERIENCED A SEXUAL AWAKENING VIA THE WORKS OF MUSICIANS. This isn’t something I’ve heard discussed outside of Twitter, but if it were more normalized, maybe relationships wouldn’t be as hard of a topic for those who grew up in similar ways to me: where heteronormativity is enforced.

I had no idea of the effects these artists would have on me upon hearing them for the first time, yet they changed my entire perspective.

There are many more I could touch on, though these seem the most prominent. If you want to hear the music mentioned, and more, check out this playlist.

SCAN THIS CODE TO CHECK OUT THE PLAYLIST